Hoy Kit Mak & team
J.P. Morgan
Holding steady in second place for a second straight year is J.P. Morgan’s squad of seven. Led by Kuala Lumpur–based Hoy Kit Mak, with some analysts working out of Hong Kong and Singapore, the group is “looking to add resources,” says Mak. At present, it follows 45 stocks, which is five more than a year ago. The researchers are bullish on undervalued companies with “domestic-led earnings growth,” the crew captain says. Examples include Top Glove Corp., a provider of latex gloves headquartered in Klang, Selangor. Upgraded from neutral to overweight in June, at 4.52 ringgit, on falling raw materials prices and rising demand, the shares jumped 39.8 percent, to 6.32 ringgit, and trumped Malaysia’s broad market by 32.3 percentage points, through April. The analysts “provide the best local color and inside information on the domestic economy,” insists one New York–based buy-sider. — Ben Mattlin