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Victor Schabbel
& team
Credit Suisse
First-place appearances: 5

Total appearances: 12

Team debut: 1993

Victor Schabbel took charge of the Credit Suisse team last year and guided it from runner-up to No. 1 — its first appearance on top since 2006, when the sector was dubbed Financial Institutions — and the four-strong squad rules the roost again this year. The 28-year-old’s “superior knowledge about the companies and sectors he covers allows him to look from above and combine a mid- to long-term view with a short-term perception of the opportunities available in the market,” observes one buy-side supporter. “His calls are always solid and trustworthy.” Case in point: In February the analysts upgraded Cielo from neutral to outperform, at 48.25 reais, on valuation and on the belief that management’s guidance was too conservative. Shares of the Brazil-based credit card services provider surged 15.6 percent, to 55.76 reais, and led the sector by 20.5 percentage points, through mid-July. The group remains bullish. With three researchers in São Paulo and one in Mexico City, the team reports on seven companies and expects to raise that total to ten this year, Schabbel reports. “He is the best analyst in the sector,” insists one buy-side loyalist. — Leslie Kramer