Renata Faber
& team
Itaú BBA
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 1

Team debut: 2013

Debuting at No. 3 is the Itaú BBA foursome directed by São Paulo–based Renata Faber, who also helms the top-ranked team in Capital Goods. The analysts launched coverage on Panama’s Copa Holdings with an outperform rating in August 2012, when the New York Stock Exchange–listed shares were trading at $74.64, on the air carrier’s high dividend payout and strong cash flow, among other considerations. By mid-July the stock had flown to $134.67, for an eye-popping 80.4 percent advance that bested the sector by 91.1 percentage points. The researchers, who report on 16 companies, are “always ahead of the curve,” according to one satisfied client.— Ben Mattlin