Maurício Fernandes
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 9

Team debut: 2005

Rising from runner-up to third place is Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Maurício Fernandes. The São Paulo–based analyst, who reports on 12 companies, urges clients to be selective on telecommunications names, given what he calls the industry’s “limited growth rates, regulatory headwinds and competitive dynamics.” In late February he upgraded São Paulo–based Telefônica Brasil from neutral to buy, at $25.98 per American depositary receipt, on the strength of the “stability shown in the fixed-line business, a recent ease in wireless pricing pressures and the solid cost-cutting the company demonstrated in the fourth quarter.” The ADRs surged to $27.66 two weeks later, and then they started to slip. By mid-July they were down to $20.89, but the analyst continues to recommend them, with a target price of $28. — Pam Baker