Vivek Maheshwari
CLSA
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 2

Analyst debut: 2012

Vivek Maheshwari rises from runner-up to third place. The CLSA analyst, who also garners a runner-up spot in Consumer/Discretionary, is negative on this sector. “Valuations are at historically high levels,” he advises, “as growth rates are tapering off.” One exception to his bearish stance is Dabur India, a Ghaziabad-based natural household and personal care products manufacturer. In March, Maheshwari upgraded the company from sell to buy, citing management’s strong efforts to grow the top line — with a focus on expanding sales rather than raising prices. The strategy has been successful: Over the six months through September, Dabur’s year-over-year consolidated sales leaped 13.9 percent, to 34 billion rupees ($555 million), on volume growth of 10.7 percent. By the middle of October, its share price had jumped 27.1 percent, to 168.45 rupees, and outdistanced the sector by 6.1 percentage points. — Katie Gilbert