Sui Man (Vincent) Ha, Sanjeev Rana & team
Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank debuts in third place. The eight-member troupe is directed by Sui Man (Vincent) Ha, who is headquartered in Hong Kong, and Seoul-based Sanjeev Rana. The analysts “take pains to be accurate and fact-based, and they are not emotional — they don’t react to every news event,” notes one money manager. They picked up coverage of five companies last year, bringing their total to 31, and plan to add more names this year. Baoxin Auto Group, which operates luxury car dealerships across China, has been a team favorite since November, in anticipation of improved earnings growth in light of the company’s plans to acquire NCGA Holdings, a dealership with an “extensive and established reach in Northern China,” Ha says. The stock gained 16.7 percent, advancing from HK$5.80 to HK$6.77, and led the sector by 16.5 percentage points, through April; the researchers have a target price of HK$9.50. — Paul Sweeney