Derik De Bruin
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
First-place appearances: 1

Total appearances: 4

Team debut: 2010

Derik De Bruin repeats in second place. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst provides “great access to management teams, deep industry knowledge and unbiased stock recommendations,” one money manager avers. For his part, De Bruin notes that the sector has performed well “despite concerns over the uncertain macro outlook and the impact of government austerity measures on research and development funding” — it jumped 31.9 percent year to date through August, against the S&P 500’s 14.5 percent gain. The analyst credits consolidation and outsourcing in the face of patent expirations and improving capital markets, and he remains a long-term bull. “There are still many opportunities for growth, and relatively high barriers to entry,” he contends, “but demand for high-end research reagents and consumables will remain constrained in the near term.” De Bruin continues to favor Hillsboro, Oregon–based FEI Co. In August, after management lowered its 2013 outlook owing to order timing, he reiterated his March 2012 buy rating, believing that the issues affecting the instrument maker will be temporary. “FEI is at the beginning of a new product cycle, the company’s total addressable market is expanding, margins are expanding, free cash flow is improving, and they recently initiated a quarterly dividend,” he emphasizes. From his March buy through early August, the shares shot up 70.6 percent, from $44.07 to $75.19; they closed the month at $78.28. — Leslie Kramer