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Paul Sankey
Deutsche Bank Securities
First-place appearances: 3

Total appearances: 8

Analyst debut: 2006

It’s three straight years at No. 1 for Paul Sankey of Deutsche Bank Securities. The 46-year-old researcher contends that the biggest oil companies were late to the shale-fueled U.S. oil and gas revolution. Consequently, they are struggling with growth and returns. His solution: “Break up, get smaller, get more leverage, get more focused, and get more growth — and you’ll get a better multiple. Where we’ve seen companies do that, we’ve seen a lot of success.” Sankey favors Hess Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. because they are “shrinking to grow,” as he puts it. New York–based Hess is undertaking asset disposals and stock buybacks, and he sees “potential for another round of restructuring after this round.” The company could split into a pure U.S. shale play (based in the Bakken formation in Montana and North Dakota) and a global exploration and production name, Sankey believes. Occidental, which is headquartered in Los Angeles, is also restructuring aggressively and breaking itself up, he notes. “There is no better analyst on Wall Street who can identify key macro issues facing the energy sector,” asserts one backer. “Whenever I need to understand a new dynamic facing the energy sector, Paul is my first call.” — Carolyn Koo