Tetsuro Tsusaka
Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co.
After two years in the runner-up position, Tetsuro Tsusaka climbs to third place. The Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities Co. analyst has been bullish on the sector, citing the growing number of mobile phone subscribers and the rising popularity of smartphones. In January 2012 he urged clients to buy KDDI Corp., Japan’s second-largest mobile-services provider, making the case that the Tokyo-based outfit’s profits were poised to soar. He was right. A year later the company reported that year-over-year net profit for the three months through December had rocketed 85 percent, to ¥100.49 billion ($1.07 billion), and operating profit had jumped nearly 40 percent, to ¥164.33 billion. As of mid-March the stock was up 46.5 percent, having climbed from ¥2,475 to ¥3,625, and Tsusaka continues to favor it. “He’s an excellent market timer,” cheers one grateful investor. — Pam Baker