< The 2014 All-America Research TeamStephen KimBarclaysFirst-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 10

Team debut: 2001After spending the past two years at No. 3, Barclays researcher Stephen Kim steps up to second place, the position he most recently held in 2005. Kim is “one of the best at taking advantage of turning points — and bold enough to step in when stocks are attractively valued or have catalysts and to become neutral when activity slows or valuations are stretched,” one portfolio manager avers. The analyst has been advising clients to be bullish on Fort Worth, Texas–based D.R. Horton, the nation’s No. 1 single-family homebuilder. He upgraded the shares from equal weight to overweight in February 2013, at $22.71. Then in March 2014, when the stock dipped to $21.26, he elevated Horton to his top pick, primarily thanks to its new line of affordable homes that he deems well-positioned to benefit from an anticipated wave of first-time buyers. The stock closed at $21.62 in mid-September, trailing the broad market by 4.6 percentage points since March, but Kim is standing his ground. Investors have yet to fully appreciate Horton’s growth strategy, he insists, and maintains a $34 price objective for the shares.