< The 2014 All-America Research TeamA.J. RiceUBSFirst-place appearances: 3

Total appearances: 13

Team debut: 1995“Nobody works harder on Wall Street than A.J. Rice,” insists one portfolio manager. “He answers all questions, no matter what time of day.” Buy-siders reward the UBS analyst’s efforts by returning him to the No. 2 position on this list, an advance from runner-up and Rice’s best showing since 2002. This year he also earns his first appearance on the Managed Care roster, at runner-up. Regarding U.S. health care facilities names, Rice predicts that over the next six to 12 months physician outsourcing and hospital management stocks will continue to perform well. In particular, he likes Nashville, Tennessee–based HCA Holdings, deeming the hospital and surgery center operator “well-positioned to benefit from increased health care coverage under reform and an improving economic backdrop.” His target price for HCA is $73, which implies a 2.3 percent upside to the stock’s mid-September value. The researcher also favors midcap growth player Envision Healthcare Holdings of Greenwood Village, Colorado. This long-term care facilities owner likewise should profit from health care reform, he believes, in addition to hospital outsourcing. “The company is posting midteens operating income growth and a very high return on invested capital,” Rice adds. Envision’s stock closed at $34.32 in mid-September, and he projects a rise to $40. “A.J. is extremely knowledgeable about his coverage universe and is very close with the management teams,” another supporter offers. “He is always on top of every major topic.”