Stuart Baker, Vinay Jaising & team
Morgan Stanley
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 9

Team debut: 2001

After four years, Morgan Stanley’s troupe under the guidance of Stuart Baker and Vinay Jaising bolts from runner-up to second place, recording the firm’s strongest showing on this roster since 2001. This six-person group has members stationed in Hong Kong, Melbourne, Mumbai, Seoul, Singapore and Taipei to monitor 50 regional oil and gas names. It is hailed for providing “good organization of field trips and quick response on any requests,” as one advocate says. The researchers are bullish on India’s oil and gas sector, which advanced by 9.4 percent over the 12 months through late April to best the wider sector by 13.8 percentage points and the regional market by 5.6 percentage points. “We expect continuity of broader reforms in the oil and gas industry and hence expect the sector to continue to outperform,” explains Jaising. One of their most preferred names is Bharat Petroleum Corp., India’s second-largest state-controlled oil refining and marketing company, whose shares they have urged overweighting for some time. “It is a key beneficiary of the ongoing reforms in the industry and has possible upside from its exploration and production business,” Jaising advises. Bharat’s stock soared 32.1 percent year to date through late April, reaching 459.40 rupees, while the sector slipped 1.6 percent.