< The 2015 All-Japan Research Team

Total appearances: 6

Analyst debut: 2010

In his strongest showing to date, Yuji Matsumoto, 43, advances one position to second place. The Nomura researcher ”excels at earnings forecasts and does a great job with his stock selections,” one fund manager observes. Among the names that Matsumoto is touting is Tokyo-based Dowa Holdings Co., which operates across a range of businesses, including metals fabrication, refining and smelting; scrap-metal recycling; and waste treatment. Dowa boasts superior growth prospects, he believes, especially in such electronics materials as light-emitting diodes and silver powders. Moreover, its industrial waste processing operations across Asia are expanding rapidly and profitably thanks to renewed emphasis on sustainable development throughout the region. He points to Dowa’s newly formed subsidiary in Myanmar as an example. The company is building a state-of-the-art landfill and providing a full complement of environmental management services, including waste collection, transportation and treatment, as well as recycling. Matsumoto pegs the shares at ¥1,130, which implies a 7.5 percent upside their trading level in late March. “He is always very helpful and useful,” adds another booster.