< The 2015 All-America Research Team

Total appearances: 15

Analyst debut: 2001

In her 15th consecutive appearance on this lineup, UBS’s Robin Farley secures second place, the position she has held since 2011. This year she also records her sixth straight runner-up finish on the Gaming & Lodging roster. Clients are well aware of Farley’s longevity in this space, hailing her experience and diligence. “Though she’s one of the longest-running analysts in the group,” one fund manager observes, “she never puts it into ‘cruise control.’ She’s always out scanning the horizon for that next nugget of information.” Indeed, another backer remarks, the researcher delivers “good on-the-ground data and quick, timely analyses of unexpected events.” Farley reports on 16 U.S. leisure names and counts Royal Caribbean Cruises among her favorites in that group. In December 2013 she noted that demand was rising for the Miami-based cruise line operator, so she changed her position on the company from neutral to buy. Five months later, when management announced that it planned to base its newest ship in China, tapping a potentially huge — and highly profitable — new market, she highlighted her positive view. The company’s expanding capacity in China and the entire cruise industry’s increasing exposure to the world’s second largest economy have been ongoing themes that Farley has tracked for investors. Royal Caribbean has in the meantime named China home for additional vessels — and by the end of last month, its stock had rocketed 114.2 percent since her upgrade, to $95.49, while the sector delivered an 11.3 percent gain. She projects it will climb to $100.