< The 2015 All-America Research Team

Total appearances: 12

Analyst debut: 2004

In third place is Robert Hopkins, who occupied the No. 2 position on this list for the previous eight years. The Bank of America Merrill Lynch analyst “can intelligently discuss how and why doctors use a specific product in one breath, then in the next tell you where a company wants to be five years from now and whether or not they have the capital structure to [get there],” one portfolio manager marvels. “It’s a unique combination of talents.” For his part, the 48-year-old Hopkins advises that the U.S. medical supplies and devices sector “is performing well, as industry growth has picked up and the companies are innovating — but the biggest value creation continues to come from industry consolidation.” This trend will continue, he adds, “as the same forces that are driving hospital and managed care consolidation are driving medical technologies consolidation. The need to be bigger and broader partners with hospitals and the need to offer innovation on a higher, more comprehensive level are the factors driving consolidation.” One company he especially likes on this M&A theme is Kalamazoo, Michigan–based Stryker Corp., a leading maker of orthopedic implants and instruments. Given its “pristine balance sheet,” Hopkins says, the company is well positioned to go shopping. Its stock traded at $99.22 in mid-September, not far off his price objective of $105. “Bob knows his coverage universe very well and always has interesting data points and perspectives, so he’s able to identify the most important business drivers and focuses his diligence on those factors,” another supporter remarks. “He also tends to be more intellectually honest in his research and has less of a confirmation bias than his peers.”