Elisabeth Clive, John Scannell & team, Sanford C. Bernstein

John Scannell and Elisabeth Clive lead the London-based Sanford C. Bernstein quartet to a second straight third-place finish. The analysts follow five companies, and their research provides “deep insight into every industry and every product,” along with “value-added stock recommendations,” according to one buy-side supporter. Shares in this sector rarely move in sync because some of them — such as those of Germany’s Fresenius Medical Care, a dialysis treatment provider — are defensive and relatively immune to economic fluctuations; others — such as Switzerland’s Nobel Biocare Holding, which manufactures dental prosthetics — are largely driven by consumer demand and thus are more cyclical, explains Scannell. “We think the market will become more challenging for subsectors that are exposed to government austerity measures and increased pricing pressure from hospitals,” adds Clive.