Yoji Otani Deutsche Securities

“Dedicated service,” according to one investor, helps Yoji Otani of Deutsche Securities rise from runner-up to third place; he’s also a runner-up in Construction. Otani, who reports on 27 companies, recommends overweighting the sector. “We are very bullish now because Japan is just beginning to get out from deflation, and the housing and real estate sector will be a beneficiary of this,” he says. His current favorite is Tokyo’s Sumitomo Realty & Development Co. “Even though the Japanese economy and real estate market are dull, Sumitomo is able to achieve record high profits,” Otani says. Plus, “Sumitomo’s management is far better than its competitors’ in terms of land bank investment timing and its Tokyo investment concentration strategy.”  — Leslie Kramer

RUNNER-UP
- Yoshihiro Hashimoto Bank of America Merrill Lynch