Vinícius Canheu & team Credit Suisse

The buy side says: “Canheu’s client service is the best, and it’s always good talking to him whenever I have doubts about a stock.”

After three years in the runner-up spot, Credit Suisse rockets to the top of the roster. The São Paulo–based duo is led by 32-year-old Vinícius Canheu — “the guru on valuations,” declares one enthusiastic backer. The analysts report on 15 companies and impressed clients with their February 2011 upgrade from neutral to outperform on Brazil’s Cía. Energética de Minas Gerais, at 26.89 reais, on rising power-generation rates and the utility’s recently announced dividend increase. By mid-July 2012 the stock had catapulted 40.9 percent, to 37.90 reais, and trounced the sector by 27.6 percentage points. “They were one of the first to upgrade Cemig,” recalls one grateful money manager. Canheu, who holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo, joined Credit Suisse in 2004 from Unibanco. — Ben Mattlin