John IvankoeJ.P. MorganClimbing one rung to second place is J.P. Morgan’s John Ivankoe. In October 2011 he told clients to buy Brinker International, at $20.07, arguing that cost-cutting initiatives and an aggressive pricing strategy would boost profitability at the Dallas-based operator of Chili’s Grill & Bar and Maggiano’s Little Italy franchises. Good call. In early August the company reported that earnings per diluted share for fiscal 2012, which ended in June, had jumped 28.9 percent, to $1.96. Brinker’s shares had zipped to $34.46 by the end of that month, enabling investors to feast on a tasty 71.7 percent gain. “No one knows this industry and its important players better than John Ivankoe,” insists one booster. “He’s passionate in his dogged pursuit of restaurant nirvana, and he truly loves dispensing his knowledge to anyone who will listen. He’s a restaurant rock star!”