| Reclaiming the top spot after falling to third place last year is Christopher Danely, 41. The J.P. Morgan analyst “leaves the most entertaining voice mails” says one client, insisting the updates “make me feel like I am a part of his family.” Danely — who had been an outspoken bear on Intel Corp. throughout 2010 — upgraded the Santa Clara, California–based microprocessor manufacturer all the way to buy in April 2011, at $18.89, believing utilization rates, margins and estimates had hit bottom and the stock was poised to rise. It did, surging 33.1 percent, to $25.14, by mid-January. That’s when the San Francisco–based researcher downgraded it to neutral, telling investors that expectations had climbed too high and that the company was amassing a large inventory. Right again: By late August Intel’s shares had slipped back to $24.83. “We are positive on the sector for the near and medium terms,” Danely says. Current picks include Norwood, Massachusetts–based Analog Devices; and Fairchild Semiconductor International and Xilinx, both of which are headquartered in San Jose, California. |
Technology, Media & Telecommunications – Semiconductors: First
October 16, 2012
