| Uche Orji, who rises from runner-up to claim third place for UBS, “is closely in tune with markets,” notes one buy-side supporter. “The sector as a whole is unlikely to outperform in a weak macro environment,” the analyst says. “We advise investors to buy companies with clear product-cycle stories, as those will outperform the sector.” One example: Nvidia Corp. Orji recommended shares of the Santa Clara, California–based maker of graphics chips in June, at $12.12, on the strength of its emerging lead role in Microsoft Corp.’s Windows-on-Arm product line and its graphics-card product cycle, among other factors. The stock had jumped 15.8 percent, to $14.03, by the end of the August and led the Philadelphia Stock Exchange semiconductor index by 9.5 percentage points. In late August Orji was tapped to become chief executive officer of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, that country’s new sovereign wealth fund. RUNNER(S)-UP James Covello Stacy Rasgon Ross Seymore Glen Yeung |
