| Suisse Since his 2009 debut Ralph Giacobbe of Credit Suisse had held steady in the runner-up position, but this year he climbs to third place. “He is an innovative thinker and has come up with several new ways of gauging the market,” says one portfolio manager. Performance across the group has been mixed this year, with trading volume rebounding off depressed levels but still remaining muted, says Giacobbe, who follows 18 companies. Questions surrounding government reimbursement rates for Medicaid and Medicare “continue to constrain pricing and growth, which is reflected in valuation levels that remain at or near historical troughs,” he adds. In February Giacobbe told clients to buy Franklin, Tennessee–based hospital and nursing home operator Community Health Systems, at $20.01, on newly instituted cost controls and rising admissions. The stock had surged 35.1 percent, to $27.01, by late August. RUNNER(S)-UP Kevin Fischbeck Darren Lehrich |
