David Wilson & team UBS

UBS’s David Wilson and his troop of 50 return to second place after a year in the runner-up position. Based in Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney, the analysts actively keep tabs on some 250 stocks and are especially prized for “keeping their finger on the pulse of the mining industry,” as one client puts it. Indeed, in January 2011, following extensive flooding in Queensland, they pounded the table on NRW Holdings, at A$2.01, on its lack of exposure to flood-related shutdowns. Shares of the Perth-based mining-services contractor soared a pulse-pounding 106.5 percent, to A$4.15, and trounced Australia’s broad market by 115.5 percentage points, through March 2012. NRW remains one of the team’s key calls for the year ahead. — Ben Mattlin