THIRD TEAM Daniel Oppenheim  Credit Suisse

Daniel Oppenheim, who spent last year in the runner-up position, reclaims the No. 3 spot he captured in 2009. The Credit Suisse analyst downgraded Ryland Group, a homebuilder and mortgage-finance company headquartered in Calabasas, California, from neutral to underperform in October 2010, at $16.68, primarily on valuation. The stock had plunged 30.1 percent, to $11.66, by late August; during the same period the sector dropped by 23.7 percent. Oppenheim “has covered these stocks for a while and has a great sense of history for the group,” explains one investor. “For the most part his stock calls have been bearish, which is good — it’s hard to make money in the sector unless you’re short.” The analyst concurs: “There are few ways to be spared from this environment,” he says.