Tycho Peterson  J.P. Morgan The buy side says: “He has very keen insights.”

Climbing the final step to finish on top for the first time is J.P. Morgan’s Tycho Peterson. “He knows his companies well — and that leads to winning trade ideas,” says one buy-side advocate. One example: Peterson reiterated his overweight call on Beckman Coulter in early October 2010, at $47.62, making the case that investors were overreacting to the sudden resignation of CEO Scott Garrett in September. The analyst noted that the Brea, ­California–based maker of laboratory equipment would rebound thanks to its strong cash flow and products in development. In February, Washington-­based diversified manufacturer Danaher Corp. announced that it would acquire Beckman Coulter for $83.50 a share; the deal was completed in June. Peterson, 39, joined Hambrecht & Quist (which was later absorbed by J.P. Morgan) as an associate equity analyst in 1999, after working as a consultant for PowderJect Pharmaceuticals; he earned an MBA from Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford in 2008.