Bruce Hamilton & team Morgan Stanley
The buy side says: “I like the team’s competence, the timeliness of its research and the accessibility of its members.”
Holding on to the top spot for a second straight year is Morgan Stanley’s three-analyst team under the leadership of Bruce Hamilton, 37. The trio upgraded Aberdeen Asset Management from hold to buy in July, at 139.60p, citing the U.K.-based money management firm’s compelling valuation and the improving investment performance of its fixed-income funds, among other factors. The stock had bolted 45.3 percent, to 202.90p, by the end of December; during the same period the sector tumbled 10.3 percent. The analysts “recognized early on, back in 2009, the changing value drivers in the sector and retained the courage of their convictions through 2010, which is something some of their competitors fail to do,” observes one longtime client.
