THIRD TEAM

William Stein  Credit Suisse

Credit Suisse’s William Stein debuts in third place in this newly added sector. Stein “has the best understanding of the supply-chain stocks, current supply and demand trends, and how the technology supply chain works,” asserts one portfolio manager. The analyst upgraded Santa Clara, California’s Agilent Technologies, a developer and distributor of electronic measurement and software design tools, from hold to buy way back in March 2009, at $15.89, on the belief that the market was underestimating the company’s potential. And how: Agilent has enjoyed strong growth in each successive quarter; most recently, in August, the company reported year-over-year net revenue growth of 22.2 percent, to nearly $1.7 billion, in its fiscal 2011 third quarter, which ended July 31. Since Stein’s recommendation, the stock rocketed 132 percent, to $36.87, and surged past the sector by 70.6 percentage points, through August 2011.