SECOND TEAM Gregory Melich  ISI Group

ISI Group’s Gregory Melich debuts in second place. Melich, who joined ISI last year from Morgan Stanley, downgraded Best Buy Co. from neutral to sell in February, at $32.56, making the case that the electronics chain, which is headquartered in Richfield, Minnesota, would continue to lose market share to Amazon.com and other online retailers. The company reported in June that year-over-year net earnings had fallen 12.3 percent, to $136 million, in its fiscal first quarter, which ended May 28, and last month reported that profit had plunged 30.3 percent, to $177 million, in its second quarter, which ended August 27. Best Buy’s share price had tumbled 21.4 percent, to $25.59, by the end of August, trailing the sector by 13.7 percentage points since the downgrade. “Greg is a superstar — he knows his companies cold,” lauds one client. “He is extremely fundamental, and he focuses on the long-term drivers of value.”