THIRD TEAM

John Rex  J.P. Morgan

John Rex rises from runner-up, where he spent the past two years, to third place; the J.P. Morgan analyst also tops the roster in Managed Care. Rex reiterated his neutral rating on Franklin, Tennessee–based hospital operator Community Health Systems in February, at $39.10, even though he expected the company to beat consensus estimates for fourth-quarter earnings per share — which it did, reporting one week later quarterly EPS of 76 cents per share, 3 cents higher than the Street expected. Even so, Rex believed that rising labor costs would exacerbate margin pressure. By the end of August, Community Health’s shares had plunged 47.9 percent, to $20.36; during the same period the sector inched down 1.6 percent. “John is a true champion,” cheers one investor.