Colin McGranahan  Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. The buy side says: “I have come to expect great work from him.”

It’s five consecutive years at the top of the roster for Colin ­McGranahan, 41. The ­Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst urged clients to buy Bed Bath & Beyond in May 2010, at $45.93, because he believed that the Union, New ­Jersey–based operator of home-­furnishing stores would enjoy robust growth thanks to its continued expansion. He was right. In April the company reported a year-over-year net earnings increase of 31.9 percent, to $791.3 million, on sales growth of 11.9 percent, to nearly $8.8 billion, for the 12 months through February. By the end of August, the stock had jumped 23.8 percent, to $56.86, and leaped past the sector by 25.9 percentage points. “Colin does in-depth work on the companies he follows,” cheers one ­champion.