John Pitzer Credit Suisse

Making his first appearance in this sector is John Pitzer of Credit Suisse, who takes third place. The San Francisco–based analyst — who most recently ranked in 2005, as No. 2 in Semiconductor Capital Equipment — initiated coverage on Broadcom Corp. with an outperform rating last October, about three weeks later (and at a slightly higher price) than the analyst in second place. Pitzer’s recommendation was based in part on the Irvine, California–based company’s success at entering the highly profitable baseband market for handsets. He highlighted the call in February, noting Broadcom’s gains in market share. By the end of August, the stock had slipped 1.8 percent since the analyst first recommended it, from $30.50 to $29.96, but still led the sector by 4.1 percentage points. “John is a forward thinker who is not afraid to make bold predictions,” cheers one advocate.