Newcomer Yu (Andy) Meng, who tracks 15 stocks, joins the roster in third place. The Morgan Stanley researcher is known for making “good calls that were ahead of the market,” according to one fund manager. In June, Meng assumed coverage of oil services companies and deemed the segment attractive. He especially favored Hilong Holding, upgrading the Shanghai-based oil field equipment and services supplier from equal weight to overweight. Demand for drilling was rising, Meng noted, particularly from government-owned oil companies, which increasingly were outsourcing to independent providers. Through October the shares jumped 23.7 percent, to HK$5.16, and eclipsed the sector by 15 percentage points. He continues to like Hilong, deeming its share price a bargain and crediting its positive free cash flow and capital-expenditure expansion. Another top pick is Beijing-based drilling and well services provider China Oilfield Services, thanks to its dominant market position. Meng upgraded the stock from equal weight to overweight in January 2012, at HK$11.94. The shares had rocketed 81.7 percent, to HK$21.70, by the end of October 2013, while the sector sank 12.1 percent. — Ben Mattlin RUNNER(S)-UP Shuai He Jiantao (Arthur) Yan |
