< The 2014 All-America Research TeamWilliam SchmitzDeutsche Bank SecuritiesFirst-place appearances: 0
Total appearances: 9
Team debut: 2006After six straight runner-up finishes on this roster followed by two years at No. 3, Deutsche Bank Securities’ William Schmitz advances to second place. “Bill is an old-school analyst who is a gifted writer with an ability to make you laugh once in a while,” remarks one admirer. In early November, Schmitz issued a report highlighting his buy rating on St. Louis–based battery and personal care products manufacturer Energizer Holdings and calling for the company to be broken up. In April management announced its intention to do just that: It would be split into two publicly traded entities, one in personal care products and the other focused on the household products segment. Investors rewarded the move, driving Energizer’s stock up to $122.85 by the middle of September, for a gain of 26.2 percent since Schmitz’s reiteration that outperformed the sector by 24.9 percentage points. It’s no surprise that another investor says he values the researcher for his “insight into M&A potential within this category.”
