< The 2015 All-America Research Team
C. Stephen Tusa Jr.
J.P. Morgan
First-place appearances: 1
Total appearances: 9
Analyst debut: 2007
Up one spot to reclaim the No. 2 position he earned in 2012 and 2013 is C. Stephen Tusa Jr. of J.P. Morgan. “Steve’s knowledge is encyclopedic, and accordingly, he tends to be correct well ahead of his peers,” avers one portfolio manager. In May 2014 the researcher upgraded Richardson, Texas’ Lennox International from neutral to overweight, partly on the strength of its residential air conditioning business. By the middle of last month, shares of the climate-control services purveyor had catapulted 46.2 percent, to $121.97, outdistancing U.S. electric equipment and multi-industry stocks overall by 67.2 percentage points. Another preferred name in his 20-count coverage universe is Ireland-headquartered industrial conglomerate Ingersoll-Rand, whose shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Tusa, 40, hiked his rating on the company from neutral to overweight in September 2013, at a split-adjusted $49.90, citing ongoing productivity enhancements as well as the manufacturer’s exposure to the improving domestic economy. With the stock at $54.95 in mid-September 2015 — and ahead of the sector by 10.6 percentage points over the trailing 12-month period and by 24 percentage points over the life of the call — he cites rising demand, increased free cash flow and recent operational reorganization as catalysts going forward. His price target for Ingersoll-Rand is $71.
