THIRD TEAM Michelle Tan Goldman, Sachs & Co.
A runner-up for the past two years, Michelle Tan of Goldman, Sachs & Co. climbs to third. Tan upgraded casual-wear retailer Abercrombie & Fitch Co. of New Albany, Ohio, back in November 2009, at $33.93, on the belief that its then-new price-based marketing strategy would help reverse a nearly two-year trend of declining same-store sales. In December 2010, with the stock up 64.4 percent, to $55.77, she added it to her conviction buy list, again citing strong growth. In August the company reported that year-over-year net sales in the 13 weeks through July surged 22.9 percent, to $916.8 million; comparable-store sales rose 9 percent over the period. Since Tan’s reiteration the stock climbed an additional 14.1 percent, to $63.61 — for a stunning 87.5 percent life-of-call advance that trounced the sector by 66.9 percentage points, through August.
