Edward Wolfe | First Team Edward Wolfe Bear Stearns Second Team Thomas Wadewitz, JPMorgan Third Team Kenneth Hoexter, Merrill Lynch Runners-Up Scott Flower, BofA; Rick Paterson, UBS |
| “Fearless,” “hard-working” and “knowledgeable” are just some of the adjectives clients use to describe Edward Wolfe, who claims first place for a fifth consecutive year. Investors highlight the Bear Stearns analyst’s long-standing outperform on small-cap Hub Group, a Downers Grove, Illinois–based freight-management provider that Wolfe, 41, upgraded in December 2004, at a split-adjusted $10.93, on strong cash flow and a stock-repurchase program. By mid-September 2007 it had jumped to $30.81, gaining 34.1 percent in the preceding 12 months alone, while the sector rose 20.9 percent. “Ed has conviction in his ideas, which can be rare among analysts,” observes one backer. Thomas Wadewitz of JPMorgan Securities, who rises one notch to second, displays a “willingness to go against the crowd,” in the words of one money manager. Wadewitz impressed clients with his May 2006 upgrade to overweight on Union Pacific Corp., an Omaha, Nebraska–based railroad company, on an uptick in revenue from repricing legacy contracts. That was a little early, as the stock slid from $91.76 to $77.57 in August 2006, but then it rallied to $111.83 by mid-September 2007. “Tom is an independent thinker,” says one supporter. Slipping one rung to the third team, Kenneth Hoexter of Merrill Lynch wins accolades for expanding his coverage universe to include such names as Danaos Corp., a cargo-vessel operator headquartered in Greece. Hoexter initiated coverage last November with a buy rating at $20.20, on its planned fleet expansion. Through mid-September the shares sailed to $33.93. “Ken is a complete analyst and proven stock picker,” declares one booster. | |
