Robin Farley UBS
second team Timothy Conder Wells Fargo
third team Felicia Hendrix Barclays
For an eighth straight year, the crown is awarded to Robin Farley. The UBS analyst, who is also No. 3 in Gaming & Lodging, impresses clients with her knowledge of the cruise line industry. “She has a good grasp of the number of ships coming in and out of fleets and does a good job following ship-specific trends,” is how one money manager puts it. Farley, 39, also wins praise for her coverage of Harley-Davidson. She first downgraded the Milwaukee-based motorcycle manufacturer from buy to hold way back in July 2007, on declining sales and concerns about the company’s loan portfolio, and has reiterated that view repeatedly — most recently in May, when the company received assistance through the government’s Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility. Harley-Davidson’s stock fell 39.7 percent in the 12 months through August; during the same period the leisure sector dropped by 33.1 percent.
Timothy Conder repeats at No. 2. The Wells Fargo Securities analyst upgraded Carnival Corp. from neutral to outperform in June, at $24.77, on the belief that the Miami-based cruise operator’s competitive pricing would spur sales. The stock sailed to $29.25 by late August, a gain of 18.1 percent. “He’s done a good job with recommendations,” affirms one backer.
Felicia Hendrix of Barclays Capital, in third place for a fourth consecutive year, “has a solid understanding of companies and what drives earnings,” marvels one enthusiast. Hendrix told clients to buy shares of Broomfield, Colorado–based developer Vail Resorts in June, at $28.62, on valuation. By the end of August, the stock had risen 15.7 percent, to $33.12.
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