Joseph Greff J.P. Morgan
second team Steven Kent Goldman Sachs
third team Robin Farley UBS
It’s four in a row for Joseph Greff, the J.P. Morgan analyst who impresses investors with his temperament: “He’s steady and doesn’t get carried away with big personalities and management hype,” says one buy-side backer. Greff, 39, advised clients to buy casino operator Las Vegas Sands Corp. in April, at $5.03, citing strong growth and plans to expand operations into Singapore. By late August the stock was up an astonishing 183.5 percent, to $14.26, and had outperformed the sector by 168.9 percentage points. “That was an audacious, gutsy call,” cheers one grateful client.
After two years in third place, Steven Kent of Goldman, Sachs & Co. climbs to second. In a sector that is “always cyclical, he gives you a good overview,” notes one money manager. Among the analyst’s winning stock picks of the past year was International Game Technology, a gaming-equipment manufacturer headquartered in Reno, Nevada. Rising demand compelled Kent to recommend the stock in May, at $14.21; by August 31 it had surged 47.2 percent, to $20.92.
Rising from runner-up to third place is Robin Farley, who also is ranked No. 1 in Leisure. In April the UBS analyst upgraded Wynn Resorts to buy, at $26.85, on the Las Vegas–based resort operator’s strong balance sheet and growth at its Macau properties. The stock vaulted 112.8 percent, to $57.15, through mid-August, when Farley temporarily discontinued coverage after UBS began advising Wynn on the initial public offering of its Macao unit.
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