John Murphy BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research
It’s three straight years in third place for BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research’s John Murphy, who remains popular with investors in part for his definitive research reports, including “Car Wars,” which assesses the strength of each auto manufacturer’s product pipeline in the U.S., and “Who Makes the Car,” his yearly study of trends in the global supplier industry. Murphy upgraded Ford Motor Co. from neutral to buy in April 2009, at $4.49, making the case that the Dearborn, Michigan–based automaker would reap benefits from its restructuring plan agreed to by the United Auto Workers, while taking share in a rebounding market from General Motors Co. and Chrysler. The stock had raced to $11.29 by late August 2010, a jaw-dropping 151.4 percent advance. Murphy “had a great call on Ford — when it felt like the world was going to end, he was early, and he was right,” applauds one grateful client.
