Darren Shaw & team UBS
second team Haim Israel & team BofA Merrill Lynch
third team Daniel Harverd & team Deutsche
Darren Shaw, 39, and his Herzliya, Israel–based UBS trio repeat in first place. “All their calls were big outperformers,” cheers one investor. Case in point: The analysts had a yearlong buy on Cellcom Israel, based in part on the telecommunications services provider’s solid earnings growth. The stock rang up gains of 62.9 percent last year, from 7,465.30 shekels to 12,160 shekels, outperforming Israel’s telecoms sector by 21.8 points and its broad market by 11.2 points.
In second place for a second straight year is the BofA duo directed by Haim Israel, praised by one supporter for “timely calls and excellent work on the banks.” The Tel Aviv–based researchers told clients to buy Bank Leumi Le-Israel in January 2009, at 885 shekels, on the belief that the commercial lender would reap benefits from its balanced loan portfolio, among other factors. The stock jumped 80.8 percent, to 1,600 shekels, through January 2010.
The Deutsche Bank duo led by Daniel Harverd finishes in third place for a second year running. According to one buy-side enthusiast, the Tel Aviv–based analysts “crunched the numbers harder than anyone else” before upgrading Bank Hapoalim from hold to buy in April, at 869 shekels, on the long-term growth prospects of Israel’s biggest bank. The stock had soared 82.4 percent, to 1,585 shekels, by late January.
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