The buy side says: “Ole adds a buy-side mentality to his sell-side research.”
After spending the past three years in second place, Ole Slorer of Morgan Stanley climbs the final rung to finish on top for the first time. The 46-year-old analyst “understands what drives a company’s stock; sometimes the fundamentals are bad, but a stock can go higher. He’s a good stock picker who knows how to make money,” insists one portfolio manager. In August 2009, Slorer highlighted his valuation-based buy recommendation on pressure-pumping companies, including RPC, at $8.53. In mid-August 2010, after shares of the Atlanta-based outfit had gushed an incredible 104.6 percent, to $17.45, and bested the sector by a whopping 98.1 percentage points, Slorer downgraded the stock to hold, deeming the shares to be fully valued. RPC’s stock ended that month down 6.5 percent, to $16.31. Slorer “has a good feel for what’s going on with companies. He covers a ton of stocks and is always in the loop — he knows a ton of people,” notes one longtime client. Slorer earned a master’s degree in shipping, trade and finance at London’s City University Business School (Sir John Cass Business School) in 1989 and worked as an analyst covering the oil-services sector at NatWest Securities in London before joining Morgan Stanley in 1998.