The 2014 Latin America Research Team: Transportation, No. 1: Fernando Abdalla & team

Fernando Abdalla & team J.P. Morgan First-place appearances: 3

Total appearances: 7

Team debut: 1993

J.P. Morgan’s twosome headed byFernando Abdallarepeats in first place, in part because the 30-year-old team leader is “intelligent, perceptive and clear-thinking,” as one fund manager says. Based in São Paulo, the analysts report on 17 Latin American transportation names, up three from a year ago, and win particular investor praise for their coverage of Mexico’s Promotora y Operadora de Infraestructura. In August 2013 they reiterated their long-standing overweight stance on the concessionaire, at 138.57 Mexican pesos, citing its strong balance sheet and exposure to local infrastructure growth. In April, with shares up 31.4 percent and ahead of the sector by 27.3 percentage points, the researchers downgraded Promotora to neutral, largely on valuation. By late July the stock had inched up 1 percent, closing at 183.80 pesos. A current favorite is Panama’s Copa Holdings. Originally upgraded from neutral to overweight in April 2013, thanks to the cargo and passenger airline operator’s earnings growth and high margins, the New York Stock Exchange–listed shares jumped 32.7 percent, to $155.67, through late July. The J.P. Morgan crew’s target price is $163. “Fernando has a finely tuned sense of the market,” observes another admirer.