The 2014 All-Asia Research Team: Australia/New Zealand, No. 3: Matthew Nacard & team

Sydney-basedMatthew Nacardand his Macquarie Capital Securities team capture the No. 3 position for a third year running. From their offices in Auckland, Perth and Sydney, the 45 analysts maintain a sector portfolio that encompasses some 300 names, wowing clients with their “excellent corporate contacts and strong strategic advice,” as one fund manager puts it. They have long been bullish on the prospects for CSL, a biotechnology producer headquartered in Victoria, and reiterated their outperform rating in March 2013. The shares had rocketed 73.8 percent over the preceding 12 months, trouncing the Australian broad market by 56.2 percentage points, and the team forecast further upside, primarily on the strength of testing for its new Alzheimer’s treatment. Indeed, through late April 2014, CSL’s shares jumped 18.1 percent, to $67.94, against the broad market’s rise of 12.2 percent. “They keep a finger on the pulse of the markets,” reports another backer.