Industries – Telecommunications – First

Sachin Gupta & teamNomura

The buy side says: “They consistently think outside the box.”

Repeating atop the roster is the Nomura group of nine guided by Sachin Gupta in Singapore. The analysts added six companies to their coverage universe over the past year, bringing their total to 40. “Everyone on the team is a true specialist in their respective segment,” declares one client. The squad’s outlook is relatively bearish. “Data economics are proving to be much more challenging than what most had expected,” Gupta says. “Capital expenditure risks are to the upside, and competition will remain intense.” Even so, the analysts are positive on mobile phone services providers, including Malaysia’s DiGi Telecommunications and China’s ZTE Corp. Gupta, 36, earned a bachelor’s degree in economics and finance at the University of New South Wales and covered the sector for Morgan Stanley before moving to Lehman Brothers in 2008. —Pam Baker