Technology: Semiconductors

Christopher Danely

Christopher Danely

JPMorgan

SECOND TEAM

Timothy LukeBarclays

THIRD TEAM

Glen YeungCiti

RUNNERS-UP

James CovelloGoldman Sachs; Uche OrjiUBS

Christopher Danely repeats in first place. Clients say the JPMorgan Securities analyst, who is based in San Francisco, provides an “in-depth understanding of the companies he covers” and “conveys his views in a straightforward manner.” Danely, 37, downgraded the entire sector to neutral in December, citing slowing demand, and by mid-September it had fallen 21.7 percent. “That was probably my best call — to stay out of the space,” he says. In January, Danely urged clients to sell Intel Corp. because “earnings and margins were peaking.” Shares of the Santa Clara, California–based chip maker dropped from $24.22 at the time of Danely’s downgrade to $20.16 in mid-September. Timothy Luke, who moved to Barclays Capital after its parent acquired Lehman Brothers last month, jumps from runner-up to second place. “His approach is to be very thorough and to produce detailed company reports,” says one buy-sider. In March improved profit margins prompted Luke to reiterate his buy recommendation on Cypress Semiconductor, a San Jose, California–based producer of programmable chips for touch screens, at $20.34. As of mid-September the share price had surged 37.3 percent, to $27.92. Glen Yeung of Citi holds steady in third place, thanks in part to the San Francisco–based analyst’s “strong modeling skills and good industry contacts,” according to one investor. In November, Yeung issued a contrarian buy recommendation on San Jose–based Altera Corp., which designs and manufactures programmable logic devices, calling the stock a value at $18.79. In mid-September it was up 9.4 percent, to $20.55.

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