Consumer - Tobacco: Second

Sunil (Nik) Modi, who takes second-place honors for a third straight year, “is not afraid to take a stand,” cheers one client. “He has been correctly positive on the group and has made us a lot of money.” In early January the UBS analyst reiterated his bullish stance, telling investors that despite a significant run-up in 2010 — when the sector advanced 21 percent — tobacco companies would continue to do well, buoyed by strong fundamentals and steady demand. The sector climbed 17.1 percent in the first eight months of this year, outperforming the broad market by 20.2 percentage points.