RayJay analyst gets international buzz

A banking analyst for St. Petersburg-based Raymond James Financial Inc. was highlighted in The Wall Street Journal May 10 as the top stock picker in that sector.

Federico Rey-Marino, who has worked with RJF's Buenos Aires office since 2007, was credited with “predicting a robust recovery for big financial institutions in Brazil and Argentina,” the newspaper reports.

He scored particularly well with a “buy” recommendation on Argentine banking concern Grupo Financiero Galicia, predicting it would clean up its balance sheet following a national currency crisis a decade ago. The company's share price more than doubled.

A native of Buenos Aires, Rey-Marino almost left the business realm after being laid off from his banking job. He decided to become a Catholic priest, attended school for almost three years and did some community work before changing his mind.

“It changed my way of looking at life,” he told the WSJ. “I decided that wasn't my way, my goal in life.”

Chances are probably pretty good that someone at RayJay headquarters is glad Rey-Marino returned to his original path.