For the second consecutive year, Bellessa and Chercover were named in the Forbes “Best Brokerage Analysts” list. Chercover upheld his No. 2 ranking from 2009 among analysts covering the paper sector, while Bellessa was ranked second in the utility - electric and water sector, moving up from fifth in 2009.

“We are very proud of our two senior analysts who have consistently displayed the strong fundamental analysis and excellent investment ideas that distinguish them from the rest of the pack year after year,” said Doug Woodcock, President of the Equity Capital Markets Group for D.A. Davidson. “This recognition emphasizes our commitment to thorough analysis and industry expertise.”

Additionally, The Financial Times and StarMine declared Chercover the No. 1 U.S. earnings estimator in the paper and forest products sector in a “Top Analysts of 2010” report, for the second year in a row.

Chercover joined D.A. Davidson in February 2000 to cover the paper and forest products sector. In the past few years, he has enjoyed several accolades, including being listed in The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" and receiving a high ranking for earnings estimate accuracy from both StarMine and Forbes magazine. Chercover has also been named to the All-American Research Team in Institutional Investor Magazine's ranking of regional and boutique brokerages.

Bellessa has been with D.A. Davidson since 1983 and in that time has established a strong reputation for his coverage of utilities and various growth industries. He served as the firm’s Director of Research for ten years.

For the Forbes “Best Brokerage Analysts” list, Zacks Investment Research evaluated analysts with the 185 U.S. and Canadian brokerage firms it tracks. Analysts are evaluated based on stock-picking skills and earnings-per-share forecasting accuracy over the last three fiscal years. For each analyst, Zacks calculates a composite rank based on the rank for recommending stocks and the rank for predicting earnings, giving more weight to each analyst's stock-picking abilities.

About D.A. Davidson & Co. D.A. Davidson & Co. (www.dadavidson.com) is the largest full-service investment firm based in the Northwest, providing financial services to investors and corporate clients nationwide, with a strong focus on the West and Midwest. The firm is recognized for its award-winning research, as well as the Davidson 99 Regional Stock Index®, a benchmark of the Northwest’s economic landscape. Founded in 1935, D.A. Davidson & Co. is an employee-owned firm with offices in 16 states. The company is part of Davidson Companies, an employee-owned financial services holding company based in Montana.