Imperial Capital announces retirement of security industry analyst Jeff Kessler

LOS ANGELES—Imperial Capital, LLC has announced that Managing Director and Senior Security Analyst Jeff Kessler is retiring from the company after leading its security industry analysis over the past 13 years.

After a 38-year run in the business, serving as senior security industry analyst for Lehman Brothers with the balance spent at Imperial Capital, Kessler has continually provided reasoned industry/company analysis to both the industry and the investment community, filling a void in the security industry for much of the time.

“Jeff contributed to the success of the firm’s security franchise, and we are grateful for his work as a senior security industry analyst,” said Tim Sullivan, President of Imperial Capital, LLC.

“After 13 years, it’s been a fantastic overall experience with memories that are among the best of my life,” said Kessler, reflecting on his tenure at Imperial Capital, which concludes May 14, 2021. “I’m especially grateful for the franchise we have created and all the industry contacts I have had the pleasure of engaging on all sides of the security industry. My heartfelt thanks go out to everyone, along with my strong intent to stay in touch and potentially contribute in new ways.”

John E. Mack III, Executive Vice President and Co-Head of Investment Banking at Imperial, added, “Jeff is a very highly regarded industry professional who has done a lot for the security industry and Imperial Capital. It’s been an honor to have Jeff be part of the security industry’s remarkable evolution over the past three decades, and his knowledge, commitment and engagement made a profound difference that will have a lasting impact.”

In light of Kessler’s departure, Brian Ruttenbur will assume coverage of the Security & Defense sector for Imperial Capital’s Equity Research Group.

Ruttenbur, a highly regarded thought leader in the Defense and Security verticals, provides over 25 years of industry experience as a top-ranked Security & Defense Analyst at SunTrust, Regions Morgan Keegan, CRT Stern Agee, BB&T and Drexel Hamilton.

Most recently, Ruttenbur spent over two years as a Director of Investment Banking both at Drexel Hamilton and Imperial Capital working on lower middle market investment banking transactions in the Defense and Cybersecurity sectors gaining valuable experience in corporate divestitures, private capital raises, and sales processes of private companies.

Prior to this, he was the Director of Equity Research at Drexel while covering the Defense and Security space. A two-time Wall Street Journal top-ranked analyst in the sector, four-time Thomson Reuters top-ranked analyst for earnings accuracy, and two-time Thomson Reuters top-ranked analyst for sector stock performance, Ruttenbur is an established idea generator in those sectors.