THIRD TEAM

Gunnar Cohrs & team Berenberg Bank

Berenberg Bank, which had been unranked since 2007 (when it finished in second place), takes the No. 3 spot. Led by London-based Gunnar Cohrs, the 55-analyst squad does “a great job coming up with ideas on small- and midcap stocks that are often neglected by other houses,” observes one appreciative client. One example: The team upgraded Delticom from hold to buy in March, at €27.83, after the online tire dealer, which is headquartered in Hannover, announced a better-than-expected earnings margin. By the end of last year, the stock had raced to €66.50, a jaw-dropping 139 percent advance that easily outdistanced Germany’s 14.1 percent broad market gain and Europe’s 2.4 percent rise.