THIRD TEAM

Fabrice Théveneau & team  Société Générale

The 80 analysts at Société Générale follow stocks by sector, not by country, but their coverage of French equities is impressive enough in the eyes of the buy side to propel them to third place for a second year running; the firm also held the No. 3 spot from 2006 through 2008. Overseen by Fabrice Théveneau, SocGen’s Paris-based head of research, the analysts win praise for their accessibility: “Whenever I have a question, they give it 100 percent of their attention,” marvels one fund manager. Their stock picking also garners praise, such as a January 2010 upgrade from neutral to buy on Écully-based appliance maker Groupe SEB, at €40.75, on surging demand in emerging markets. The stock had bolted 90.7 percent by late December, to €77.73. During the same period the broad French market slipped 3 percent.