Autonomous Research
Autonomous Research is a London-based research house specializing in financial services, operating as a brand within Bernstein, the Société Générale–AllianceBernstein cash equities and research joint venture. It covers banks, insurers, payments and fintech, asset managers and capital markets companies worldwide.
Activity24M
RatingsPrice targetsKey figures
- Stocks covered
- 312M
- Actions
- 312M
- Ratings / Price targets
- 0 / 3
- Median upside
- +25.3%
- On record
- Jan 2020 – Mar 2026
Overview
Autonomous covers more than 200 financial services companies worldwide for equity and credit investors. Geoffrey Elliott, with the firm since 2009, has been director of research since 2024. Autonomous says it offers exclusive or limited distribution for a more bespoke service.
Autonomous was founded in London in 2009 as a partnership covering European banks and insurers, opened a New York office for US financials in 2012 and a Hong Kong office in 2015. AllianceBernstein acquired it in April 2019. Since April 2024 it has been part of Bernstein, which in January 2026 became a single joint venture owned 51% by Société Générale and 49% by AllianceBernstein.
Milestones
- 2009
Founded in London as a financials research partnership
- 2012
Opens New York office and launches US financials coverage
- 2015
Opens Hong Kong office for Chinese financials
- 2019
Acquired by AllianceBernstein
- 2024
Joins Bernstein joint venture with Société Générale
- 2026
Bernstein joint ventures combine; Société Générale holds 51%
Firm facts
- Legal name
- Bernstein Autonomous LLP
- Type
- Independent research
- Founded
- 2009
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Parent
- Sanford C. Bernstein Holdings Limited (Bernstein)
- Listing
- Euronext Paris: GLE
- Director of Research
- Geoffrey Elliott
- Rating scale
- OutperformNeutralUnderperform12 months
- Website
- autonomous.com
Research philosophy
We seek to marry the big picture macro and thematic trends with bottom up stock picking – we are not a think tank.
As of 2026, Autonomous describes its analysts as one team working across equity and credit markets, subsectors and regions. Credit and equity analysts jointly write reports spanning both asset classes, drawing on relationships with companies, regulators and policymakers. The firm says it is willing to challenge consensus views and has consistently maintained more sell ratings than its peers.
Rating methodology
Stocks are rated Outperform, Neutral or Underperform relative to a sector index: more than 10 percentage points above, within ±10 points, or more than 10 points below, over 12 months. Core ideas are flagged as Feature ratings.
Coverage12M
Sectors
Most covered24M
| Stock | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|
 AGI IncAGBK | — | $14.90 |
 Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. Class A Common StockFIGR | — | $41 |
 Klarna Group plcKLAR | — | $51 |
Most active analysts
- Renato Meloni1 notesAGBK
Recent actions
| Date | Stock | Rating action | Rating | Target | Analyst |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8 | AGI IncAGBK | Target | $14.90 | Renato Meloni | |
| Oct 6, 2025 | Figure Technology Solutions, Inc. Class A Common StockFIGR | Target | $41 | ||
| Oct 5, 2025 | Klarna Group plcKLAR | Target | $51 | ||
| Jul 24, 2024 | VRVerisk Analytics, Inc.VRSK | Target | $326 | Kelsey Zhu | |
| Feb 21, 2023 | RYRyan Specialty Holdings, Inc.RYAN | Reiterate | Underperform | ||
| Oct 13, 2021 |  Robinhood Markets, Inc.HOOD | Target | $55 | Christian Bolu | |
| Oct 13, 2021 |  Coinbase Global, Inc.COIN | Target | $160 | Christian Bolu | |
| Apr 20, 2021 |  Sea LimitedSE | Reiterate | Outperform | ||
| Jan 8, 2020 | AIAmerican International Group, Inc.AIG | Upgrade | Market Perform →Outperform |