Investec
Investec Bank plc is the London-based banking subsidiary of Investec plc, holding the Anglo-South African group's operations outside southern Africa. Its equities business, known for UK small- and mid-cap research, was ranked the top UK small and mid-cap broker by Extel from 2023 to 2026.
Activity24M
RatingsPrice targetsKey figures
- Stocks covered
- 412M
- Actions
- 412M
- Ratings / Price targets
- 4 / 0
- Upgrades / Downgrades
- 1 / 3
- Buy-rated
- 50%of 4 rated
- On record
- May 2012 – Sep 2026
Overview
The London team covers about 500 UK stocks across 15 sectors for more than 1,000 UK, European and North American institutional investors as of 2026. Investec was ranked #1 for research in the 2025 Extel UK Small & Mid-Cap survey. Investec presents its UK equities business as combining the resources of an international banking group with the focus of a specialist UK stockbroker. As of 2026 it says all its senior analysts have at least 20 years in their sectors, and it has hosted alternative-energy conferences with Imperial College London.
Investec was founded in Johannesburg in 1974 as a leasing company, obtained a banking licence in 1980 and listed on the JSE in 1986. It entered the UK in 1992, bought merchant bank Guinness Mahon and its broker Henderson Crosthwaite in 1998, and adopted a dual-listed structure with London-listed Investec plc in 2002. It acquired broker Evolution Group in 2011, demerged its asset manager as Ninety One in 2020 and combined its UK wealth business with Rathbones in 2023.
Milestones
- 1974
Founded in Johannesburg as a leasing company
- 1986
Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange
- 1998
Acquired Guinness Mahon and broker Henderson Crosthwaite
- 2002
Dual-listed structure created with London-listed Investec plc
- 2011
Acquired broker Evolution Group
- 2023
Combined UK wealth business with Rathbones
Firm facts
- Legal name
- Investec Bank plc
- Type
- Full-service
- Founded
- 1974
- Headquarters
- London, United Kingdom
- Parent
- Investec plc
- Listing
- London Stock Exchange: INVP
- CEO, Investec Bank plc
- Ruth Leas
- Head of Research
- Andrew Whitney
- Rating scale
- BuyHoldSell12 months
- Website
- investec.com
Research philosophy
We strive for excellence in our industry insight, earnings estimates and investment recommendations.
Its Searchlight research takes a quantitative look at UK small caps for early signs of change in “UK plc”.
Rating methodology
Investec Bank plc assigns Buy, Hold and Sell ratings based on expected 12-month total returns: Buy indicates more than 10%, while Sell indicates less than 0%. It may also use Add or Reduce to distinguish recommendations within the Hold category.
Coverage12M
Sectors
Most covered24M
| Stock | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|
| CCCCHGY | Hold | — |
 The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.HIG | Buy | — |
| NXNXGPF | Hold | — |
| VLVLXGF | Buy | — |
Recent actions
| Date | Stock | Rating action | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16 | The Hartford Financial Services Group, Inc.HIG | Downgrade | Buy |
| Sep 3 | CCCCHGY | Downgrade | Hold |
| Aug 6 | NXNXGPF | Downgrade | Buy →Hold |
| Jun 30 | VLVLXGF | Upgrade | Hold →Buy |
| Nov 25, 2020 | IHInterContinental Hotels Group PLCIHG | Upgrade | Hold →Buy |
| Jul 10, 2020 |  Barclays PLCBCS | Upgrade | Hold →Buy |
| Apr 15, 2019 | INInfosys LimitedINFY | Downgrade | Buy →Hold |
| Feb 8, 2019 | RIRio Tinto GroupRIO | Downgrade | Buy →Hold |
| Nov 19, 2018 |  AstraZeneca PLCAZN | Downgrade | Buy →Hold |
| Nov 17, 2016 | BUAnheuser-Busch InBev SA/NVBUD | Downgrade | Buy →Hold |
| Sep 8, 2016 | BTBritish American Tobacco p.l.c.BTI | Upgrade | Hold →Buy |
| Jan 20, 2016 | BHBHP Group LimitedBHP | Downgrade | Hold →Sell |