Birmingham analysts working for the stockbrokers Williams de Broe and Albert E Sharp Securities feature large and repeatedly in this year's Reuters survey of brokers' research into small companies.

Messrs Steven Medlicott, David Larkam, Matthew Groves and the Sharp team rank second in the engineering and machinery league table based on votes by fund managers, and third on the basis of votes from companies.

Messrs Philip Shepheard and Malcolm Morgan at Williams de Broe take ninth place in the vote by companies.

In both cases, the table was headed by Warburg Dillon Read, which took five of the six awards including that for the Best Investment Bank for the second year running.

Kleinwort Dresdner Benson was placed first in seven categories.

Sharp ran second to KDB in the fund managers' vote for cars, in which Williams de Broe's Mr Peter Whiting came equal sixth. Finance directors put Sharp's Mr Anthony Lancelott sixth in this category.

Messrs Harmesh Suniara, Stephen Williams and David Traherne secured third place for Williams de Broe in the companies' vote for electronic and electrical equipment, well clear of Sharp's Mr Roger Brocklebank and Mr Medlicott placed sixth.

In support services, third place in the fund managers' vote went to Messrs Philip Shepheard and Stephen Williams.

"It is a serious reflection of what we have been trying to do over the last 12 months and it is nice to see someone thinking we may be moving in the right direction," said Mr Bill Melly who heads Williams de Broe's Birmingham operation. …