I know historically Barclays has a strong power and utilities group. Is it still considered to be as strong? Does anyone have any insight into group culture, deal flow, exits, etc? Also how does it compare to other strong Barclays groups like HC, tech, industrials?
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PU&I at Barclays is a great group. Phenomenal deal flow and exits into infra PE. If you have any interest in infra PE, would 100% choose this group and never look back.
The best groups are typically regarded as PU&I, Sponsors, Tech. and HC. This means in terms of exits, dealflow, as well as group placement difficulty.
As the above comment has noted, PU&I is fantastic from a deal flow perspective, however, it is a bit limiting for exits. If you are looking for Infra PE or even some grittier industrials/climate tech investing, it is absolutely elite. If you are looking for a more generalist PE exit, I would say the below groups are actually better options, if not equal.
Sponsors is the smallest group (~3 SA/year) but has probably the best per-capita exits. Strong deal flow, and you obviously have the advantage of working directly with these larger funds. Notoriously difficult to snag a spot in the group though.
Tech and Healthcare are some of the sweatier groups at the bank, but have had great dealflow to show for it as well. The turnover the groups faced during the UBS exodus has largely been bridged. These two are a bit particular about what school you come from, mostly drawing from targets. Great groups for PE-placement because of the industries they serve and strong recognition across the industry. Industrials is a step behind, but is the largest in terms of how many Summer Analysts they take. Terrible hours though.
The above groups probably see the most consistency in terms of PE exits. MF/UMM exits in every class, with many MM exits as well. Beyond these groups, I would say Energy Transition (formerly NatRes) and Consumer are also very reputable. The rest of coverage (Media, FIG, REGAL), LevFin, M&A are the next step down.
Sponsors, HC, Tech, Power. Best balance of sweatiness, dealflow, and exits. Hold the lion's share of MF/UMM exits as well.
Industrials is too much of a sweatshop. MDs are brutal. Massive group and hard to stand out. Tons of gritty non-target kids (IU, Fordham, etc.). Not saying these kids are bad; they are actually great analysts but it contributes to the overall groups sweatiness.
Energy Transition is too unstable from a dealflow perspective these days; not the NatRes group that dominated 5-10 years ago.
Consumer and FIG are just mid. Media and Communications has like 1 good MD (Verizon-Frontier deal this year) so no consistent dealflow.
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