In the industry there are analysts who specifically focus on researching publicly listed companies - they review their public financial statements, talk to their executives and customers as well as listen in on the companies’ earning results calls with investors. Once they have established a good understanding of the company, they give it a rating (buy, sell, hold) to reflect how they think the company will perform in future. Most analysts review their ratings four times a year, at intervals of three months after the company’s quarterly results.
What do the analyst ratings mean?
Buy - the analysts are positive about the growth of the company, therefore it’s a recommendation to purchase the stock.
Moderate buy - the analysts think the stock is likely to have higher returns than the overall stock market.
Hold - the analysts think the stock will be at a similar level as the market or will perform similarly to comparable companies within that particular sector.
Moderate sell - the analysts think the stock is likely to have lower returns than the overall stock market.
Sell - analysts believe the price of a given stock will significantly fall below its current level, therefore it’s a recommendation to sell the specific stock.
Where do Shares get the analyst ratings from?
We use Zacks Investment Research Inc. who are an established investment research firm that focuses on stock research, analysis and recommendations.
Where can I see the analyst ratings in the app?
You are able to see Analyst ratings for each of the stocks that are available for trading - simply click on the stock, scroll down and you will see it under Key Stats.