An Equity Research Report provides specific recommendations for taking specific investment actions pertaining to specific stocks (equities) in a specified timeframe, generally as of the date the report is published. Such recommendations are represented by specific ratings (e.g. Buy, Sell, Hold) and price targets assigned to each stock that the equity research report pertains to. An equity research report typically contains charts, graphs, and/or a written description of the rationale behind the recommendation(s) being made in the report. Additionally, an equity research report provides a fairly comprehensive discussion of investment risks, as well as disclosures pertaining to potential conflicts or interest that the creators of the report might be subject to.
Equity Research Reports are most commonly issued by Equity Research Analysts employed by (or affiliated with) investment banks or broker/dealers. Equity Research Reports may also be issued by independent firms which are not investment banks or broker dealers, but have established appropriately compliant infrastructure allowing issuance of equity research reports. Publishing equity research analysts may be subject to restrictions related to owning or trading stocks related to equity research reports that the analysts have issued or will be issuing.
Issuance of Equity Research Reports is a strictly regulated activity in the U.S.A. and may be a regulated activity in other regions of the world. Regulatory requirements often change over time, and by region. Among other things, regulations may require Equity Research Reports to include 1) a clear recommendation to take a particular action with a stock in a timely fashion, 2) a comprehensive discussion of risks, 3) comparisons with a peer group or an applicable market index, 4) comprehensive disclosures of potential conflicts of interest, etc. Additionally regulations may require the process of producing and distributing Equity Research Reports to adhere to specific guidelines, which could change over time.
A purpose and goal of this website is to promote a process of continuous learning for individual investors, by actively helping individual investors understand how stocks are analyzed. This website encourages individuals to seek help from a qualified professional for selecting stocks to invest in. This website also expressly discourages individuals from investing in stocks on their own without professional help. Accordingly, providing Equity Research Reports which recommend specific actions to take on specific stocks, is beyond the scope of this website. Furthermore, given the significant time, cost, and regulatory burden involved in consistently providing high-quality Equity Research Reports, providing such reports would detract from the core objectives of this website.
Information, content, articles, blog posts, emails or other forms of communication (“content”) provided through this website ARE NOT EQUITY RESEARCH REPORTS. Content provided through this website is intended to be used for entertainment or educational purposes only, and does not directly or indirectly seek to make specific recommendations pertaining to any particular stock or stocks. Content provided through this website is provided free of charge with no specific monetary or non-monetary obligations attached, for personal non-commercial use only. Content provided through this website may be forwarded or shared with all of its included disclosure, disclaimer, branding and backlink information intact only.
