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Buy, Hold, or Sell recommendations from professional stock analysts.
Why It Matters
Wall Street analysts research companies and issue ratings that move stock prices. An upgrade from 'Hold' to 'Buy' can push a stock up 5% in a day. But here's the dirty secret: fewer than 5% of ratings are 'Sell' - analysts fear losing access to company management. Treat ratings as one data point, not gospel.
Key Points
- Rating scale varies by firm: Buy/Hold/Sell, or Overweight/Equal-Weight/Underweight, or Strong Buy/Buy/Neutral/Sell
- Upgrades and downgrades move stocks more than maintaining existing ratings
- Consensus rating (average of all analysts) is more reliable than any single analyst's opinion
Related Terms
Common Questions
Buy, Hold, or Sell recommendations from professional stock analysts. Wall Street analysts research companies and issue ratings that move stock prices. An upgrade from 'Hold' to 'Buy' can push a stock up 5% in a day.
Wall Street analysts research companies and issue ratings that move stock prices. An upgrade from 'Hold' to 'Buy' can push a stock up 5% in a day. But here's the dirty secret: fewer than 5% of ratings are 'Sell' - analysts fear losing access to company management. Treat ratings as one data point, not gospel.
Rating scale varies by firm: Buy/Hold/Sell, or Overweight/Equal-Weight/Underweight, or Strong Buy/Buy/Neutral/Sell
Upgrades and downgrades move stocks more than maintaining existing ratings
Consensus rating (average of all analysts) is more reliable than any single analyst's opinion