To WSO analysts, what's your take on this:

The Shocking Truth About Wall Street Stock Recommendation*
by John Reeves, and Ilan Moscovitz

Excerpt from the article:

Analysts are not that into you

Any time you want to really understand the financial industry, it's helpful to first look at what people are actually paid to do.

The survey found that "accurate earnings forecasts and profitable stock recommendations have relatively little direct impact on their compensation." Instead, industry knowledge and connections are what count.

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*Full article can be read at The Motley Fool:

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/06/03/the-shocking-truth-abo…

7 Comments
 

thanks man, this is something I am curious because I don't know much regarding the practical way of how IB or big institutional investors work. with the flow of information, the variety of sources and the conflicts of interests involved with the originators sometimes you don't know which one is relevant and which is not.

so, when the stock price targets or earnings estimates are posted and made available to investors do they come from buy side or sell side analysts? it might be irrelevant for a person that is inside the business in a sense that he knows what's going on behind the curtains, what about the individual investor or other small boutique firms who lack the connections of the big fish how does it affect them? for example, should the analysts' estimates posted in yahoo be taken as unbiased?

There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to overcome. -William F. Hasley
 

The individual investor probably isnt paying tens of thousands of dollars per year for access to er departments. And individual investors shouldnt be picking stocks in the first place. They should buy etf's/indexed securities.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

I see, so buy side are the dudes that needs attention, thanks guys. it make sense about the individual investor what about the small boutiques which data do they refer to or they do their own estimates for each and every stock? are there any cases when buy side analysis can be considered biased?

There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to overcome. -William F. Hasley
 

Small shops are pretty much anything under a billion or so. Most get millions in management fees. Super small ones, 25 million or so, they are started by guys who were previously analysts at bigger places. They tend to specialize and can do their own analysis and know a specific sector or two.

“...all truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” - Schopenhauer
 

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There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to overcome. -William F. Hasley

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