Today's Analyst Stock Ratings | Upgrades, Downgrades

SPY769.86+0.03%QQQ749.55−0.00%BTC/USD85,219.98+0.56%DIA511.70+0.12%GLD380.52+0.10%TLT77.53+0.06%

							Get Alert
Oct 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	11.28%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	226 305	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Sep 29, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	9.45%	Puneet SoudaLeerink Partners 62%	220 300	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Sep 28, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	11.28%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	225 305	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Sep 9, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-5.14%	Doug SchenkelUBS 74%	135 260	Previous Neutral Current Buy	Get Alert
Sep 3, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-14.26%	Jasper HellwegArgus Research 57%	180 235	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Aug 3, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-25.21%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	190 205	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Aug 3, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-58.77%	Joanne WuenschCitigroup 70%	95 113	Previous Sell Current Sell	Get Alert
Aug 3, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-17.91%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	200 225	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-16.09%	Dan LeonardRBC Capital 71%	170 230	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-16.09%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	220 230	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-23.38%	Dan BrennanTD Cowen 74%	192 210	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-17.55%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	200 226	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-17.91%	Daniel AriasStifel 83%	155 225	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jul 31, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-41.63%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	145 160	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Jul 17, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-23.38%	Puneet SoudaLeerink Partners 62%	175 210	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jul 14, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-30.68%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	140 190	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Jul 6, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-27.03%	Vijay KumarEvercore ISI Group 65%	155 200	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jul 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-27.03%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	170 200	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 29, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-27.03%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	180 200	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jun 26, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-32.5%	Eve BursteinBernstein 71%	185	Previous Current Market Perform	Get Alert
Jun 24, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-47.1%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	122 145	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Jun 10, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-32.5%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	125 185	Previous Neutral Current Overweight	Get Alert
Jun 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-34.33%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	170 180	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
May 15, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-37.98%	Dan LeonardRBC Capital 71%	170	Previous Current Outperform	Get Alert
May 4, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-65.34%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	80 95	Previous Sell Current Sell	Get Alert
May 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-48.92%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	140 150	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
May 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-54.39%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	120 125	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
May 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-55.49%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	110 122	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
May 1, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-43.45%	Vijay KumarEvercore ISI Group 65%	150 155	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Feb 9, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-37.98%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	170 195	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 6, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-56.22%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	120 130	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Jan 26, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-37.98%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	144 170	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 26, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-45.27%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	130 150	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Jan 20, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-43.45%	Daniel AriasStifel 83%	135 155	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Jan 7, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-48.92%	Dan BrennanTD Cowen 74%	115 140	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Jan 5, 2026	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-47.46%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	114 144	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Dec 22, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-52.57%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	112 130	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Dec 15, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-59.87%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	100 110	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Dec 15, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-52.57%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	105 130	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-60.23%	Catherine RamseyBaird 70%	105 109	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-63.52%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	95 100	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-59.14%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	105 112	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-61.69%	Casey WoodringJP Morgan 77%	100 105	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-58.04%	Dan BrennanTD Cowen 74%	110 115	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-56.22%	John SourbeerUBS 41%	110 120	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Oct 31, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-48.19%	Vijay KumarEvercore ISI Group 65%	132 142	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Oct 7, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-51.84%	Vijay KumarEvercore ISI Group 65%	132 135	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Oct 2, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-65.34%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	90 95	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Aug 4, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-61.69%	Tejas SavantMorgan Stanley 60%	100 105	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Aug 1, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-59.87%	John SourbeerUBS 41%	98 110	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Aug 1, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-63.52%	Rachel VatnsdalJP Morgan 68%	85 100	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Aug 1, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-54.03%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	118 126	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Aug 1, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-61.69%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	99 105	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Aug 1, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-67.16%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	85 90	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Jul 28, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-61.69%	Catherine RamseyBaird 70%	84 105	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Jul 11, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-54.39%	Sung Ji NamScotiabank 57%	125	Previous Sector Outperform Current Sector Perform	Get Alert
Jul 9, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-70.81%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	80 85	Previous Neutral Current Sell	Get Alert
Jul 8, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-53.3%	Vijay KumarEvercore ISI Group 65%	116 128	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Jun 24, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-68.99%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	77 85	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Jun 11, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-63.88%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	87 99	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
May 20, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-61.69%	Mason CarricoStephens & Co. 65%	105 105	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 15, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-32.5%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	185 190	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
May 14, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-64.25%	John SourbeerUBS 41%	98 145	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
May 12, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-63.52%	Tejas SavantMorgan Stanley 60%	100 136	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
May 12, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-68.26%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	87 92	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
May 9, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-68.99%	Julia QinJP Morgan 73%	85 120	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
May 9, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-58.41%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	114 122	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Apr 29, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-66.43%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	92 115	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Apr 10, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-71.91%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	77 100	Previous Underweight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Apr 8, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-59.14%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	112 128	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Apr 7, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-68.99%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	85 90	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Mar 12, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-53.3%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	128 247	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Mar 11, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-43.08%	Mason CarricoStephens & Co. 65%	156 156	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Mar 11, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-58.04%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	115 135	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Mar 5, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-67.16%	Catherine RamseyBaird 70%	90 127	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Mar 4, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-67.16%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	90 130	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Feb 11, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-50.38%	Tejas SavantMorgan Stanley 60%	136 150	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Feb 10, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-30.68%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	185 190	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Feb 10, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-63.52%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	100 130	Previous Equal-Weight Current Underweight	Get Alert
Feb 7, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-9.88%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	247 250	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Feb 7, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-50.75%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	135 145	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Feb 7, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-45.27%	Subbu NambiGuggenheim 84%	150 170	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Feb 3, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-52.57%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	130 145	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Jan 13, 2025	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-45.27%	Tejas SavantMorgan Stanley 60%	150 156	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Dec 11, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-39.8%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	165 190	Previous Buy Current Neutral	Get Alert
Nov 12, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-43.08%	Tejas SavantMorgan Stanley 60%	156	Previous Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Nov 12, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-32.87%	Mason CarricoStephens & Co. 65%	170 184	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Nov 11, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-32.5%	David WestenbergPiper Sandler 75%	185 195	Previous Overweight Current Overweight	Get Alert
Nov 6, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-49.29%	Catherine RamseyBaird 70%	124 139	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-35.42%	Dan BrennanTD Cowen 74%	166 177	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-47.1%	John SourbeerUBS 41%	133 145	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-7.33%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	252 254	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-48.92%	Julia QinJP Morgan 73%	125 140	Previous Neutral Current Neutral	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-30.68%	Patrick DonnellyCitigroup 66%	155 190	Previous Buy Current Buy	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-47.1%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	135 145	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Nov 5, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-47.1%	Kyle MiksonCanaccord Genuity 77%	130 145	Previous Hold Current Hold	Get Alert
Oct 17, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-27.03%	—	160 200	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert
Oct 17, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-34.33%	Shubhangi GuptaHSBC 7%	180	Previous Hold Current Buy	Get Alert
Oct 15, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-50.75%	Luke SergottBarclays 72%	125 135	Previous Equal-Weight Current Equal-Weight	Get Alert
Oct 10, 2024	ILMNIllumina	$274.09	-8.06%	Conor McNamaraRBC Capital 42%	252 252	Previous Outperform Current Outperform	Get Alert

Recent Analyst Stock Rating News

PRO

Jefferies Maintains Buy on Huntsman, Lowers Price Target to $11

Jefferies analyst Laurence Alexander maintains Huntsman (NYSE:HUN) with a Buy and lowers the price target from $16 to $11.

PRO

UBS Maintains Neutral on McCormick & Co, Lowers Price Target to $48

UBS analyst Peter Grom maintains McCormick & Co (NYSE:MKC) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $52 to $48.

PRO

UBS Maintains Neutral on Range Resources, Lowers Price Target to $44

UBS analyst Josh Silverstein maintains Range Resources (NYSE:RRC) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $49 to $44.

PRO

UBS Maintains Buy on PepsiCo, Lowers Price Target to $145

UBS analyst Peter Grom maintains PepsiCo (NASDAQ:PEP) with a Buy and lowers the price target from $159 to $145.

PRO

UBS Maintains Neutral on G-III Apparel Group, Raises Price Target to $27

UBS analyst Mauricio Serna maintains G-III Apparel Group (NASDAQ:GIII) with a Neutral and raises the price target from $26 to $27.

PRO

UBS Maintains Buy on Expand Energy, Lowers Price Target to $122

UBS analyst Josh Silverstein maintains Expand Energy (NASDAQ:EXE) with a Buy and lowers the price target from $129 to $122.

PRO

UBS Maintains Neutral on CVR Energy, Raises Price Target to $53

UBS analyst Manav Gupta maintains CVR Energy (NYSE:CVI) with a Neutral and raises the price target from $35 to $53.

PRO

UBS Maintains Buy on GRAIL, Raises Price Target to $175

UBS analyst Doug Schenkel maintains GRAIL (NASDAQ:GRAL) with a Buy and raises the price target from $105 to $175.

PRO

UBS Maintains Neutral on Nike, Lowers Price Target to $34

UBS analyst Jay Sole maintains Nike (NYSE:NKE) with a Neutral and lowers the price target from $42 to $34.

PRO

UBS Maintains Buy on Expeditors International, Raises Price Target to $220

UBS analyst Thomas Wadewitz maintains Expeditors International (NYSE:EXPD) with a Buy and raises the price target from $210 to $220.

The Best Trading Research Platform

For Retail Investors and Professional Trades Alike.

Get Started for Free

What Are Analyst Stock Ratings?

Analyst ratings measure the expected performance of a stock during a given time period. Analysts and brokerage firms often use ratings when they issue stock recommendations to stock traders.

Analysts arrive at stock ratings after they research companies’ public financial statements, communicate with executives and customers and interact with companies in other ways.

Most analysts issue ratings 4 times a year, usually at 3-month intervals.

How to Use Analyst Ratings

As an investor or trader, you want to be able to use analyst ratings effectively. Here are steps you can take to understand how to synthesize all the information analysts report about a particular company and how to apply it to your own trades.

Step 1: Check Ratings History

In the short term, look to see whether analysts suggest an initiation, upgrade or downgrade for a particular stock. Understand how the rating changed compared to the previous rating and whether a price target gets announced or changed.

Sometimes the rating stays the same and only the price target changes, which could cause the stock to move in either direction, depending on the significance of the change between the 2 price targets.

Step 2: Check for Other News

In the short term, check to see how the stock reacts to positive or negative news. This will be an indication of the company’s outlook because analyst ratings usually come out after the company announces news (it’ll typically be earnings news).

Step 3: Look at the Sector for News

Check to see if other stocks in the sector also received similar ratings. This could indicate micro news, which refers to when the whole sector or specific company trades in a specific way due to news outside of one company.

Step 4: Look at the Note

If available, look over the analyst note itself. The beginning of the note has the main information of the rating and price target. Investors should also take a look at the summary of the note, which you can find in the first couple pages and give you a concrete overview of the company. This can help you get an understanding of how analysts arrived at their thesis on the stock.

An example of an analyst note. Source: Needham

Step 5: Make a Decision

After reviewing the analyst ratings (and whether the analyst proposes a change or initiation) and find the reason for that note. Make a decision based on the analyst thesis on the company. This should give you guidance on how to make your thesis. Analyst ratings are a good indication of what professionals believe the company or sector will do, helping you get a better understanding of the companies you’re interested in.

Analyst Rating Accuracy

Analyst ratings are not set in stone and nobody knows indefinitely what a stock will do. Therefore, analyst ratings should be taken as an educated guess made by professionals who carefully study the specific company and sector in question. It's not a surprise that the accuracy of each rating can vary by each individual analyst and specific ratings on companies.

In other words, there’s no hard number or percentage on how accurate analyst ratings are because they are like educated guesses on what they think the stock will do based on their research, within that particular sector. In addition, each firm has so many analysts and so many different companies to review that you can compare ratings to glean what you believe is the truth.

Where Analyst Ratings Come From

Analyst ratings come from stock analysts. Analysts “go deep” on companies within a particular industry or sector. Some analysts employ a top-down approach (they start with an industry or sector and look for excellent companies within that industry or sector) and other stock analysts choose a bottom-up approach, which means they start with the company first and connect the dots within that company’s sector or industry. Analysts evaluate:

Financial statements
Economic fundamentals
Suppliers, customers and competitors
Management quality
Business model
Revenue
Expenses
Assets
Liabilities

While these evaluations are done using facts and figures that any investor can access, they come down to a conclusion the analyst must draw. While this isn’t an unqualified opinion, analysts will disagree because their interpretations of the data could vary.

Types of Stock Ratings

Stock ratings can range from simple “buy” and “sell” ratings to “equal weight” and “outperform” ratings. Here’s a quick overview of how analysts rate stocks.

Buy Rating

A “buy” rating indicates that an analyst is optimistic about a stock’s short-term or mid-term growth and recommends that traders purchase the stock. An analyst may even go so far as to indicate that a stock is a “strong buy.” At the same time, you may choose to swing trade the asset for a profit and come back later to start the process all over again.

Sell Rating

A “sell” rating means that an analyst believes the stock will trend downward in a particular time frame. Analysts might even refer to a security as a “strong sell.” Remember, though, you may want to swing trade and come back to this asset in the future even though you just chose to sell, just as you would under a “buy” rating.

Hold

A “hold” rating suggests that investors should not buy more of or sell the specified stock because they believe the stock should perform in a way that’s consistent with the market or will perform similarly to comparable companies within that particular sector. This is akin to the value investing approach that Warren Buffett uses, looking to gain long-term value from a single stock rather than flipping it because of a bad week. As many have said, it’s not a loss until you sell.

Underperform

An “underperform” rating means an analyst indicates that a stock is expected to perform below the market or sector average. And yes, while the underperform rating may not bode well for an asset in the next few weeks, it may not stay that way. Continue to carefully monitor your portfolio to ensure that an underperforming asset hasn’t turned itself around. As companies are faced with the Herculean task of pleasing shareholders, they will push to fix their underperforming stocks, meaning that a stock you wrote off could rise again.

Outperform

An “outperform” rating means that an analyst expects a stock to outperform the market or sector average. While the stock may look to outperform the market or a sector’s average, that doesn’t mean it will continue to soar forever. You must look at an outperform rating as what that asset will do in recent times, but it may not maintain that trajectory.

Equal-Weight

An equal weight rating means that an analyst believes that an individual stock's performance will tie to the average of all the stocks that an analyst covers in that particular sector. This type of rating helps investors get a true comparison of stocks to each other within a particular sector or industry. At the same time, equal-weight ratings could change at any time.

Price Target

A price target is an analyst’s projection of a stock’s future price. A price target is generally set up in a general trade or area where the asset might land. This means that the analyst could get close without hitting the figure on the head. Even so, the analyst wants to get close and better predict the movement of the marketplace and the asset.

Understanding Stock Ratings

Stock ratings are assessments of the investment potential of a particular stock. They are typically created by financial analysts who evaluate a company's financial performance, competitive positioning, and market outlook to provide guidance on the stock's expected future performance.

Ratings typically range from "buy" to "sell," with variations in between, such as "hold," "accumulate," or "neutral." A "buy" rating suggests that the stock is likely to perform well in the future, and investors should consider purchasing it. Conversely, a "sell" rating indicates that the stock is expected to underperform, and investors should consider selling it.

It's important to note that ratings are not guarantees of performance and should not be relied upon solely when making investment decisions. Ratings are just one factor to consider when evaluating a stock's potential, and investors should also conduct their own research and analysis to make informed decisions.

Another thing to keep in mind is that different analysts may have different opinions on a stock, so it's a good idea to consider multiple ratings before making an investment decision.

In addition to analyst ratings, investors can also consider other factors when evaluating a stock, such as its financial statements, management team, industry trends, and overall market conditions. By combining all of these factors, investors can make informed decisions about which stocks to buy or sell.

In summary, stock ratings are an important tool for investors to consider when evaluating a stock's potential, but they should not be the only factor used in investment decision-making. It's important to conduct your own research, consider multiple ratings, and take into account other factors before making an investment decision.

Should You Use Analyst Ratings to Inform Your Own Trades?

You can definitely use analyst ratings to inform your own trades and inform your own thesis but it’s a good idea to do your own research. However, analyst ratings are just one step in what should be a much larger investment strategy. Don’t fall in love with just one analyst. Compare notes. Look into how these ratings match with activity on the market and current events. Plus, remember that an analyst rating could easily be incorrect. No one is perfect, but these ratings are a good place to start.

Visit Benzinga News for more guidance on how to research companies and make decisions about research, trading and investing.

Compare Online Stock Brokers

Claim Exclusive Offers

Interactive Brokers Review
Good Fit For:
Active and Global Traders
VIEW PROS & CONS:
Securely through Interactive Brokers’ website
Plus500 Review
Good Fit For:
Leveraged Trading
VIEW PROS & CONS:
securely through Plus500 Yield's website
public.com Review
Good Fit For:
Trading Ideas
VIEW PROS & CONS:
securely through public.com's website
Robinhood Review
Good Fit For:
Commission-Free Mobile Trading
VIEW PROS & CONS:
securely through Robinhood's website
TradeZero Review
Good Fit For:
Active Short Sellers
VIEW PROS & CONS:
securely through TradeZero [SPONSORED]'s website