Stock Analysts Buy, Sell, and Hold Ratings Explained

In order to reach an opinion and communicate the value and volatility of a covered security, analysts research public financial statements, listen in on conference calls, and talk to managers and the customers of a company, typically in an attempt to come up with findings for a research report.

Ultimately, through all this investigation into the company's performance, the analyst decides whether the stock is a "buy," "sell," or "hold."

Key Takeaways

It is important to understand each rating group's rating styles, as there is no universal ranking system.
"Buy, hold, and sell" recommendation meanings are not as transparent as they first seem; a plethora of terms and variance in meanings exist behind the curtain.
Ratings are meant to complement or be used as a tool for existing strategies, not as a base to build them on.
Ratings are independent of companies, and there are legal ramifications for analysts who rate a stock they have an interest in.

The Scale of Ratings

However, the analyst rating scale is a tad trickier than the traditional classifications of "buy, hold, and sell." The various nuances, detailed in the following chart, include multiple terms for each of the ratings ("sell" is also known as "strong sell," "buy" can be labeled as "strong buy"), as well as a couple of new terms: underperform and outperform.

Stock Recommendation Chart — Image by Julie Bang © Investopedia 2020

To top it off, not every firm adheres to the same ratings scheme: an "outperform" for one firm may be a "buy" for another and a "sell" for one may be a "market perform" for another. Thus, when using ratings, it is advisable to review the issuing firm's rating scale, in order to fully understand the meaning behind each term.

Mapping the Basics

For now, let us dissect the traditional ratings of "sell," "underperform," "hold," "outperform," and "buy," and assume that each firm, no matter how wacky the system, can map back to these.

Buy: Also known as strong buy and "on the recommended list." Needless to say, buy is a recommendation to purchase a specific security.
Sell: Also known as strong sell, it's a recommendation to sell a security or to liquidate an asset.
Hold: In general terms, a company with a hold recommendation is expected to perform at the same pace as comparable companies or in line with the market.
Underperform: A recommendation that means a stock is expected to do slightly worse than the overall stock market return. Underperform can also be expressed as "moderate sell," "weak hold," and "underweight."
Outperform: Also known as "moderate buy," "accumulate," and "overweight." Outperform is an analyst recommendation meaning a stock is expected to do slightly better than the market return.

If you are investing like Warren Buffett, the report can assist in finding the company with a durable competitive advantage, and if Peter Lynch is your hero, you might find a low P/E ratio, share buyback, or future earnings growth candidate in the depths of the report.

Important

The research report and subsequent rating should be used to complement individual homework and strategy.

Examples of Analyst Ratings and Performance

In order to truly understand analyst ratings, it is imperative to gauge their accuracy. Below are three moments in the lives of three well-known companies and the analyst ratings before their impressive liftoff, or dismal implosion, to see if the analysts got it right.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola Co. (KO) is the world's largest nonalcoholic beverage company.

The Crucial Moment
An earnings surprise sent Coke bubbling over in a frenzy in early 2025, sending the price from $61.50 on Jan. 6 to $71.35 on Feb. 17, a gain of over 15%.

The Analyst Recommendation

Analysts were broadly favorable about Coca-Cola's prospects leading up to the fourth-quarter earnings call. Deutsche Bank, TD Cowen, and Jefferies all raised "hold" ratings to "buy."

Conclusion: Score one for the analyst!

Starbucks

Starbucks (SBUX) keeps the world caffeinated through a global chain of more than 30,000 company-owned and licensed stores.

The Crucial Moment
In April 2024, Starbucks fell from $88 to $72—a drop of nearly 20%. This double shot of drop was attributed to weak quarterly earnings and reduced sales.

The Analyst Recommendation

In March 2024, the analysts' consensus for Starbucks was a "Strong Buy." Eighteen firms listed it as a "buy" and 27 rated it as "hold." There were zero sell recommendations, according to Tipranks.

Conclusion: Missed the mark.

Apple

Apple Inc. (AAPL) designs consumer electronic devices, including personal computers (Mac), tablets (iPad), phones (iPhone), and portable music players (iPod).

The Crucial Moment

In Feb. 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic ripped through Chinese factories, Apple was among the first companies to take the hit. Apple shares fell by 25%, largely due to the company's reliance on Chinese assembly plants.

The Analyst Recommendation

Goldman Sachs downgraded Apple to "sell" and Daiwa Capital lowered its evaluation from "Buy" to "Outperform." Canaccord Genuity maintained its buy rating but lowered its price target from $345 to $300.

Conclusion

Investors who followed Goldman's "sell" recommendation soon came to regret it. By Aug. 2020, after a brief pandemic drop, Apple was trading at a new all-time high.

Who Issues Stock Recommendations: Buy-side or Sell-side Analysts?

Sell-side analysts work at investment banks and are the ones who will issue recommendations of "strong buy," "outperform," "neutral," or "sell." Buy-side analysts instead work for investment firms or funds and choose investments that coincide with the fund's investment strategy.

Why Are Some Recommendations Made as "Outperform" and Others as "Buy"?

Among sell-side firms, there is no standardized recommendation system, with different investment banks using their own internal rating scale. Thus, one bank may issue a "buy" rating that is equivalent to another bank's rating of "outperform." In both cases, the analysts have determined that the stock in question should have returns in excess of the broader market.

Should I Sell a Stock I Own If It Receives an Analysts Rating of "Sell"?

Analysts' ratings are arrived at based on fundamental and econometric analysis of a company and its future prospects. But, analysts can sometimes be wrong or make a mistake. As a result, you will want to consider the consensus of recommendations from several professional analysts. If they all (or mostly) recommend "sell," you may want to consider reducing or closing out your position in that stock,

The Bottom Line

Stock analysts are professional researchers who forecast the likely price changes of a company's stock price. To do that, they evaluate public filings and investigate conditions at stores to determine if the company is effectively utilizing its resources to meet client needs. Fund managers often rely on analyst ratings to make investment decisions, so accurate ratings could mean the difference between millions of dollars of company value.