Wall Street Analysts Think Strategy (MSTR) Is a Good Investment: Is It?

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on Strategy (MSTR), and highlights the potential misalignment of interests between brokerage analysts and retail investors [1][10]. Brokerage Recommendations - Strategy has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.50, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, with 11 out of 14 recommendations classified as Strong Buy [2][5]. - Strong Buy and Buy recommendations account for 78.6% and 7.1% of all recommendations, respectively [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Studies indicate limited success of brokerage recommendations in guiding investors towards stocks with the best price increase potential [5]. - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a strong positive bias due to vested interests, issuing five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" [6][10]. Zacks Rank Comparison - Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks from Strong Buy to Strong Sell and is based on earnings estimate revisions, showing a strong correlation with near-term stock price movements [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is timely and reflects changes in earnings estimates quickly, unlike the ABR, which may not be up-to-date [12]. Current Earnings Estimates for Strategy - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Strategy has declined by 627.3% over the past month to -$15.73, indicating growing pessimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [13]. - This decline in consensus estimates has resulted in a Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) for Strategy, suggesting caution despite the Buy-equivalent ABR [14].