Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on Alphabet (GOOGL), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other analytical tools for making investment decisions [1][5]. Brokerage Recommendations - Alphabet has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.38, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from 52 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 52 recommendations, 40 are classified as Strong Buy, accounting for 76.9%, while four are classified as Buy, making up 7.7% of the total [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Relying solely on brokerage recommendations may not be wise, as studies indicate limited success in guiding investors towards stocks with the highest price increase potential [5]. - Brokerage firms often exhibit a positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of Strong Buy recommendations compared to Strong Sell recommendations [6][10]. Zacks Rank as an Alternative - The Zacks Rank, which classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimate revisions, is presented as a more reliable indicator of near-term price performance compared to ABR [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is timely and reflects the latest earnings estimate revisions, unlike the potentially outdated ABR [12]. Current Earnings Estimates for Alphabet - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alphabet's current year earnings remains unchanged at $9.51, suggesting stability in analysts' views regarding the company's earnings prospects [13]. - Due to the unchanged consensus estimate and other factors, Alphabet holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a cautious approach despite the Buy-equivalent ABR [14].

When deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock, investors often rely on analyst recommendations. Media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts often influence a stock's price, but are they really important?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about United Airlines (UAL) .United currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.17, ...

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of Wall Street analysts' recommendations, particularly focusing on Western Digital (WDC), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other indicators like the Zacks Rank for making informed investment decisions [1][5]. Brokerage Recommendations - Western Digital has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.23, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from 20 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 20 recommendations, 17 are Strong Buy and 1 is Buy, which accounts for 85% and 5% of all recommendations respectively [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - The article highlights that brokerage recommendations may not be reliable for guiding investors, as studies show limited success in predicting stocks with the best price increase potential [5]. - Analysts from brokerage firms often exhibit a strong positive bias due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of Strong Buy recommendations compared to Strong Sell recommendations [6][10]. Zacks Rank as an Alternative - The Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks into five groups and is based on earnings estimate revisions, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is distinct from the ABR, as it is a quantitative model that reflects timely changes in earnings estimates, while the ABR may not always be up-to-date [9][13]. Current Earnings Estimates for Western Digital - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Western Digital's current year earnings has increased by 0.2% over the past month to $4.73, indicating growing optimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [14]. - The recent change in the consensus estimate, along with other factors, has resulted in a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) for Western Digital, suggesting a potential for stock price appreciation [15].

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about AbbVie (ABBV) .AbbVie currently has an average brokerage recommen ...

Core Viewpoint - The average brokerage recommendation (ABR) for GE Vernova (GEV) is 1.57, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy based on 27 brokerage firms' recommendations [2] Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations - Of the 27 recommendations, 18 are Strong Buy and 2 are Buy, accounting for 66.7% and 7.4% of all recommendations respectively [2] - Despite the positive ABR, relying solely on brokerage recommendations may not be wise, as studies show limited success in guiding investors to stocks with the best price increase potential [5][10] Group 2: Analyst Bias and Zacks Rank - Brokerage analysts often exhibit a strong positive bias due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of favorable ratings [6][10] - The Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks into five groups and is based on earnings estimate revisions, showing a strong correlation with near-term stock price movements [8][11] Group 3: Current Earnings Estimates for GEV - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for GE Vernova remains unchanged at $7.16, indicating steady analyst views on the company's earnings prospects [14] - The Zacks Rank for GE Vernova is 3 (Hold), suggesting caution despite the Buy-equivalent ABR [15]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of Wall Street analysts' recommendations, particularly focusing on Adobe Systems (ADBE), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other analytical tools for investment decisions [1][5]. Group 1: Brokerage Recommendations - Adobe has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.74, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on 34 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 34 recommendations, 21 are Strong Buy (61.8%) and 2 are Buy (5.9%) [2]. - Despite the positive ABR, the article cautions against making investment decisions solely based on this metric due to the limited success of brokerage recommendations in predicting stock price increases [5][10]. Group 2: Analyst Bias and Tools - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings, often issuing five Strong Buy recommendations for every Strong Sell [6][10]. - This bias indicates a misalignment of interests between brokerage firms and retail investors, suggesting that brokerage recommendations may not provide reliable insights into future stock price movements [7][10]. - The Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, is presented as a more reliable indicator of near-term price performance, based on earnings estimate revisions [8][11]. Group 3: Zacks Rank vs. ABR - The Zacks Rank and ABR are different measures; ABR is based solely on brokerage recommendations, while Zacks Rank utilizes earnings estimate revisions [9]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently, reflecting timely changes in analysts' earnings estimates, which correlates strongly with near-term stock price movements [12]. - Adobe currently holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), with an unchanged consensus earnings estimate of $20.36 for the current year, indicating a cautious outlook for the stock [13][14].

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of brokerage recommendations, particularly focusing on Alaska Air Group (ALK), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other analytical tools like the Zacks Rank for making informed investment decisions [1][5][10]. Brokerage Recommendations - Alaska Air currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.27, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on recommendations from 15 brokerage firms [2]. - Out of the 15 recommendations, 13 are classified as Strong Buy, accounting for 86.7% of all recommendations [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Studies indicate that brokerage recommendations have limited success in guiding investors towards stocks with the highest price increase potential [5]. - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a strong positive bias in their ratings, often issuing five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" [6][10]. - The interests of brokerage firms may not align with those of retail investors, leading to potential misguidance regarding future stock price movements [7][10]. Zacks Rank as an Alternative - The Zacks Rank categorizes stocks into five groups based on earnings estimate revisions, which have shown a strong correlation with near-term stock price movements [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is distinct from the ABR, as it is based on quantitative models rather than solely on brokerage recommendations [9]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently than the ABR, making it a timely tool for predicting future stock prices [12]. Current Earnings Estimates for Alaska Air - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Alaska Air's current year earnings remains unchanged at $3.65, suggesting steady analyst views on the company's earnings prospects [13]. - Due to the recent changes in consensus estimates and other related factors, Alaska Air holds a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), indicating a cautious approach despite the Buy-equivalent ABR [14].

Group 1 - Wingstop currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.59, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, with 15 Strong Buy and 2 Buy recommendations from 23 brokerage firms [2][5] - The ABR suggests a positive outlook for Wingstop, but relying solely on this information may not be advisable due to the historical ineffectiveness of brokerage recommendations in guiding investors towards high-potential stocks [5][10] - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a positive bias in their ratings, often leading to a misalignment of interests between these firms and retail investors [6][7] Group 2 - The Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock rating tool, categorizes stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and is considered a more effective indicator of near-term stock price performance compared to the ABR [8][11] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Wingstop has increased by 0.1% over the past month to $3.90, reflecting growing optimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [13] - Wingstop has achieved a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating a favorable investment outlook, which aligns with the Buy-equivalent ABR [14]

Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the reliability of Wall Street analysts' recommendations, particularly focusing on Dell Technologies (DELL), and emphasizes the importance of using these recommendations in conjunction with other research tools like the Zacks Rank for making informed investment decisions [1][5][10]. Summary by Sections Brokerage Recommendations - Dell Technologies has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.39, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on 19 brokerage firms' recommendations [2]. - Out of the 19 recommendations, 14 are Strong Buy and 2 are Buy, which account for 73.7% and 10.5% of all recommendations respectively [2]. Limitations of Brokerage Recommendations - Solely relying on brokerage recommendations may not be advisable, as studies indicate they often fail to guide investors effectively towards stocks with high price appreciation potential [5]. - Analysts from brokerage firms tend to exhibit a positive bias in their ratings due to vested interests, leading to a disproportionate number of favorable ratings compared to negative ones [6][10]. Zacks Rank as a Tool - The Zacks Rank, which categorizes stocks from Strong Buy to Strong Sell based on earnings estimate revisions, is presented as a more reliable indicator of near-term price performance compared to ABR [8][11]. - The Zacks Rank is updated more frequently and reflects the latest earnings estimates, making it a timely tool for predicting stock price movements [13]. Dell Technologies' Earnings Estimates - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dell Technologies has increased by 7.6% over the past month to $9.43, indicating growing optimism among analysts regarding the company's earnings prospects [14]. - This increase in consensus estimates, along with other factors, has resulted in a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) for Dell Technologies, suggesting a positive outlook for the stock [15].

The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Tutor Perini (TPC) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.Tutor Perini currently has an ...