A research analyst is a professional who prepares investigative reports on securities or assets for in-house or client use. Other names for this function include securities analyst, investment analyst, equity analyst, rating analyst, or simply "analyst.".
The work conducted by the research analyst is in an effort to inquire, examine, find or revise facts, principles, and theories for internal use by a financial institution or an external financial client. The report an analyst prepares entails the examination of public records of securities of companies or industries, and often concludes with a "buy," "sell" or "hold" recommendation.
Research analysts can work at a variety of companies, such as at asset management companies, investment banks, insurance companies, hedge funds, pension funds, brokerages or any business that needs to crunch data to spot trends or decide on a valuation, make an investment decision, or forecast the outlook of a company or asset.
Source: Investopedia, What Is a Research Analyst? What They Do and Qualifications, accessed 26 December 2023, <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/research-analyst.asp>