Over 2 million + professionals use CFI to learn accounting, financial analysis, modeling and more. Unlock the essentials of corporate finance with our free resources and get an exclusive sneak peek at the first module of each course.
Start Free
Equity Research Associate Job Description
This equity research associate job description outlines the main roles, responsibilities, skills, and education required to be a successful equity research associate.
Equity Research Associate Job Description – Key Responsibilities
Research securities of target industries and companies to provide investment recommendations
Collect and interpret company data to facilitate recommendations
Develop and write research reports and publications to be presented to management or shareholders
Financial modeling: input data into proprietary financial models to create charts, dashboards and supporting material
Maintain up-to-date knowledge of financial services industry happenings and current events
Conduct primary research from industry sources
Example: Equity Research Associate Job Description – Financial Model
Equity Research Associate Job Description – Relevant Skills, Knowledge, and Experience
MBAs are preferred, although candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree are accepted as well.
Finance, Accounting, Economics or Statistics are preferred fields of study
Ability to communicate effectively and express complex ideas succinctly
Ability to take initiative and meet deadlines under minimal supervision
Ability to work under pressure
Industry experience in specific fields such as mining, manufacturing, technology, or transportation is an asset
Strong proficiency in MS Office, Excel, Word is required
Proficiency in Bloomberg or Capital IQ, or other data mining software is an asset
What is Equity Research?
The basic Equity Research Associate job description is providing analysis of securities data to inform fund managers and aid them in the investment process. The job requires problem-solving expertise and a broad knowledge of the stock market to successfully interpret data into meaningful recommendations. These recommendations are in regard to buying or selling certain equity investments.
The primary duty of an equity research associate is to assist senior analysts in regard to investment decision research. As an equity research associate, you will assist the company’s Equity Analysts and Portfolio Managers in the critical evaluation of potential equity investments. Oftentimes, direction is provided by senior team members, but the research associate must do the brunt of the valuation and sensitivity analysis work on their own. Other aspects of research associate work involve producing financial models, evaluating public information, and gathering any other available forms of data. Equity research associates may also be tasked with interviewing managers, suppliers, customers, and even competitors, to collect data.
The Role of an Equity Research Associate – Job Description
Being an equity research associate is a pivotal role as it involves the responsibility for providing information to business management, which is then used in making important investment decisions
Other duties undertaken by the equity research associate may involve direct interactions with clients. The investment researcher has the responsibility of explaining to customers why the particular models are important in the implementation of successful business portfolios
An equity research associate might be working for a firm or for individual salespeople, such as a stockbroker
This equity research associate job description is drawn from the responsibilities outlined by companies like Merrill Lynch Bank of America, JPMorgan, Morgan Stanley, and other top global banks.
Career Map
To see how the role of the equity research associate compares to other positions in corporate finance, explore our interactive career map to find out which path is right for you!
More Reading
Thank you for reading CFI’s Equity Research Associate Job Description. To learn more about jobs in the financial industry, take a look at the following free CFI resources:
Take your learning and productivity to the next level with our Premium Templates.
Upgrading to a paid membership gives you access to our extensive collection of plug-and-play Templates designed to power your performance—as well as CFI's full course catalog and accredited Certification Programs.
Gain unlimited access to more than 250 productivity Templates, CFI's full course catalog and accredited Certification Programs, hundreds of resources, expert reviews and support, the chance to work with real-world finance and research tools, and more.