How to Follow Top Experts on TipRanks

1. How to Use the Top Analysts page – Follow the Insights of the Top 100 Analysts  

Before deciding to follow the stock recommendations of a particular analyst it is advisable to study the analyst’s historical performance. At TipRanks, we consolidate the past performance of analysts and rank them based on the average returns earned per transaction, along with their success rate at giving the right calls on stocks. To study that, visit the Top Analysts page on TipRanks. Navigate to the page from the top menu, by clicking on Experts – Top Analysts.   

On the Top Analysts page, you will find a list of all analysts in the TipRanks universe, ranked based on the proprietary TipRanks Star Ranking System. The list will give you the Analyst Names, the Research Firms they work for, the Sectors they specialize in, their Buy/Hold/Sell rating Distributions, Success Rates, Average Returns earned, and Followers. You can sort the list as per the parameter you want, by simply clicking on the tab.   

An analyst with a high rating has a proven track record of generating attractive returns on stock picks. Depending on your investment strategy, you can choose to follow an analyst based on parameters such as the success rate, average return, or the sector. If you are not seeking exposure to a specific sector, the highest success rates and average returns would be good points to start with.   

On the other hand, if you are interested in investing in a specific sector, select an analyst with the highest ranking in that sector. This way, you are sure of following one of the best sectoral experts, thus increasing your probability of making successful investments.   

Once you have selected the analyst to follow, you can click on the analyst’s name to further study their performance. The analyst page will give you a list of stocks for which the analyst has given recommendations, along with the average return and success rate generated for each stock. Additionally, you can study the analyst’s returns and success rate compared to the benchmark index. You can choose to follow an analyst by clicking on the “+Follow” button on the consolidated list or from each analyst’s page. Once you do so, you will receive regular email alerts each time the analyst gives a new rating on a stock.    

2. How to Use the Top Performing Research Firms page  

TipRanks calculates which research firms perform better than others. We do so by tracking and ranking the Wall Street analysts employed by each firm, based on their Success Rates and Average Returns earned over a period. Plus, we consider the Statistical Significance (number of recommendations made) of the analysts while ranking them. The top performing firms have the greatest number of high-ranking analysts. By analyzing a research firm’s performance, you can confidently decide which analyst can be trusted while considering their stock recommendations.  

Our methodology factors in the success rate, average return, and statistical significance of the ratings of all the analysts from each firm, since 2009. We consider only analysts who have published a rating in the past year. We calculate the average success rate and the average return of all the analysts tracked by TipRanks from each firm, in this case when compared to the S&P 500. Because we incorporate statistical significance into our analysis, the list prioritizes firms with a higher number of ratings. This explains why some research firms may have a higher success rate and average return yet rank lower. 

To navigate to the page, go to Experts – Top Research Firms. On the page, you will find a list of the top 50 research firms ranked based on the factors mentioned above. The page gives you the Rank, name of the Firm, Sector, Rating Distribution of analysts from the firm (Buy/Hold/Sell), Number of Recommendations made by analysts of the firm, Number of Analysts in the firm tracked by TipRanks, a combined Success Rate of analyst ratings, and the combined Average Return of the firm’s analyst ratings. Please note, the list is dynamic and can change daily. 

By default, the page shows the above ranks and data based on the past 1 year’s recommendations and without comparing to any benchmark. You can toggle the tabs of Period to choose the time frame of 1 Year, 1 Month, 3 Months, or 2 Years. Similarly, you can choose to view the firm’s performance as compared to a Benchmark, namely, the S&P 500 index (SPX) or the Sector.  

Now that you have learned how to read the TipRanks Top Research Firms page, try it and see how it positively impacts your investment journey.  

3. How to Use the Top Financial Bloggers page – follow the Insights of the Top 100 Bloggers  

Millions of investors visit financial blogs every month – and use blogger predictions to make crucial investment decisions. But often, these decisions are based on the recommendations of bloggers they know very little about. TipRanks goes one step forward, giving you details about the blogger’s profile, as well as ranking these bloggers based on three broad criteria, thus making it easier for investors to choose whom to trust. In addition to performing in-depth research and making timely stock picks, you can build your investment strategy based on the recommendations of the Top 100 Bloggers listed on TipRanks.   

See an overview of the top bloggers from leading financial blogs and find out which top stocks they are recommending right now. Please note that the list of top bloggers is dynamic, as it is updated daily.  

To see the top 100 bloggers on TipRanks, go to Experts – Top Financial Bloggers. When you open a blogger’s page, you will find their overall profitable transactions, defined as their Success Rate. Plus, you will see the consolidated Average Return per transaction earned on all their views. By default, TipRanks shows you the average return earned in the past month, compared with No Benchmark. You may choose to see the average returns for any Period, namely, 1 Month, 3 Months, 1 Year, or 2 Years, while also comparing the returns with the overall Sector or the S&P 500 (SPX) index.    

Additionally, you will find the information on all the stocks for which the blogger has given their views, along with the most recent Date of the blog, their Position on the stock (bullish/bearish view), total Number of Ratings given on the stock, Success Rate on the rating, and the Avg. Return earned on the stock.     

Just as with other Experts on the TipRanks database, Bloggers are ranked according to their:  

Success rate – the number of accurate recommendations, for one year   

Average return – the average return generated for all transactions, for one year  

Statistical significance – experts with more recommendations are ranked higher  

As an investor, you can choose to follow the opinions of only top bloggers, who have a proven track record of generating attractive returns on most of their stock recommendations.   

4. How to Use the Top-Performing Corporate Insiders page – follow the Insights of the Top 100 Corporate Insiders  

Nobody knows the inner workings of a company better than its insiders. Following an insider’s trading calls can give you considerable insight into the company’s performance. If an insider is highly optimistic about a company’s future, it is quite likely they will go on a stock-buying spree and vice versa when they have some negative information about the company. From the buying/selling patterns of insiders, you can gauge the company’s trajectory.   

This is why TipRanks accumulates insider trading activities and ranks the insiders as per their historical performance. By ranking the insiders, TipRanks helps you decide which insiders are likely the best insiders to follow. These insiders have a proven record of making successful calls on their company stocks and earning generous returns on them, and you could succeed in investing by following their trading activity.   

You can navigate to this page by going to Experts – Top-Performing Corporate Insiders. This page lists the Name of the corporate insiders along with information related to their Company, Role, Distribution of Buy and Sell Transactions, Success Rate, and Average Return earned.  

By default, the page lists the top insiders based on their success rates measured over a 1 Year time frame. You can choose to change the Period between 1 Month, 3 Months, 1 Year, or 2 Years. Similarly, you can choose to compare the returns with a Benchmark such as the S&P 500 (SPX) index or the Sector.   

An insider’s performance is measured based on a 3-tier unique proprietary formula called TipRanks Star Ranking System, as explained below:  

Success Rate – An expert’s success rate is measured by the number of times a transaction wins or loses money.  

Average Return – At TipRanks, we consider the average return of all transactions as the best measure of an expert’s performance. By doing so, we rule out the possibility of single lucky hits and focus on the expert’s overall performance.  

Statistical Significance – A higher number of recommendations ensures the expert’s consistency. For this reason, an expert with more recommendations will have his or her ranking scored higher than an expert with fewer recommendation counts (with all other things being even). 

5. How to Use the Top Hedge Fund Managers Page  

Hedge Fund Managers are well-established investors who have long years of experience and investment acumen. They also have the ability to trade in larger amount of money and their related exposure, that an average investor may be missing. Generally, hedge fund managers are known to take on added risk to earn exponential returns. Although an average investor doesn’t want to make such risky bets, you can learn from their trades and try to emulate them. Thus, it would be interesting to learn about a hedge fund manager’s trading activities to understand which sectors they are currently favoring, and which companies, in particular, are being loaded up on or dismissed by these giant investment firms.   

To navigate to the top-performing hedge fund managers page, go to Experts – Top Hedge Fund Managers from the top menu on the dashboard. On this page, you will find a list of the hedge fund managers in the descending order of their Star Rankings.  

The page lists the Rank, Name of the hedge fund manager, Hedge Fund Name, Assets Under Management (AUM in $ billions), Portfolio Gain (% terms), Sharpe Ratio of the hedge fund manager, Average Return (% terms), Followers on TipRanks, and the option to Follow them.   

By default, the list is sorted based on the hedge fund managers’ rankings. You can choose to sort as per the names of the Hedge Fund or the Managers, or their AUMs, portfolio gains, and so on. Further, you can click on any hedge fund manager’s name to navigate to their profile pages and study them in detail. It could be wise to study and follow those managers who have a proven track record of earning impressive returns with a high success rate.   

Just as with other Experts, TipRanks accumulates the trading patterns of hedge fund managers and ranks them based on three broad parameters:  

Success rate – the number of accurate recommendations, for one year  

Average return – the average return generated for all transactions, for one year  

Statistical significance – experts with more recommendations are ranked higher