Finance continues to be a male-dominated profession. Out of almost 7,800 Wall Street analysts that TipRanks tracks and ranks, only 547 of them are female. However, despite being vastly under-represented, they often outperform their male counterparts.
Consider that the average return for stock picks by all analysts on TipRanks, measured over one year, is 5.7%, and the average success rate is 53.34%. This increases to an average return of 19.51% and a success rate of 60.91% for the top 50 women. Moreover, when focusing on the top 10 female analysts, we find that they have an astounding average return of 33.46% per recommendation, and an average success rate of 62.85%.
This shouldn’t be surprising. A study in the Journal of Accounting Research concluded that women analysts “issue bolder and more accurate forecasts.” Researcher Alok Kumar examined more than 2 million forecasts made by 17,240 analysts. Of these, only about 16% were female. Kumar explained that given the perceived discrimination in the field, only women with superior abilities choose to become financial analysts.
So, who are these leading women of Wall Street? To mark International Women’s Day, we identified 10 top female Wall Street analysts tracked by TipRanks to highlight their successes. These women are in the top 7% of all analysts ranked by TipRanks. We also take a quick look at their most recent stock ratings, as well as at the top female analyst covering the UK and Canadian markets.
Leading Women of Wall Street
1. Helane Becker, Cowen & Co.
Helane Becker has more than 40 years of experience on Wall Street. She has held positions within the research, trading, and investment banking departments of Citi, Lehman Brothers, and Smith Barney. She is a managing director and senior research analyst at Cowen, where she specializes in airlines, air freight, and aircraft leasing. On February 16, Becker lowered her price target for low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines (NYSE: SAVE), from $43 to $40, indicating almost 80% upside, while maintaining a Buy rating. Looking at her track record for this stock, 17 out of 26 ratings were profitable after 12 months, she had a 65% success rate on her ratings, and her average return is 22%.
2. Jennifer Demba, Truist Financial
Jennifer Demba has been analyzing the financial markets for over 20 years. She joined SunTrust Robinson Humphrey in 1999, where she works today, operating now as Truist Securities. Demba is a managing director covering the financial sector. Demba’s most recent Buy rating was for consumer and commercial bank, Regions Financial (NYSE: RF), wherein she lowered her price target to $22.97 on January 24. This new price target indicates 31.16% upside. She has a 67% success rate for RF and a 30% average return.
3. Elvira Scotto, RBC Capital
Elvira Scotto is a Director at RBC Capital Markets. Her area of expertise is master limited partnerships equity research, and she covers the energy sector. Scotto has over 20 years of experience, working at a variety of banks, including Needham, Bank of America Securities, and Credit Suisse, before joining RBC in 2011. Most recently, Scotto maintained a Buy rating for Energy Transfer (NYSE: ET) on February 25, increasing her price target to $14, indicating over 34% upside potential. She has a 54% success rate for ET and an average return of 9.3%.
4. Susan Roth Katzke, Credit Suisse
Susan Roth Katzke is a managing director and senior equity analyst at Credit Suisse. She covers multinational banks and brokers. She began her sell-side equity research career in 1990 and has worked at various Wall Street firms, most recently rejoining Credit Suisse in 2014. On January 24, Roth Katzke maintained a Buy rating for Citigroup (NYSE: C), increasing her price target to $72. This new price target represents almost 23% upside potential. She has a 61% success rate for her C ratings and an average return of around 16%.
5. Shweta Khajuria, Evercore ISI
Shweta Khajuria is Director of Internet Equity Research at Evercore. She started covering internet equity in 2014 and is one of the youngest analysts on the list. Before joining Evercore, she worked at CRT Capital Group, JMP Securities, and RBC Capital Markets. Among her most recent ratings is online marketplace ETSY (NASDAQ: ETSY); she lowered the price target to $225 from $270, while reiterating a Buy rating. Her new price target indicates over 38% upside. Khajuria has a 100% success rate on ETSY, with all nine of her ratings resulting in profit after 12 months, bringing an average return of over 188%.
6. Maria Ripps, Canaccord Genuity
Maria Ripps is a Senior Research Analyst at Canaccord Genuity, covering the internet sector. She has over 12 years of experience in finance and started off in the buy-side of the business, working for a hedge fund. She has also worked at Morgan Stanley and has said in an interview that she particularly enjoys covering the internet, as it involves understanding a wide variety of sectors. On February 24, Ripps lowered her price target for online furniture store Wayfair (NYSE: W) from $250 to $220, while maintaining a Buy rating. This new price target indicates over 65% upside potential. She has a 53% success rate for ratings on Wayfair, with an average return exceeding 78%.
7. Catherine Ramsey Schulte, Robert W. Baird
Catherine Ramsey Schulte is a senior analyst covering Life Sciences & Diagnostics at Baird. Before joining Baird in 2014, she worked at Medtronic, Pathfinder Technologies, and Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Shulte received a BSE in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University. On February 25, she lowered her price target for cell-free DNA testing platform, Nestra (NASDAQ: NTRA), from $152.00 to $100, still giving it room for over 77% growth over the next 12 months. She has a 61% success rate and an average return of over 40% for Nestra.
8. Stephanie Benjamin, Truist Financial
Stephanie Benjamin is a transportation senior analyst at Truist Financial. She has been in equity research since 2012 and has been covering the transportation sector since 2018. Benjamin worked at Suntrust Robinson Humphrey for almost nine years, before it merged with Truist in 2020. On February 3, she raised her price target for transportation holding company, Saia (Nasdaq: SAIA), to $370, indicating almost 40% upside. She has a 75% success rate and an average 12-month return of almost 30% on this stock.
9. Susan Anderson, B. Riley Financial
Susan Anderson is a senior equity research analyst covering retail, apparel, footwear, and consumer products at B. Riley. She previously worked at FBR Capital Markets. On March 3, Anderson lowered her price target from Abercrombie & Fitch (NYSE: ANF) to $48 from $54, while maintaining a Buy rating. This new price target suggests close to 70% upside potential. She has a 68% success rating on ANF, with an average return of over 90%.
Join Susan Anderson at our International Women’s Day live stream. Don’t miss out!
10. Marie Thibault, BTIG
Marie Thibault is Managing Director at BTIG, focused on the Medical Technology and Digital Health sectors. Earlier in her career, she was a senior associate within medical technology equity research at Lazard Capital Markets. On March 1, Thibault reiterated a Buy rating on medical device and aesthetics company, Establishment Labs Holdings (NASDAQ: ESTA), with a price target of $95.00, indicating almost 55% upside. She has a 45% success rate on the stock and an average return of over 96%.
Join Marie Thibault at our International Women’s Day live stream. Don’t miss out!
Top Analyst – UK
Portia Patel, Canaccord Genuity
Not only is Cannacord Genuity’s Portia Patel the top female analyst in the UK, but she was also the top analyst covering UK stocks in 2021. She has been covering diversified financials since 2012, starting at RBC Capital, then Liberum, before moving to Canaccord Genuity in 2018. On February 23, Patel reiterated a Buy rating on professional services consultancy Begbies Traynor Group (LSE: BEG), with a 138p price target, suggesting over 30% upside potential. She has a 65% success rate and an average return of almost 15% for the stock.
Join Portia Patel at our International Women’s Day live stream. Don’t miss out!
Top Analyst – Canada
Meaghen Annett, TD Securities
Meaghen Annett has been a research analyst since 2008. She worked at DundeeWealth, Standard Life Investments, and Industrial Alliance Securities, before joining TD Securities in 2010. She covers consumer discretionary stocks. On February 23, she issued a Hold rating on Canadian mattress retailer Sleep Country Canada (TSX: ZZZ); her price target of C$38 indicates 28% upside. Annett has 100% success rate for the stock and an average return of almost 65%.
