analyst

noun

an·a·lyst | \ ˈa-nə-ləst

Definition of analyst

1 : a person who analyzes or who is skilled in analysis

2 : psychoanalyst

Examples of analyst in a Sentence

My analyst felt that I was making good progress.

Recent Examples on the Web

The Environmental Working Group’s senior research and database analyst Samara Geller told Apartment Therapy that dryer sheets contain a potentially harmful chemical called quaternary ammonium compounds (QACS). — Megan Schaltegger, House Beautiful, "Here’s Why You Need to Stop Using Dryer Sheets ASAP," 30 Apr. 2019 But politicians and some analysts said the greater value... — Isabel Coles, WSJ, "Iraqi Premier’s Visit to Saudi Arabia Reflects Deeper Ties to Kingdom," 18 Apr. 2019 Some analysts questioned those numbers, and based on today’s indictment, the total cost doesn’t seem as high as the original estimates suggested. — Adi Robertson, The Verge, "Eight people charged with running a multimillion-dollar online ad scam," 27 Nov. 2018 The intelligence analyst, played by Renée Felice Smith, finds herself in a tricky situation when her sister turns to her for help. — Megan Stein, Country Living, "'NCIS LA' Is Bringing Back Someone From Nell Jones's Past," 24 Mar. 2019 The ride-hailing model requires a type of suspension of disbelief, analysts said. — Faiz Siddiqui, The Seattle Times, "As it gets set for IPO, Lyft outlines all the reasons ride-sharing could fail," 25 Mar. 2019 An analyst said that, as SolarCity's sales have faltered, large regional solar installers have picked up the bulk of the slack. — Megan Geuss, Ars Technica, "Tesla’s SolarCity lost ground to Sunrun in 2018," 21 Dec. 2018 Intel is betting that external executives will bring new ideas and fresh ways of thinking to help propel the company’s transformation, analysts said. — Nina Trentmann, WSJ, "Intel Again Turns to Outsider CFO As Chip Maker Advances Shift Away From PCs," 3 Apr. 2019 Education analysts and policy makers look at tables like these in concluding that program type is becoming more important than degree level when determining economic outcomes. — Chuck Thompson, Popular Mechanics, "The State of American Trade Schools," 13 Mar. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'analyst.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

20 May 2019

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The first known use of analyst was in 1656

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More Definitions for analyst

analyst

noun

Financial Definition of analyst

What It Is

An analyst gathers and interprets data about securities, companies, corporate strategies, economies or financial markets. Analysts are sometimes called financial analysts, securities analysts, equity analysts or investment analysts (although there is a distinction among these titles).

How It Works

Much of an analyst's job involves gathering data from publications, researchers and other sources; creating financial models; and writing reports or making presentations. Analysts are heavily involved with mergers and acquisitions, consulting, corporate strategy, bankruptcy, and myriad other financially important processes. Thus, their projects can be wide-ranging, and can include creating a company's budget for the coming years; deciding what sort of buy-or-sell advice to give clients; evaluating the prospects for a particular security; or deciding how much to pay to acquire a certain company. Securities analysts in particular usually write research reports for clients and offer buy and sell recommendations.

Analysts work for public and private companies, nonprofit organizations, investment banks, brokerage firms, insurance companies, government entities and nearly any other organization that is concerned about making sound financial decisions. They must be able to work well with clients, peers and their bosses; explain their ideas quickly and precisely; have presentation skills; and be extremely confident with spreadsheets and numbers. Some travel a lot. Analysts typically work considerably long work weeks, particularly early in their careers.

Analysts often have undergraduate or graduate business degrees, but many investment firms train entry-level analysts, which means an undergraduate degree in business is not always necessary if a candidate shows aptitude. Some analysts also enter the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program to further their credentials. Many analysts go on to become senior analysts, investment bankers, consultants, advisors and chief financial officers.

Why It Matters

An analyst helps people make decisions. Analysts gather and interpret data to do this, and quite often they have to project future events. To do this well, an analyst has to stay on top of industry and company trends, market trends, economic trends, new regulations, changes in accounting rules, and a host of other information.

For this reason, analysts carry a great degree of responsibility. The results of their analyses frequently determine the course of major decisions, and a mistake in a spreadsheet or an overlooked piece of information could mean inadvertently making the wrong decisions, which could have far-reaching effects on client portfolios, stock prices, corporate strategies or even a company's solvency.

Source: Investing Answers

analyst

noun