A sell-side

Sell side

Sell side is a term used in the financial services industry. It is a general term that indicates a firm that sells investment services to asset management firms, typically referred to as the buy side, or corporate entities...

 analyst works for a brokerage firm and evaluates companies for future earnings growth and other investment criteria. They sometimes place recommendations on stocks

Stocks

Stocks are devices used in the medieval and colonial American times as a form of physical punishment involving public humiliation. The stocks partially immobilized its victims and they were often exposed in a public place such as the site of a market to the scorn of those who passed by...

 or other securities, typically phrased as "buy", "sell", or "hold." They are incentivised by offering their recommendations to institutional investors clients

Buy-side analyst

Buy-side analysts work for buy side money management firms such as mutual funds, pension funds, trusts, and hedge funds. They are incentivised to identify investment opportunities that will improve the net worth of the portfolio they work for....

, as well as by seeking investment banking deals with the firms they cover, although the latter is subject to significant regulatory restrictions, particularly in the United States. A proper title for some sell-side analysts is Equity Research Analyst.