What Are Broker Tips? How to Read and Understand Them
Broker tips are analysts’ calls on a company - typically a rating (Buy, Hold or Sell) plus a price target. This guide explains each element (broker, date, target, change, potential upside, EPIC), common rating synonyms, and a practical way to use tips alongside your own research.
Published 13 Sep 2025
Broker tips are investment views published by sell-side analysts. A typical tip includes an Opinion (e.g. Buy/Hold/Sell), a price target, and context like the Date, Broker, and a Type which conveys any change from the previous stance. On Broker Tips, each entry is tied to a company by its EPIC (ticker) and often shows Potential Upside from the Price on the Date the tip was issued.
What’s inside a broker tip?
- Date – when the tip was issued.
- Broker – the research provider or bank.
- Company (EPIC) – the stock the tip refers to.
- Opinion – Buy/Hold/Sell (or synonyms below).
- Price – The Company's share price on the Date of the tip.
- Old Target – the most recent previous price target from this Broker.
- New Target – the price target, which is the broker's fair value estimate for the Company
- Type – e.g. Upgrade, Downgrade, Reiteration, New Coverage
- Potential Upside – the percentage difference between the New Target and the Price.
Rating synonyms (quick map)
| Broad Rating | Common Synonyms | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Buy (Bullish) | Buy, Overweight, Outperform, Speculative Buy, Top Pick, Add | Broker expects the shares to do better than peers or a benchmark. |
| Hold (Neutral) | Sector Perform, Neutral, Hold, Equal-weight | No strong edge either way versus peers/benchmark. |
| Sell (Bearish) | Sell, Underweight, Underperform | Broker expects weaker performance than peers/benchmark. |
| Unrated | House Stock, No Recommendation, Not Rated, Under Review | Do not convey a recommendation. |
For more detailed definitions of these ratings, see our The Difference Between a Buy, Hold, and Sell Recommendation article.
How to interpret price targets & potential upside
A price target is the analyst’s estimate of fair value over a typical horizon (often 6–12 months). On our site you may also see an Old Target vs New Target, indicating a change in view.
Potential Upside ≈ (New Price Target − Price (at Date of tip)) ÷ Price (at Date of tip). For example, if a stock closed at 100 on the Date of the tip and the new target is 120, potential upside is about 20%.
Reading a tip step-by-step
- Check the date – is the note fresh (e.g., post-earnings) or stale?
- Note the rating & change – an upgrade from Hold to Buy is more meaningful than reiterating a Buy.
- Compare targets – compare the New Target to the Old Target. Was the target raised or cut? By how much?
- Quantify upside – high upside can reflect optimism or higher risk.
- Cross-check the trend by going to the company detail page – are multiple brokers moving the same way (consensus shift)?
- Fit it to your thesis – does the broker’s reasoning match your time horizon and risk tolerance?
Common reasons tips change
- Earnings results or guidance updates
- Industry/commodity moves or macro shifts
- Management changes, M&A, or new product news
- Valuation resets after big price moves
Best practices for using broker tips
- Treat tips as inputs, not instructions. Combine them with your own research.
- Watch consensus over time. A cluster of upgrades/downgrades often matters more than a single note.
- Mind the horizon. Targets are not guarantees and can be revised quickly.
- Risk first. Consider downside if the thesis doesn’t play out.
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and is not investment advice. Markets involve risk.