Professional stock research comes in different formats to meet different investor needs.

The most detailed, and the one that usually goes by the name research report, is a profile of a single company's stock: an in-depth report that examines various aspects of the stock's potential performance — such as an analysis of the company's balance sheet, its place in its industry, the market for its products, and its stock price and trading history.

Some research firms offer a snapshot version that provides a one- or two-page condensed report that may stand alone or summarize material from a detailed report. And some firms offer regular newsletters that summarize recent research and make stock suggestions.

You may use all of these formats: Find stock ideas in a newsletter, review the snapshot pages, and then pore over in-depth reports for the most interesting stocks. Or you may find yourself just using one kind of research. In the end, it depends on what works best for you.

Sam Stovall,
Chief Investment Strategist at Standard & Poor’s

Unequal treatment
Not all companies are equally scrutinized. Large companies tend to get the most research attention, though some analysts focus on mid-cap or small-cap companies. Dozens of analysts may follow a star company in a hot industry, while an out-of-favor company may attract just a handful. And some companies aren't covered at all.

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