CFRA
Accounting Research & Analytics, LLC
CFRA is a privately held US independent research firm, known for forensic accounting analysis and for the STARS stock rankings it took over with S&P Global's former equity research business, distributed through brokerage and wealth-management platforms.
Company history
Howard Schilit founded the Center for Financial Research and Analysis in 1994 as a forensic accounting research provider. TA Associates bought it in 2003 and sold it to RiskMetrics in 2007, which MSCI acquired in 2010; Peter de Boer acquired CFRA from MSCI in 2013. CFRA bought S&P Global's equity and fund research business in October 2016 and added Lowry Research and Washington Analysis in 2021.
- 1994Founded by Howard Schilit as Center for Financial Research and Analysis
- 2003Sold to private equity firm TA Associates
- 2007Acquired by RiskMetrics
- 2013Bought from MSCI by Peter de Boer
- 2016Acquired S&P Global's equity and fund research business
- 2021Acquired Lowry Research and Washington Analysis
Research
CFRA provides qualitative coverage of more than 1,650 global companies with price targets and STARS rankings, plus quantitative coverage of over 13,000 more (2026), alongside forensic accounting, fund, policy and technical research. The STARS (STock Appreciation Ranking System) scale runs from five stars (Strong Buy) to one star (Strong Sell) based on expected 12-month total return versus a regional benchmark. Its reports are available to clients of brokerages including Fidelity, Schwab and LPL Financial.
Coverage12M
- Stocks
- 13
- Ratings
- 5
- Price targets
- 12
- Median upside
- +12.3%
- Upgrades
- 2
- Downgrades
- 3
- Initiations
- 0
- Reiterations
- 0
- Targets raised
- 2
- Targets cut
- 4
- Positive50%2
- Neutral25%1
- Negative25%1
Sectors
Ratings
Listing
Activity24M
Most covered24M
| Stock | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|
 INVHInvitation Homes Inc. | Sell | $27 |
 NFLXNetflix, Inc. | Buy | $100 |
 ABGAsbury Automotive Group, Inc. | — | $225 |
 CRMSalesforce, Inc. | Strong Buy | $380 |
 CZRCaesars Entertainment, Inc. | — | $50 |
 EQIXEquinix, Inc. | Hold | $985 |
 POOLPool Corporation | Buy | $304 |
 SBUXStarbucks Corporation | — | $103 |
 SNXTD SYNNEX Corporation | Buy | — |
 AAPLApple Inc. | Buy | $260 |
Analysts24M
- Arun SundaramSBUX · CHWY · CAVA9
- Kenneth LeonEQIX · FOX · C9
- Angelo ZinoCRUS · LSCC · ADI8
- Garrett NelsonAZO · DAN · ABG8
- Zachary WarringCZR · DKNG · HAS6
- Catherine SeifertAIG · NYT · PGR4
Recent actions
| Stock | Rating action | Rating | Target | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Invitation Homes Inc.INVH | Downgrade | Hold →Sell | May 28 | |
| Invitation Homes Inc.INVH | Target | $38 →$27 | May 27 | |
| CGThe Carlyle Group Inc.CG | Target | $47 →$45 | May 8 | |
| Netflix, Inc.NFLX | Upgrade | Hold →Buy | Mar 6 | |
 The Trade Desk, Inc.TTD | Downgrade | Buy →Hold | Jan 27 | |
| Netflix, Inc.NFLX | Downgrade | Buy →Hold | $238 →$100 | Jan 5 |
| Pool CorporationPOOL | Upgrade | Hold →Buy | Dec 23, 2025 | |
| Pool CorporationPOOL | Target | $304 | Dec 22, 2025 | |
 Analog Devices, Inc.ADI | Target | $240 →$280 | Nov 25, 2025 | |
 CNH Industrial N.V.CNH | Target | $11 | Nov 10, 2025 | |
| ONON Semiconductor CorporationON | Target | $80 →$64 | Nov 4, 2025 |
Similar coverage12M
References
- About CFRAcfraresearch.com
- MSCI To Sell CFRA - Integrity Researchintegrity-research.com
- S&P Global Finalizes Sale of Equity and Fund Research to CFRAinvestor.spglobal.com
- Fundamental Equity Research - CFRAcfraresearch.com
- CFRA and LPL Financial Expand Strategic Partnership (May 2026)cfraresearch.com
- Outlook 2026: Position Your Portfolio for What's Next - CFRAcfraresearch.com