Argus Research

What Argus Research does

Argus Research is an independent, family-owned investment research firm founded in 1934 by Harold Dorsey and headquartered in New York, with a London office. The firm produces fundamental equity research and BUY/HOLD/SELL ratings on more than 400 stocks across 60+ industries, supplemented by the proprietary A6 quantitative model covering 1,500+ securities and ranking 2,200+ global companies. Its core methodology, the Six-Point System, integrates industry, growth, financial strength, management, risk, and valuation analysis with a Peer Derived Value approach. Through wholly owned subsidiaries Argus Investors' Counsel (SEC-registered investment advisor, est. 1960), Vickers Stock Research (acquired 1976), and Argus Vickers Ltd. (London, est. 1993), the firm also delivers separately managed accounts, ETF and equity model portfolios, and proprietary insider/institutional ownership analytics.

The firm serves institutional investors (global and money center banks, discount brokers, mutual funds, hedge funds, state pension funds, bank trust departments, RIAs), corporate pension plans, endowments, foundations, and HNW individuals. Revenue is generated through four primary streams: recurring research subscriptions distributed via direct sales and white-label arrangements with broker-dealers/RIAs; sponsored research coverage paid by U.S.-listed issuers; managed-services fees from AIC's SMA and model-portfolio business; and bespoke professional services including IPO, small-cap, gap-coverage, and risk research. Distribution is sales-led, supported by daily Market Watch notes, webinars, ArgusVision investor conferences, and analyst media presence on CNBC, Bloomberg, and major business publications. The firm employs 101-250 people and continues to operate without investment banking, brokerage, or M&A advisory arms, preserving conflict-free independence that originated from its selection as a Global Research Analyst Settlement partner.

Name

Argus Research

Legal name

Argus Research Co.

Website

https://argusresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Argus Research is an independent, family-owned investment research firm founded in 1934 that delivers fundamental and quantitative equity research, ratings, model portfolios, separately managed accounts, and ownership analytics to institutional investors, wealth managers, and corporate clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Research

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Research (FSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investor Education, Research & Portfolio Analytics Services (Retail) (FSAAAAAO), Sector-Specific Industry Research (FSACAGAL), Equity Capital Markets Advisory (Equity Issuance Strategy & Readiness) (FSACAAAI)

Keywords

• Equity research
• Investment advisory
• Portfolio management
• Quantitative analytics
• Stock ownership data

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Research Subscriptions: Subscription-based research reports distributed to institutional clients, financial advisors, and retail investors through website subscriptions and white-label services.
2. Sponsored Research: Companies listed on major US exchanges pay for coverage reports published by Argus and distributed through Argus network. Includes launch reports with investment thesis, earnings analysis, and valuation.
3. Investment Advisory Services: Argus Investors' Counsel (AIC), an SEC-registered investment advisor, manages equity portfolios for clients including individuals, RIAs, corporate pensions, foundations, and endowments, generating management fees.
4. Bespoke and Custom Research: Custom research services including gap coverage, IPO reports, risk reports, small-cap coverage, and alpha capture ideas for institutional clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Argus Research is an independent investment research firm that produces fundamental equity research with BUY, HOLD, and SELL ratings on over 400 stocks across 60+ industries using its proprietary Six-Point Valuation System. It also provides quantitative research on more than 1,500 securities via its A6 model, plus investment advisory services through SEC-registered Argus Investors' Counsel (AIC) managing equity portfolios, ETF and equity model portfolios, and separately managed accounts.

Product overview

Argus Research is an independent investment research firm offering a comprehensive suite of fundamental and quantitative research products and investment advisory services. The core offering centers on equity research and ratings for over 400 stocks using the proprietary Six-Point Valuation System, complemented by A6 quantitative research covering more than 1,500 securities. Investment management services include ETF Model Portfolios (Conservative, Growth, Aggressive), Equity Model Portfolios (Equity Income, Growth & Income, Growth, Institutional), and Separately Managed Accounts (Core Equity, U.S. Dividend Growers, Innovators, ESG, Custom). The firm also provides Sponsored Research for public companies, Ownership Analytics through its Vickers Stock Research subsidiary, and corporate/analyst access services. Research publications include daily Market Watch, technical Market Movers, flagship Portfolio Selector with Focus List, and the Argus Dividend Growth Model Portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Research & Ratings Fundamental investment research covering over 400 stocks across more than 60 industries, providing BUY, HOLD, and SELL ratings based on the proprietary Argus Six-Point Valuation System.
• A6 Quantitative Research
• ETF Model Portfolios
• Equity Model Portfolios
• Separately Managed Accounts (SMA)
• Sponsored Research
• Ownership Analytics
• Corporate Access
• Analyst Access & Events
• Vickers Stock Research

Quantifiable outcome

• BUY ratings from independent research firms statistically and significantly outperform Investment Bank BUY ratings

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CFRA Research: Independent equity research firm spun out of S&P Capital IQ's equity research business; offers fundamental equity research, quantitative models, and fund/advisory research with a similar institutional and wealth-distribution model to Argus, including long-only Buy/Hold/Sell ratings and a published stock-selection methodology.
• Value Line: Long-standing independent investment research and publishing firm founded in 1931 that provides proprietary quantitative rankings and fundamental commentary on thousands of US equities—closely analogous to Argus's ranked security universe and consumer/institutional research distribution.
• Zacks Investment Research: Independent equity research firm whose core offering is a proprietary quantitative ranking system applied across thousands of stocks; commercializes research via subscriptions, model portfolios, and licensed distribution—closely matching Argus's A6 and subscription revenue model.
• Hedgeye Risk Management: Independent investment research firm providing fundamental and quantitative equity, macro, and sector research to institutional and retail subscribers; shares Argus's model of independent, conflict-free research distributed by subscription and through real-time alerts.
• Wolfe Research: Independent sell-side equity research and corporate advisory firm offering institutional fundamental research and corporate access events; comparable to Argus in offering conflict-free equity coverage to institutional investors with a strong analyst-led franchise.
• Verity (VerityData): Independent research and data provider tracking insider and institutional ownership, holdings, and transaction activity—directly comparable to Argus's Vickers Stock Research subsidiary and overlapping with Argus Vickers' UK ownership database offering.

Broad incumbents

• Morningstar: Large-scale investment research and data platform offering independent equity research, fund research, portfolio analytics, and managed portfolios; competes with Argus across institutional research and wealth advisory, but at materially larger scale and with a much broader data-centric product portfolio.
• S&P Global: Diversified financial information and research provider whose equity research, ratings, indices, and ownership data historically competed with Argus; many of Argus's own senior hires (including Director of Product Strategy and a Senior Director of Business Development) came from S&P, underscoring direct market overlap.

Emerging players

• Yardeni Research: Boutique independent investment research firm producing macro and equity strategy commentary for institutional clients; smaller and more narrowly focused than Argus but addresses the same independent-research constituency and is frequently cross-quoted in financial media.

Others

• Wall Street Horizon: Provider of corporate event data, earnings date intelligence, and corporate access tools; an ecosystem participant and adjacent data vendor that frequently appears alongside Argus's Corporate Access service in supporting institutional investor workflows.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/argusresearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Argus Research