Barrington Research Associates, Inc.

What Barrington Research Associates, Inc. does

Barrington Research Associates, Inc. is a Chicago-based, FINRA- and SIPC-registered broker-dealer operating as a full-service independent investment bank founded in 1983. The firm is privately held and family-controlled, with Alexander Paris Sr. as founder/chairman and Alexander Paris Jr. as President since 2015. It runs three integrated service lines: (1) fundamental equity research on small- and mid-cap companies across Consumer & Business Services, Industrial & Energy, Healthcare, and Media & Technology sectors; (2) institutional sales and corporate access, distributing investment ideas and management meetings to mutual funds, pension funds, hedge funds, banks, insurance companies, and independent money managers across North America; and (3) investment banking, providing capital raises (IPOs, follow-ons, PIPEs, private placements, convertibles), M&A advisory, and valuation services, primarily as a co-manager alongside bulge-bracket lead underwriters. The firm hosts two annual institutional conferences (Spring in May covering Business & Consumer Services, Broadcasting, Financial Services, and Industrial; Fall in September covering Consumer, Healthcare, Media, and Technology) and conducts hundreds of additional corporate access events. Operating subsidiaries include Barrington Asset Management, Inc. and Barrington Opportunity Fund Management, LLC. Clearing and custody are provided through Wedbush Securities, with research also distributed through Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, FactSet, and Capital IQ.

The firm's commercial model blends recurring research/subscription revenue, transactional institutional sales commissions, episodic investment banking advisory and underwriting fees, and asset management fees from affiliated entities. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed, consistent with negotiated institutional engagement terms. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with a senior institutional sales team covering U.S. and Canadian clients and a deliberate Midwest/niche-market positioning distinct from coastal bulge-bracket banks. Disclosed deal participation includes co-manager roles in offerings for 2U ($119M, 2015), CBS Outdoor ($560M IPO, 2014), AtriCure ($81.8M, 2014), SciQuest ($80.3M, 2014), LeMaitre Vascular ($10M, 2014), and Carriage Services ($143.75M convertible placement, 2014). The senior team is composed of credentialed, award-winning analysts (StarMine, WSJ 'Best on the Street', Forbes All-Star) with prior tenures at William Blair, Noble Financial, JP Morgan, Prudential Securities, Tucker Anthony, Mesirow Financial, and other established firms.

Name

Barrington Research Associates, Inc.

Legal name

Barrington Research Associates, Inc.

Website

https://brai.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Barrington Research Associates is a Chicago-based, FINRA-registered independent investment bank founded in 1983 providing equity research, institutional sales, and investment banking services focused on small- and mid-cap companies, serving institutional investors and growth-company issuers across North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Banking & Equity Research

NAICS

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

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Capital Raising Advisory (Equity & Equity-Linked) (FSAEAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

M&A Advisory (Buy-Side & Sell-Side) (BPAHAOAA), Equity Research (FSACAGAA), Equity Capital Advisory (Private Equity Placements, Growth Capital) (BPAHAOAE)

Keywords

• Equity research services
• Institutional sales trading
• Investment banking advisory
• Capital markets underwriting
• Corporate access conferences

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Equity Research Distribution: Barrington Research provides fundamental equity research and investment recommendations on small and mid-sized companies across four sectors: Consumer & Business Services, Industrial & Energy, Healthcare, and Media & Technology. Research is distributed to institutional clients including mutual funds, banks, pension funds, insurance companies, hedge funds and independent money managers.
2. Investment Banking Fees: The firm assists emerging and established growth companies in achieving long-term strategic and financial goals through capital raises, merger & acquisition advisory, and valuation services. Revenue is generated through transaction-based fees on public offerings, private placements, and M&A advisory mandates.
3. Institutional Sales Commissions: The institutional sales team delivers investment ideas and corporate access opportunities to institutional investors across North America, generating commissions on securities transactions executed through the firm's distribution relationships.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Barrington Research Associates, Inc. is a Chicago-based full-service investment bank providing fundamental equity and industry research on small and mid-sized companies, institutional sales and corporate access delivery to institutional investors across North America, and investment banking services including capital raises, M&A advisory, and valuation for emerging and established growth companies. The firm also hosts two annual investment conferences as corporate access platforms.

Product overview

Barrington Research Associates, Inc. is a Chicago-based, full-service investment bank providing three integrated service lines: equity research covering small and midsized companies across Consumer & Business Services, Industrial & Energy, and Media & Technology sectors; institutional sales delivering investment ideas to institutional investors; and investment banking offering capital raises, M&A advisory, and valuation services. The firm also hosts two annual investment conferences (Spring Conference in May and Fall Conference in September) for corporate access. Founded in 1983 as an investment research boutique, the firm has grown into a nationally recognized independent investment services firm serving institutional and corporate clients.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Equity Research Fundamental equity and industry research providing investment recommendations with a focus on small and mid-sized companies across Consumer & Business Services, Industrial & Energy, Media & Technology, and Healthcare sectors. Designed for institutional investors seeking differentiated investment ideas on underfollowed companies.
• Institutional Sales Delivery of investment ideas and corporate access opportunities to institutional investors across North America, including mutual funds, banks, pension funds, insurance companies, hedge funds, and independent money managers. Sales professionals proactively communicate through telephone, email, and office visits.
• Investment Banking Capital raises, merger & acquisition advisory, and valuation services for emerging and established growth companies, including IPOs, follow-on offerings, private placements, PIPEs, convertible securities, and M&A advisory. Serves small- and mid-cap public and private companies.
• Spring Investment Conference Annual virtual conference featuring approximately 40 publicly traded companies in Business & Consumer Services, Broadcasting, Financial Services, and Industrial sectors, with management available for 1x1 and small group meetings. Provides institutional investors corporate access with company management.
• Fall Investment Conference Annual conference focused on consumer, healthcare, media, and technology companies, providing corporate access opportunities and investment research distribution for institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Alexander Paris, President, ranked as Top Stock Picker in Diversified Consumer Services category in StarMine Analyst Awards for 5 years including 2014 and 2015
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Maxim Group: Full-service investment bank, broker-dealer, and wealth manager with a focus on small- and mid-cap issuers. Comparable combination of research distribution, institutional sales, and investment banking to Barrington.
• Taglich Brothers: Privately held broker-dealer focused exclusively on micro- and small-cap companies with equity research, institutional sales, and investment banking services. Comparable niche focus and full-service structure to Barrington.
• National Securities Corporation: Independent broker-dealer and investment bank providing research, institutional sales, and corporate finance to small- and mid-cap issuers. Directly comparable operating model and client segment to Barrington.
• The Benchmark Company: Diversified investment bank providing equity research, institutional sales, and corporate finance services to small- and mid-cap companies. Direct competitor in the same boutique broker-dealer segment as Barrington.
• Noble Financial Capital Markets: Independent small/mid-cap focused equity research and investment banking firm. Highly comparable to Barrington in scale, sector coverage, and boutique structure, and a known prior employer of multiple Barrington research hires (Colicchio, Petusky, Affouri).
• Roth Capital Partners: Full-service investment bank and broker-dealer focused on small- and mid-cap companies with research, institutional sales, and capital markets capabilities. Closely comparable business model and client profile to Barrington.
• CJS Securities: Focused small/mid-cap equity research and investment banking firm. Comparable boutique franchise with concentrated sector coverage and similar institutional client base to Barrington.

Broad incumbents

• William Blair: Larger Chicago-based investment bank with full-service equity research, institutional sales, and investment banking. Comparable Midwest institutional footprint and prior employer of multiple Barrington investment banking hires (Pollak-adjacent, Fred Johnson, David Farina).
• Wedbush Securities: Full-service broker-dealer that clears all of Barrington's client transactions, custodying assets and providing operating systems. Operates in the same small/mid-cap research and capital markets ecosystem and serves as both operational partner and adjacent peer.
• B. Riley Financial: Diversified financial services platform with research, investment banking, and capital markets capabilities across small- and mid-cap companies. Comparable transaction focus and sector breadth, though at meaningfully larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/barringtonres

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Barrington Research Associates, Inc.