Zacks Investment Research

What Zacks Investment Research does

Zacks Investment Research is a privately held, Chicago-based investment research and analytics firm founded in 1978 by Len Zacks. The company builds and sells subscription-based research products centered on its proprietary Zacks Rank stock-rating system, which classifies roughly 5,000 stocks into five tiers (Strong Buy through Strong Sell) using earnings estimate revision trends and consensus surprise patterns. Its product suite includes the Zacks Style Scores (Value, Growth, Momentum, and the composite VGM Score), the Earnings ESP surprise prediction model, the Zacks Mutual Fund Rank, the Zacks ETF Rank, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate database, delivered through Zacks Premium subscriptions and the Research Wizard screening tool.

The firm's core technology is a quantitative, earnings-estimate-revision-driven methodology that combines systematic screening with fundamental analysis, applied to individual securities and, more recently, to ETF portfolio construction. The Zacks Research platform aggregates consensus EPS forecasts from sell-side analysts, tracks directional revisions over rolling windows, and feeds those signals into its ranking and prediction models. Distribution is content-led: Zacks publishes research articles on its own site and syndicates them through third-party financial platforms including ainvest, TradingView, and SimplyWall, and co-hosts virtual investor forums (notably a life sciences forum with B2i Digital reaching 1.7M+ investors) for small-cap coverage.

The business model blends recurring subscription revenue from Zacks Premium and Research Wizard with management fees from two actively managed ETFs (ZINC Income and PRIZ Preferred Income) launched in June 2026, both targeting 8% annual distribution yields. Customer segments span retail investors (primary), financial advisors, and institutional investors. Zacks Small-Cap Research operates as a wholly owned subsidiary focused on life sciences and technology. The company employs 251-500 people, remains founder-led under CEO Len Zacks, and has no public ticker, SEC filings, or disclosed funding rounds in the available data.

Name

Zacks Investment Research

Legal name

Zacks Investment Research

Website

https://zacks.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Zacks Investment Research is a privately held Chicago-based investment research firm founded in 1978 that sells subscription-based stock ratings, earnings estimate analysis, and screening tools to retail investors, advisors, and institutions, and recently expanded into actively managed income ETFs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Research & Analytics

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Equity Research (FSACAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investor Education, Research & Portfolio Analytics Services (Retail) (FSAAAAAO), Quant Research & Systematic Strategies (FSACAGAF), Sector-Specific Industry Research (FSACAGAL)

Keywords

• Investment research
• Stock ratings
• Earnings estimates
• Stock screening
• ETF management

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Subscription Services: Zacks Premium subscription provides access to stock research, Zacks Rank ratings, earnings estimates, screening tools like Research Wizard, and proprietary Style Scores methodology for investors seeking stock recommendations.
2. ETF Management: Zacks Investment Management launched actively-managed ETFs (ZINC Income ETF and PRIZ Preferred Income ETF) targeting 8% annual distribution yield through combinations of dividend income, interest, and return of capital.
3. Small-Cap Research: Zacks Small-Cap Research co-hosts investor forums and publishes research on small-cap life sciences and technology companies, generating revenue through event partnerships and subscription services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Zacks Investment Research is a subscription-based financial research and analytics firm that sells proprietary stock ratings, earnings estimates, and investment screening tools to retail and institutional investors. Its flagship products include the Zacks Rank stock-rating system (#1 Strong Buy to #5 Strong Sell), Zacks Style Scores (Value/Growth/Momentum/VGM), Earnings ESP surprise-prediction model, and the Research Wizard screening platform. The firm also operates as an asset manager through actively-managed income ETFs (ZINC and PRIZ) launched in June 2026.

Product overview

Zacks Investment Research is a financial research and analytics firm that operates primarily as a subscription-based service delivering stock ratings, earnings estimates, and investment screening tools. The core offering is the Zacks Rank proprietary stock-rating system (classifying stocks from Strong Buy to Strong Sell based on earnings estimate revision trends), complemented by Zacks Style Scores (Value, Growth, Momentum, and composite VGM ratings), the Zacks Earnings ESP model for earnings surprise prediction, and Zacks Mutual Fund/ETF Rank products for fund evaluation. These products are delivered through subscription tiers including Zacks Premium and the Research Wizard screening tool. As of June 2026, Zacks Investment Management launched its first actively managed ETFs — the Zacks Income ETF (ZINC) and Zacks Preferred Income ETF (PRIZ) — targeting 8% annual distribution yields, marking an expansion from research-only services into fund management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zacks Rank: Proprietary stock rating system (Rank #1 Strong Buy through Rank #5 Strong Sell) used to classify investment opportunities based on earnings estimate revisions
• Zacks Style Scores
• VGM Score
• Zacks ETF Rank
• Zacks Mutual Fund Rank
• ZINC ETF
• PRIZ ETF

Products and services

• Zacks Rank Proprietary stock-rating methodology that classifies stocks into five tiers (Strong Buy, Buy, Hold, Sell, Strong Sell) based on earnings estimate revision trends and consensus strength. Stocks in the top quintile receive Rank #1 (Strong Buy); the bottom quintile receives Rank #5 (Strong Sell). Sold to retail and institutional investors as part of Zacks Premium subscription.
• Zacks Style Scores Proprietary scoring system that evaluates stocks across Value, Growth, and Momentum dimensions, with a composite VGM Score combining all three to identify stocks with the highest probability of market outperformance. Delivered through Zacks Premium subscription.
• Zacks Earnings ESP Expected Surprise Prediction model that forecasts whether an upcoming earnings release will beat or miss consensus estimates, based on the combination of the Zacks Earnings Estimate and the Zacks Rank rating, expressed as a percentage reading.
• Zacks Mutual Fund Rank Proprietary rating system that evaluates mutual funds based on near-term outlook driven by earnings estimate revisions of underlying holdings and performance metrics, sold to investors and financial advisors for fund selection.
• Zacks ETF Rank Proprietary rating system that evaluates exchange-traded funds based on near-term outlook driven by earnings estimate revisions and momentum indicators of underlying holdings.
• Zacks Consensus Estimate Aggregate earnings per share forecasts compiled from multiple analyst inputs, tracked for directional changes (upward/downward revisions) as a key input signal for the Zacks Rank rating system.
• Research Wizard Stock screening tool that allows investors to apply custom filters based on Zacks' proprietary metrics (Zacks Rank, Style Scores, sector filters, valuation ranges) to identify investment opportunities meeting specific criteria. Sold as part of Zacks Premium subscription.
• Zacks Income ETF (ZINC) Actively managed income-focused ETF targeting an 8% annual distribution yield through a combination of dividend income, interest, and return of capital, constructed using Zacks' proprietary research framework combining quantitative screening and fundamental analysis. Distributed through major brokerage platforms and financial advisors.
• Zacks Preferred Income ETF (PRIZ) Actively managed preferred-income-focused ETF targeting an 8% annual distribution yield through a combination of dividend income, interest, and return of capital, constructed using Zacks' proprietary research framework combining quantitative screening and fundamental analysis. Distributed through major brokerage platforms and financial advisors.
• Zacks Premium Subscription Subscription service that bundles Zacks Rank stock ratings, Style Scores, Earnings ESP, earnings estimate data, mutual fund and ETF rankings, and the Research Wizard screening tool into a recurring-access offering for individual and institutional investors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Earnings ESP model combined with Zacks Rank #2 suggests companies likely to beat consensus estimates
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• B2i Digital, Inc.coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 June 2026Zacks Small-Cap Research co-hosts the Life Sciences Virtual Investor Forum with B2i Digital on June 24-25, 2026. The two-day event features 18 public life sciences companies presenting across biotechnology, diagnostics, medical devices, and digital health sectors, with each company allocated 30 minutes for live presentations and Q&A sessions. B2i Digital markets the forum across its proprietary network of over 1.7 million retail and institutional investors.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Morningstar: Dominant investment research and rating firm offering equity research, mutual fund and ETF ratings, style boxes, and portfolio analytics — directly comparable product surface (stock and fund ratings, style scoring) and overlapping customer segments (retail, advisors, institutional).
• FactSet: Enterprise financial data and analytics platform including equity research, consensus estimates, and analytics used by institutional investors. Comparable in the consensus earnings estimates and analyst-grade research domain, but skews institutional.

Emerging players

• Seeking Alpha: Retail-oriented investment research platform with proprietary Quant ratings, author-driven research, and ETF analysis tools. Overlapping retail-investor audience and stock/ETF rating product overlap (Quant ratings map to Zacks Rank).
• Simply Wall St: Visual investment research platform providing proprietary 'snowflake' stock analysis built on financial fundamentals. Comparable in serving retail self-directed investors with visual, ratings-style proprietary stock analysis.
• TipRanks: Digital investment research platform aggregating analyst ratings, consensus estimates, and proprietary 'Smart Score' ratings across stocks and ETFs. Comparable product (consensus estimates, analyst performance tracking, ETF/smart score ratings) targeting a similar retail-to-advisor audience.
• MarketBeat: Retail investment research and news platform offering stock ratings, analyst consensus, earnings calendar, and screening tools to self-directed investors. Directly comparable in retail-facing research distribution and screening tools.

Direct peers

• CFRA Research: Provides fundamental equity research, proprietary stock ratings (Buy/Hold/Sell), and sector/industry research under the former S&P Capital IQ equity research franchise. Directly comparable research product and rating methodology.
• Argus Research: Independent investment research firm distributing fundamental equity research, stock ratings, and earnings models to institutional and retail subscribers. Closely comparable in business model (subscription research with proprietary rating framework) and audience.
• ValueLine Investment Research: Long-running subscription investment research publisher using a proprietary quantitative ranking system (Timeliness, Safety) covering stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. Highly comparable multi-decade research franchise with proprietary ranking framework.
• Motley Fool: Subscription investment research and recommendation service for retail investors with stock ratings, model portfolios, and ETF/podcast content. Comparable subscription-led GTM and retail-investor content marketing model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/zacksresearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Zacks Investment Research