Investment Research Analyst

Ascensus; Lexington (KY); On-site; USD 65,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Ascensus is seeking an Investment Analyst to evaluate investment options across assigned asset classes and provide rigorous equity research coverage. You will monitor fundamentals, valuations, earnings, and news to support buy/hold/sell decisions while contributing to capital market forecasts and asset allocation discussions.

The role includes trading duties, interfacing with investment firms, and performing weighted performance analyses.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required, preferably in finance, accounting, or related field.
• Graduate degree is a plus.
• Experience in personal financial planning or investment management is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate and make recommendations for investment options within assigned asset class and/or sectors.
• Provide research coverage of individual equities and assigned sector(s) within the equity portfolio, including ongoing monitoring of company fundamentals, valuation, earnings results, and news, and make buy, hold, and sell recommendations.
• Contribute to the Team’s Capital Market Forecasts, Asset Allocation and other investment team activities.
• Trading duties include the analysis of cash reports, account rebalancing, execution of purchases and sales of individual equities and bonds and mutual funds through trust accounting system using portfolio management overlay software.
• Interview representatives from investment firms to identify opportunities and risks.
• Perform returns-based (performance) and holdings-based (attribution) quantitative analysis.
• Prepare and distribute investment reports that support the business and clients.
• Attend meetings with senior staff and present research, findings, and analysis as needed.
• Demonstrate the ability to identify areas of improvement and recommend solutions.

Skills

Financial analysis

Equity research

Portfolio analytics

Excel proficiency

Trading software

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Bloomberg

FactSet

Morningstar Direct

Morningstar Office

Tamarac

Job description

Essential Functions of the JobResponsibilitiesEvaluate and make recommendations for investment options within assigned asset class and/or sectors.Provide research coverage of individual equities and assigned sector(s) within the equity portfolio, including ongoing monitoring of company fundamentals, valuation, earnings results, and news, and make buy, hold, and sell recommendations.Contribute to the Team’s Capital Market Forecasts, Asset Allocation and other investment team activities.Trading duties include the analysis of cash reports, account rebalancing, execution of purchases and sales of individual equities and bonds and mutual funds through trust accounting system using portfolio management overlay software.Interview representatives from investment firms to identify opportunities and risks.Perform returns-based (performance) and holdings-based (attribution) quantitative analysis.Prepare and distribute investment reports that support the business and clients.Attend meetings with senior staff and present research, findings, and analysis as needed.Demonstrate the ability to identify areas of improvement and recommend solutions.Skills/AbilitiesExcellent organizational skills and attention to detail.Must be proactive about promptly verifying accuracy of assigned tasks.Strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.Proficient with Microsoft Excel.Ideal candidates have experience using portfolio analytics and trading software such as Bloomberg, FactSet, Morningstar Direct, Morningstar Office, and Tamarac.QualificationsEducationMinimum4 Year / Bachelors DegreeBachelor’s degree required. Preferably with concentrations or experience in personal financial planning, investment management, business administration, accounting, finance, or banking.PreferredGraduate DegreeA Master’s Degree is a plus.Provide your feedback on BizChatBe aware of employment fraud. All email communications from Ascensus or its hiring managers originate from @ascensus.com or @futureplan.com email addresses. We will never ask you for payment or require you to purchase any equipment. If you are suspicious or unsure about validity of a job posting, we strongly encourage you to apply directly through our website.