Analyst in finance can play multiple roles depending on the industry one is in and company ne is associated with. Lets have a close look at what a financial analyst can be involved in.
Equity Research Analyst - Aka sell-side/buy-side researchers are involvled in searching and aggregating data and building different financial models to being the clients 'thought partner' in writing in-depth reports and generating ideas for other analysts sometime working at back office. Sell-side analyst work with client focusing on specific sectors or companies of the economy. They prepare ready-to-publish reports by implementing their strategy research capabilities such as building and maintaining highly analytical databases, building and maintaining financial models, preparing earnings review or preview notes, initiating coverage and generating thematic research ideas. Similarly researchers working with buy-side clients offer comprehensive range of service, from front- and middle-office work like portfolio optimization, research and analysis, etc. to back-office support like portfolio accounting and data maintenance.