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The differences between finance analysts and equity analysts can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a finance analyst and an equity analyst. Additionally, an equity analyst has an average salary of $103,715, which is higher than the $69,887 average annual salary of a finance analyst.
The top three skills for a finance analyst include financial analysis, financial models and financial data. The most important skills for an equity analyst are financial models, equities, and discounted cash flow.
| Finance Analyst | Equity Analyst | |
| Yearly salary | $69,887 | $103,715 |
| Hourly rate | $33.60 | $49.86 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 138,600 | 51,437 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A finance analyst is responsible for evaluating a company's financial data and historical reports to assess investment opportunities and provide accurate financial statements in support of business strategies and company performance prediction. A financial analyst's duties also include suggesting recommendations to boost operations efficiency and grow revenues, researching the current market performance and economic trends to adjust budget goals as needed, and managing client portfolios. Finance analysts must have excellent critical and analytical thinking skills to identify the best actions for the company's profitability.
An equity analyst's role is to help clients navigate through stocks and bonds using their expertise. In a company setting, their responsibilities revolve around performing extensive research and analysis on areas such as the stock market, coordinating with different departments to gather necessary data, identifying new opportunities, preparing and analyzing the company's financial records, and creating forecast models. Furthermore, as an equity analyst, it is essential to make recommendations in adherence to the company's policies and regulations, including its vision and mission.
Finance analysts and equity analysts have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Finance Analyst | Equity Analyst | |
| Average salary | $69,887 | $103,715 |
| Salary range | Between $46,000 And $104,000 | Between $68,000 And $157,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Finance |
There are a few differences between a finance analyst and an equity analyst in terms of educational background:
| Finance Analyst | Equity Analyst | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Business | Finance |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between finance analysts' and equity analysts' demographics:
| Finance Analyst | Equity Analyst | |
| Average age | 40 | 40 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% | Male, 77.0% Female, 23.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 14.1% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |