Stephens, a family owned investment bank based in Little Rock Arkansas, recently announced that it has hired Joshua Long, CFA, CMT as managing director within the firm’s equity research division. Long was previously a research analyst covering the restaurant and food distribution industries at Piper Sandler.
Stephens Recent Analyst Hire
Following a career of more than 14 years as a sell side analyst covering the restaurant industry, Joshua Long, CFA, CMT recently joined Stephens as Managing Director within the firm’s Food & Agribusiness group of their equity research business.
Prior to joining Stephens, Mr. Long spent close to 12 years at Piper Sandler where he served as a highly ranked equity research analyst covering the restaurant and food distribution industries. Previously, Long began his career on Wall Street as a research analyst covering restaurants for Stephens, Inc. where he spent more than two years. Joshua Long graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BBA in Finance and Accounting from Texas Christian University in 2007. Mr. Long is also a Chartered Financial Analyst and a Chartered Market Technician.
Nik Fisken, Executive Vice President and Head of Institutional Equities at Stephens commented on Long’s hiring, saying “We’re thrilled to welcome Joshua back to Stephens. His impressive industry knowledge and understanding of Stephens’ distinct approach to research are incredible assets. The restaurant industry continues to evolve and navigate complex business conditions. Josh’s discerning research and stock selection will be significant to guiding our clients forward,” he concluded.
Joshua Long will report to Stephens’ Director of Research, Kyle Evans and will be based at the firm’s Houston office.
Our Take
Founded in 1933, Stephens, Inc. is a family owned Little Rock, Arkansas-based regional investment bank that serves companies, state and local governments, institutions and high-net-worth investors.
Stephens’ US equity research team is comprised of more than 50 analysts covering in excess of 425 small and mid-cap companies in the consumer; healthcare; financial services; industrials and energy; and technology, media and telecommunications sectors. The firm’s research analysts have an average tenure of more than 13 years of experience.
Stephens’ recent hiring of Joshua Long is an interesting move as the regional investment bank has not been very active in the equity research analyst job market over the past few years. This addition may have been an opportunistic hire as Long had previously worked at Stephens when he first graduated from college. Given the difficult market conditions for institutional equity research, and Stephen’s conservative approach towards hiring, we doubt that Stephens will be adding many equity research analysts or salespeople throughout the remainder of 2022.