Stephens Institutional Equity Research Adds Veteran Analysts

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Stephens Inc. is expanding its Equity Capital Markets division by hiring new equity research analysts and elevating experienced talent from within.

• Brett Huff – Application Software
• Daniel Imbro – Transportation
• Kyle Joseph – Specialty Finance
• Jeff Lick – Consumer (Automotive and General Consumer)
• Melissa Roberts – Strategic Opportunities & Index Rebalancing
• Pooran Sharma – Consumer (Food, Agribusiness, and Grocery/C-store sectors)

Brett Huff has been with Stephens in its Little Rock headquarters for 20 years and he returns to Equity Research from Corporate Finance, where he was a Managing Director in the Technology Group, to follow the Application Software industry. Brett’s success following business services, bank technology, payment processing and information services for over 15 years will serve as a strong foundation as he launches coverage on front office, back office and office of the CFO software solutions.

Managing Director Daniel Imbro recently shifted his sector focus and successfully initiated research coverage of the Transportation sector, a heritage practice for the firm. Mr. Imbro has been with Stephens for over 8 years and is based in the firm’s headquarters.

Kyle Joseph has joined the firm as a Managing Director covering Specialty Finance. Mr. Joseph has 15 years of equity research experience following the sector, including 10 years at Jefferies and two years at Stephens, and is based in San Francisco.

Stephens demonstrated its ongoing commitment to Consumer & Automotive Ecosystem research with the recent hiring of Managing Director Jeff Lick. Mr. Lick brings more than 30 years of experience in automotive and consumer related investing to his new role, including significant buy side experience. He is based in the firm’s Boston office.

Managing Director Melissa Roberts joins Stephens this month and will provide Strategic Opportunities research, including index rebalancing strategies. Most recently, Ms. Roberts worked in a similar capacity at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. Based in the firm’s New York City office, Ms. Roberts brings over 20 years of experience to her new role.

Pooran Sharma joined Stephens as a Managing Director, with a specialized research focus on the Food, Agribusiness, and Grocery/C-store sectors. As a former Associate at Stephens Inc. working with Analysts Farha Aslam and Ben Bienvenu, Mr. Sharma played an integral role in the build out of the commodity models that underpin this research practice. He brings more than 13 years of diversified financial services experience to his new role with the firm and is based in its New York City office.

“We are delighted to welcome Melissa, Pooran, Jeff and Kyle to the team. They bring a wealth of experience and unique perspectives to their valuable new roles at Stephens,” said Kyle Evans, Director of Research. “We welcome Brett back with open arms and look forward to his leadership as we aggressively build out our Technology platform. Finally, I could not be happier with Daniel’s initiation of the Transportation sector. He is a superb analyst who is focused and thoughtful. This is a very exciting time for our team, and I believe these new hires and recent changes represent a tremendous opportunity for the firm.”

About Stephens

“Stephens” (the company brand name) is a leading family-owned investment firm that includes Stephens Inc. (member NYSE/SIPC), Stephens Investment Management Group, LLC, Stephens Insurance, LLC, Stephens Capital Partners LLC and Stephens Europe Limited.

Stephens Inc. is headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Founded in 1933, Stephens Inc. provides securities brokerage, investment banking and other financial services to a broad client base which includes corporations, state and local governments, financial institutions, institutional investors and individual investors throughout the United States and overseas. Stephens Inc. (Home Office: 111 Center Street, Little Rock, AR USA, 501-377-2000) is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority. Member SIPC/NYSE. For more information, visit www.stephens.com.