Changes in Wall Street analyst coverage have made life a little harder for investor relations executives, who used to rely on sell-side analysts for introductions to institutional investors. Some new technology products aim to ease that pain.

Among the offerings is Smart Target, a product from Thomson Reuters that uses its data and analytics to help IR departments pinpoint institutional investors likely to purchase a company's stock, as well as assess whether a company's current institutional investors are likely to change their holdings.

"What we're giving them is a different perspective into their shareholder base, and one that is fact-based," says Bill Haney, head of investor relations services at Thomson Reuters.