Finance Tips

  How to Measure a Company’s Competitive Advantage | Morningstar

 What to look for before buying a stock. Net Margin (Profit Margin) EPS - In Morningstar look at EPS history in financial tab. Merely looking at a ten-year summary of a company's per share earnings will tell you great deal about a company. Look for a company that has shown a strong upward trend in per share earnings over the last ten years  Look for companies with histories of strong EPS earnings that have suffered temporary setback in the most recent year  ROE (Return on equity) - (>15%) In Morningstar look at Operating performance tab. Key Points: Check for initial rate of return. If you paid $25 a share for a stock that was earning $5 a share (EPS), you would be getting an initial rate of return of 20% ($5 ÷ $25 = 20%) Relative Value to Treasury Bonds: EPS  ÷   Return on treasury bonds = Relative Value of Stock. Then you can compare with Current Market Price Source: Buffettology 

 Financial Statements comes in three different flavors: Income statement Balance sheet Cash flow statement

 Berkshire Hathaway Portfolio Tracker on CNBC.com

The P/E ratio is calculated by dividing the current market price of a stock by its earnings per share (EPS): P/E Ratio =  Market Price per Share /  Earnings per Share (EPS) The P/E ratio allows you to look beyond the price of a stock to see which company could be the best value. To create this ratio, first divide the net income, or earnings, by the number of outstanding shares. This number is called earnings per share, or EPS. Next, divide the price of the stock by the EPS to get the P/E ratio. The first company is trading at $6 and has an EPS of $0.20, resulting in a P/E of 30. The second company is trading at $35 a share and has an EPS of $1.40 for a P/E of 25. The final company is trading at $132 per share and has an EPS of $3.90 for a P/E of 34. Now, you can better compare each company by its P/E ratio.

 Here are the three different styles of investing: Value, Growth, and Income. Value Investing Value investors look for stocks that they believe are undervalued by the market. They focus on companies with strong fundamentals, such as low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios, high dividend yields, and solid financial health. The idea is to buy these stocks at a discount and hold them until their true value is recognized by the market. Growth Investing Growth investors seek companies that are expected to grow at an above-average rate compared to other companies. These companies often reinvest their earnings to fuel further growth, which means they might not pay dividends. Growth stocks can be more volatile, but they offer the potential for significant capital appreciation. Income Investing Income investors prioritize generating regular income from their investments, typically through dividends or interest payments. They often invest in dividend-paying stocks, bonds, and other income-generat...