See the Investment Stats

In assessing stocks, it’s important to know what some of the company’s numbers are. Some of these statistics are used in determining the value of a stock as an investment.

One of the most basic measures of a stock value involves the company’s earnings. When you buy a stock, you’re purchasing ownership in the company, so profitability is important.

The most common measure for stock profitability is the price to earnings ratio (P/E). The P/E ratio takes the share price and divides it by a company’s annual net income. So a stock trading for $40 with annual net income of $2 a share would have a price/earnings ratio of 20.

While P/E can be a revealing indicator, it shouldn’t be your only measure for evaluating a stock.

The questions to ask as you considering stocks should be the same you’d ask if you were buying the whole company:

  • What are the company’s products or services?
  • Are they in demand?
  • Is the industry doing well?
  • How has the company performed in the past?
  • Are talented, experienced managers in charge? Do they own stock as well?
  • Are operating costs low or too high?
  • Is the company in heavy debt?
  • Is the stock worth the current price?

I also tend to look at the following:

Use industries you are familiar with first – Warren Buffet said “Never invest in a business you cannot understand.” This is huge. When you have a good understanding of how a company or industry works, you’re in a better position to be able to make an informed decision.

Average trading volume – You never want to buy into something you can’t get back out of.

Insider ownership – If there’s no skin in the game from the people that run the company, there’s nothing tying them to make it successful long-term.

Return on equity – Return on equity shows you what they did with the initial investment money when the company went IPO. Is the company a good financial steward or are they blowing through the money without regard to profits? If they don’t care about profits, you’re not likely to make a lot long-term.

See all the stats when you enroll.