Introduction Almost by definition, value investing rarely performs well in the short run. This is especially true when you are in a strong bull market like we’ve been in since March 2009. Most companies as represented by the S&P 500 are currently trading at fundamental multiples that are significantly above historical norms. Below is a …
markets
This is How You Can Beat the Market Without Fail
Introduction With this article I am going to present several ways that investors, especially retired investors, can beat the market without fail. However, what I will be presenting may not be what you are expecting, particularly if you have a narrow notion of what beating the market means. In other words, one of my primary …
Investing Is Hard Enough: Here Is How to Avoid Making Obvious Mistakes
The Key to Avoiding Obvious Mistakes Understanding how to value a business is the key to avoiding making obvious mistakes when purchasing or selling common stocks. When you know what your investment is worth, the market cannot take advantage of your gullibility. When you don’t know what your investment is worth, markets can easily influence …
The Right Way to Value Growth Stocks: Part 3
Introduction In part 2 of this series I focused on how to value slow and moderately growing businesses. In this article, Part 3, I will shift my focus on how to value faster growing companies (growth stocks). My definition of a fast grower (growth stock) is one that has consistently compounded earnings at 15% per annum or …
Principles of Valuation Part 2: Price Is What You Pay, Value Is What You Get
Introduction “Price Is What You Pay. Value Is What You Get.” The venerable investor Warren Buffett has a real knack of putting complex concepts and ideas into simple and easily understood terms. In my opinion, his quote, “Price is what you pay. Value is what you get” is one of the more profound and important …
Answering the Important Questions: When to Buy or When to Sell A Stock: Part 1
Introduction As a seasoned and grizzled veteran of the financial services industry for now going on 50 years, the most commonly asked questions I have received, and still do to this day, are: when to buy and when to sell a stock? Moreover, these very questions are the mother of how and why I have …
For Long-Term Investors Only: It’s A Market of Stocks!
Introduction Since the beginning of April 2009, the Standard & Poor’s 500 (the stock market) has enjoyed one of the longest bull markets on record. As a result, I am starting to hear from a lot of investors that they are becoming worried that this great bull market must soon come to an end. As …
Even After the Recent Correction I Still Think McDonald’s Is Overvalued
Introduction This article is offered as part of our ongoing FAST Graphs YouTube request series. Although time does not allow me to cover every stock that is requested, I do try to provide analyze out loud videos on stocks that either are currently in the news, or that offer special lessons on valuation. As most …
CBS and Viacom Merger: High Risk Tempered by Extremely Low Valuation
Introduction 14 years ago the Redstone family spun out Viacom (VIA) from CBS Corp (CBS). However, the companies have decided to once again merge into what they hope will become a dominant entertainment company. Given that the entertainment market is extremely competitive and quite risky, future visibility is very muddy in my humble opinion. On …
Forecasting the Future: Part 2
Introduction In part 1 of this series on forecasting future results as the key to investing success, I suggested that reviewing consensus analyst estimates was a smart and prudent starting point. Furthermore, I attempted to illustrate that consensus estimates tend to be accurate enough to help you determine whether a deeper dive into the company …