
Six Signs a Stock Might Be a Good Long-Term Investment
- You Can Easily Describe How it Makes Money. ...
- It Generates High Returns on Capital. ...
- Its Products or Services Are Competitive. ...
- Management Works to Keep Shareholders Happy. ...
- Shares are Priced Fairly. ...
- It Can Survive When Times Are Tough. ...
- Price. The first and most obvious thing to look at with a stock is the price. ...
- Revenue Growth. Share prices generally only go up if a company is growing. ...
- Earnings Per Share. ...
- Dividend and Dividend Yield. ...
- Market Capitalization. ...
- Historical Prices. ...
- Analyst Reports. ...
- The Industry.
How to find good stocks to invest in?
EXAMPLE. Stock X price = $20/share. Previous year's book value = $25/share. P/B = 0.8. Price-dividend (P/D) Price-dividend is a lesser-used metric that's good for …
How to pick great stocks?
Mar 04, 2022 · Consider Total Returns Over the Right Period . A stock’s performance needs to be placed in the right context to understand it properly. On …
How to determine what stocks to buy?
Feb 20, 2022 · If the value is more than 1, the stock is overvalued compared to its growth rate. If the value is 1 or less, then it is at par or undervalued in comparison to the stock's growth rate. At the end of the day, the lower the PEG ratio is, the better the value generally is.
How to pick a stock?
Feb 08, 2022 · Here are seven things an investor should consider when picking stocks: Trends in earnings growth. Company strength relative to its peers. Debt-to …

What causes a stock to move in the opposite direction?
Sometimes that absence of news or even just a rumor can cause a stock to move in the opposite direction you were expecting.
What is the P/E ratio?
The Profit to Earnings ratio or P/E ratio is a very common number people use to tell whether a stock is a good value or not. What this number tells you in a nutshell, is how much money you would be paying for every $1 in company earnings.
Why do shares go up?
Share prices generally only go up if a company is growing. And one of the few ways a company can grow is by increasing its revenue. Revenue is often referred to as the "top line," and it's a major indicator of whether a company has been successful. It's important to not look at revenue in a vacuum. Instead, look at the increase or decrease in ...
How can a company grow?
And one of the few ways a company can grow is by increasing its revenue. Revenue is often referred to as the "top line," and it's a major indicator of whether a company has been successful. It's important to not look at revenue in a vacuum. Instead, look at the increase or decrease in revenue from one quarter to the next and one year to the next.
Why do utilities pay dividends?
And many companies, such as utilities, offer dividends because they can't offer great growth in share value. 5. Market Capitalization. Bigger is not always best, but if you are looking to invest in a stock that will give you steady growth without a lot of volatility, the largest companies are often your best bet.
What is analyst report?
Analyst Reports. Many brokerages and investment banks have a staff of research analysts that issue reports and recommendations about individual stocks. Often, these reports come with "buy" or "sell" ratings, based on the analysts' judgment of a company's share price and finances.
What is wise bread?
Wise Bread is an independent, award-winning consumer publication established in 2006. Our finance columns have been reprinted on MSN, Yahoo Finance, US News, Business Insider, Money Magazine, and Time Magazine. Like many news outlets our publication is supported by ad revenue from companies whose products appear on our site.
How to evaluate a stock?
To evaluate a stock, review its performance against a benchmark. You may be satisfied with a stock that generated an 8% return over the past year, but what if the rest of the market is returning a few times that amount? Take the time to compare the stock’s performance with different market indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500, or the NASDAQ Composite. These indexes can act as the benchmark against which to compare your own investments' performance. 1
What is the purpose of looking at the change in a stock price?
Looking at the change in a stock's price by itself is a naive way to evaluate the performance of a stock. Everything is relative, and so that return must be compared to make a proper evaluation. In addition to looking at a company’s total returns, comparing them to the market and weighing them relative to competitors within the company's industry, there are several other factors to consider in evaluating a stock’s performance.
Is $5 a bargain?
A $5 stock may seem like a bargain at first glance. If you’re dealing with an unstable startup, though, you may not see the best return on the money you invest. On the other hand, a more costly stock that trades at $150 can be harder to decide to invest in.
What is a PEG?
The price/earnings-to-growth ratio, or PEG, sounds similar to a P/E ratio. It has a different way of looking at value, though. This can help you decide if a stock is undervalued or overvalued.
Who is Jacqueline DeMarco?
Jacqueline DeMarco is a freelance writer based in Southern California who graduated from the University of California Irvine with a degree in Literary Journalism. She's worked with more than a dozen financial brands, including LendingTree, Credit Karma, Fundera, Chime, MagnifyMoney, Student Loan Hero, ValuePenguin, SoFi, and Northwestern Mutual, providing thoughtful content to give readers insight into complex topics that they likely didn’t learn in school.
Why do companies cut dividends?
A company can temporarily or permanently cut its dividend to secure more liquidity during challenging economic times. This doesn’t necessarily mean the company is in jeopardy, but rather the business may require more cash to pay immediate expenses and investors shouldn’t be worried initially, experts say.
What is the P/E ratio?
The P/E ratio is a valuation metric that measures how well a stock’s price is doing relative to the company’s earnings. When using fundamental analysis and value investing strategies, P/E ratio is considered a major indicator of whether a stock is undervalued or overvalued.
How long does it take for a stock to appreciate?
Analysts who project prices over the next month, or even next quarter, are simply guessing that the stock will rise in value quickly. It can take a couple of years for a stock to appreciate close to a price target range.
What was the end of 2008?
The end of 2008 and early 2009 were periods of excessive pessimism, but in hindsight, they were also times of great opportunity for investors who could have picked up many stocks at beaten-down prices. The period after any correction or crash has historically been a great time for investors to buy at bargain prices.
Who is Ryan Fuhrmann?
Ryan Fuhrmann, CFA, is the founder of Fuhrmann Capital LLC, a wealth management firm, and author of The Banking Industry Guide: Key Insights for Investment Professionals. He is an expert on business, investing, and personal finance.
What does the price of a stock tell you?
The stock's price only tells you a company's current value or its market value . So, the price represents how much the stock trades at—or the price agreed upon by a buyer and a seller. If there are more buyers than sellers, the stock's price will climb. If there are more sellers than buyers, the price will drop.
How does good news affect stock price?
It may be a positive earnings report, an announcement of a new product, or a plan to expand into a new area. Similarly, related economic data, such as a monthly jobs report with a positive spin may also help increase company share prices.
What is the goal of a stock investor?
The goal of the stock investor is to identify stocks that are currently undervalued by the market. Some of these factors are common sense, at least superficially. A company has created a game-changing technology, product, or service. Another company is laying off staff and closing divisions to reduce costs.
What does intrinsic value mean in stock?
If there are more sellers than buyers, the price will drop. On the other hand, the intrinsic value is a company's actual worth in dollars.
What is intrinsic value?
If there are more sellers than buyers, the price will drop. On the other hand, the intrinsic value is a company's actual worth in dollars. This includes both tangible and intangible factors, including the insights of fundamental analysis . An investor can investigate a company to determine its value.
How do companies raise cash?
Companies raise cash by issuing equity or debt. The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is a weighted average of a company’s cost of debt and cost of equity. A stock is cheap or expensive only in relation to its potential for growth (or lack of it).
What is weighted average cost of capital?
The weighted average cost of capital (WACC) is a weighted average of a company’s cost of debt and cost of equity. A stock is cheap or expensive only in relation to its potential for growth (or lack of it). If a company’s share price plummets, its cost of equity rises, also causing its WACC to rise.
How to pick an investment?
The first step to picking investments is determining the purpose of your portfolio. Everyone's purpose for investing is to make money, but investors may be focused on generating an income supplement during retirement, on preserving their wealth, or on capital appreciation. Each of these goals requires a very different strategy.
What is the purpose of investing?
Everyone's purpose for investing is to make money, but investors may be focused on generating an income supplement during retirement, on preserving their wealth, or on capital appreciation. Each of these goals requires a very different strategy. The thoughtful investor has a 'story' that explains every decision to purchase a stock.
Is a low P/E ratio better than a high P/E ratio?
You already know that a low P/E ratio is generally better than a high P/E ratio, that a company with a lot of cash on its balance sheet is superior to one burdened with debt, and that analysts' recommendations should always be taken with a grain of salt.
What is income oriented investing?
Income-oriented investors focus on buying (and holding) stocks in companies that pay good dividends regularly. These tend to be solid but low-growth companies in sectors such as utilities. Other options include highly-rated bonds, real estate investment trusts (REITs), and master limited partnerships .
Who is Tom Catalano?
Tom Catalano holds the coveted CFP® designation from The Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards in Washington, DC, and is a Registered Investment Adviser with the state of South Carolina. So you've finally decided to start investing.

That’S A Good Stock
What’s Your (Exit) Strategy?
- A more complete way of looking at whether or not you should buy or sell a particular stock would depend on what investing strategy you want to use. Do you simply want to buy and keep the stock in hopes that it goes up in price? Or are you looking to own shares to receive dividend payments every year? Of course, there are a few basic things you can look at to tell if a stock is fundament…
So What Criteria Do I use?
- Many people are looking for stocks to buy and hold on to, so let’s look at what makes a stock a ‘buy’. One of the best resources I have found online is Zacks.com. Here you can find a ton of fundamental information about a stock, from quarterly earnings reports to how much debt a company has. Many stock websites that report these same pieces of information, get their num…