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The quotes page, sometimes called a "snapshot", shows the PE ratio, as well as the last trade price,
earnings per share, volume, 52-week range, dividend information,market cap and more.
#4. Earnings Per Share (EPS) and Cash Flow Per Share (CPS)
EPS is determined by the following formula: Net Income Dividends on Preferred Stock/Average
Number of Shares Outstanding. It breaks down the profit, or earnings of a company in terms of
individual shares. Investors should look for positive earnings as well as consecutive growth over each
quarter. If a company fails to meet the earnings expectations of analysts, it instantly decreases the stock
price when the actual earnings are announced. EPS has one fatal flaw. A companys accounting
department can easily manipulate it. However, it should still carry some weight in choosing a stock
nonetheless. A similar measure that has grown increasingly popular is cash flow per share or CPS.
Accounting may be able to hinder earnings to look more favorable, but cash is impossible to
manipulate. CPS gives a true account of how much cash a company really has on hand, and how
effective its operations are. This is a crucial statistic in itself to determine if there is enough cash to pay
off debt and engage in future endeavors that contribute to stock price increases. Look for a company
that has both positive EPS and CPS.
This is basic proof that higher beta stocks on average have higher returns than low beta stocks.
#7. Dividends
Dividends are cash paid per share by companies to reward their shareholders for holding their stock.
They are comparable to coupons on bonds, except they are not as much. When investing in a company,
check to see if they are currently paying a dividend. If a company has money to hand out, then they are
usually doing well. The companies that pay the highest dividends often have steady growth also.
#8. Open Interest in Option Chains
Many stocks offer options contracts for buying and selling in the future. An investor doesnt have to
understand options to take advantage of this following tip. When researching a stock on a financial
website, there is typically a link for options chains. These are simply the options available for the stock.
They are often listed in T shaped boxes with call options (the right to buy the stock) on the left and put
options (the right to sell the stock) on the right. The strike prices are listed down the center of the T.
These prices give a range in which the stock is expected to move. Both the call and put sides have open
interest columns; this is the key. The people in the open interest column on the left are bullish; they
think the stock price is going up. The people in the column on the right are bearish; they think the price
is going down. There is a different amount of open interest for each expected price. Basically, look for
stocks that have more open interest on the call side than the put side. This shows that more people
want to buy the stock in the future than sell it. It is worth getting a second opinion, or in this case,
thousands of opinions when purchasing a stock.
This shows us that the current price of INTC is $22.82 and there are 2918 people (Open Int.) that believe
it will reach $30 and only 770 who think it will not break $30. This gives us a nice idea of future price
expectations.
#9. Insider Activity
Take note of what is happening inside of the company itself. If the CEO just dumped 50,000 shares, it
may be time to get out. The insiders know the company better than any analyst. If the number of
shares bought by individuals inside the company has been increasing, it may be a good time to buy.
If your stock makes the front page of the Wall Street Journey, you're in for big gains or big trouble!
#10. News/Popularity
News affects the expectations and decisions of the investing public and expectations determine stock
prices. Popular glamour stocks such as Yahoo or Apple are always in the news, and the prices are
sometimes inflated by the hype of the press. Try to choose stocks that are not the victim of newspaper
publicity and television headlines, and therell be much smoother sailing.
Quick Checklist for Selecting a Stock
1. Make sure the stock is trading closer to the 52-week low than the high and also has upward
momentum.
2.
3.
4.
Earnings and cash flow per share should both be positive with positive growth over each quarter.
5. There is no specific market cap to look for, just be aware of the risk/reward trade off of each size
and their stability as well. (Personally, all of my highest returns have come from mid caps.)
6. Beta is much like the market cap, in that there is no specific beta to look for. It just depends on risk
tolerance. However, if you have a longer time horizon to invest, I would recommend a higher beta and
vice versa.
7. Look for stocks that offer dividends. Dividends are usually, but not always, a sign of good financial
health.
8. Look at the open interest on options chains for a specific stock to see how many people are
planning on buying and selling and at what price. This basically serves as an opinion poll on the stocks
expected performance.
9. Always consider the amount of shares CEOs and other executives are buying and selling, to get an
accurate picture of what is happening on the inside.
10. It may be a good idea to avoid stocks that are constantly in the news. Stock prices will often reflect
the investors perception of the stock, which is usually not an accurate evaluation of the underlying
company. The dot com bubble in the 90s is a perfect example.