How to Analyze a Stock: Key Metrics You Must Know
Kamanksha Swami
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Investing in the stock market can feel overwhelming, especially with so many numbers and terms thrown around. But don’t worry! We’re here to simplify stock analysis for you. Whether you’re just starting out or want to get better at making investment decisions, learning how to analyze a stock is crucial. Here’s a guide that breaks down key stock metrics you should know before buying a share.
How to Analyze A Stock
The first thing you need to understand is that there are two main approaches to analyzing stocks: Fundamental Analysis and Technical Analysis. Each method has its own way of looking at a stock’s potential with a set of pros and cons. Let’s begin with:
Fundamental Analysis: Studying the Company’s Financial Health
Fundamental analysis focuses on the intrinsic value (true value) of a company. It’s like inspecting the engine of a car to see how well it’s running, rather than just looking at how shiny the exterior is. Investors who use this method focus on assessing financial statements, management quality, and the industry environment to understand a company’s long-term potential and check how many milestones it’s reaching.
Fundamental analysis helps you pick stocks that are undervalued by the market or have strong long-term growth potential. If you’re looking for steady growth over time, this approach will guide you toward strong companies with solid foundations.
Key Metrics for Fundamental Analysis
Here’s where the numbers come into play and paint the picture for you:
1. Revenue
Face of reviewing company’s performance and one of the primary aspects of fundamental analysis.
This is the total money the company makes over a specific period, typically reported quarterly or annually. It doesn’t include any expenses yet—those come later. The idea is to see how much the company is bringing in before anything is subtracted.
How to Calculate: Multiply total sales volume with price per unit.
Why It Matters: It tells how a company is performing in terms of generating sales. For investors, revenue growth hints that the company is expanding its business and raising its market share. But don’t judge a company just by revenue alone.
2. Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio
The P/E ratio is one of the most talked-about metrics when studying a stock. It tells you ‘how expensive a stock is compared to its earnings’.
How to calculate: Divide the stock’s current price by its earnings per share (EPS).
Example: If a company’s share price is ₹100 and its EPS is ₹10, the P/E ratio is 10. This means you are paying ₹10 for every ₹1 the company earns.
Why it matters: A lower P/E ratio might mean the stock is undervalued. On the other side, a higher P/E might show a stock may be overvalued. But remember, don’t make decisions based on the P/E ratio alone—it depends on the industry. A tech company could have a higher P/E than a traditional manufacturing company.
3. Earnings Per Share (EPS)
EPS measures ‘how much profit the company makes per share’. It’s a direct reflection (mirror) of the company’s profitability.
How to calculate: You can calculate EPS by dividing the company’s net profit by the total number of outstanding shares.
Example: If a company made ₹10 crores in profit and has 1 crore shares, the EPS would be ₹10.
Why it matters: Higher EPS means the company is making more money, which can lead to higher dividends or stock price appreciation.
4. Debt-to-Equity (D/E) Ratio
The D/E ratio measures how much debt a company has compared to its equity (the value of shareholders’ investments).
How to calculate: Divide total debt of a company by its shareholders’ equity.
Example: If a company has ₹50 crores in debt and ₹100 crores in equity, the D/E ratio would be 0.5.
Why it matters: A company with a high D/E ratio is heavily dependent on debt, which can be risky if the market turns bad. It’s like running a business on borrowed money or “Udhar Funds”. Ideally, companies with a low D/E ratio are seen as safer investments.
5. Return on Equity (ROE)
ROE tells you ‘how much profit a company generates with the money shareholders have invested’.
How to calculate: To get ROE, divide net income by shareholders’ equity.
Example: If a company earns ₹5 crores and shareholders’ equity is ₹20 crores, the ROE is 25%.
Why it matters: A high ROE hints that the company is capable enough to generate targeted profits. This metric is particularly useful to compare companies in the same industry.
6. Price-to-Book (P/B) Ratio
The P/B ratio compares a stock’s “market value to its book value” (the value of its assets on the balance sheet).
How to calculate: Divide the stock price by the book value per share.
Example: If a stock is trading at ₹200 and the company’s book value is ₹100 per share, the P/B ratio is 2.
Why it matters: A P/B ratio below 1 means the stock is undervalued and could be a good buy. While a ratio above 1 might hint of an overvaluation. It’s especially useful for reviewing sectors like banking.
7. Dividend Yield
The dividend yield shows ‘how much a company pays out in dividends each year compared to its share price’. It’s expressed as a percentage.
How to calculate: Get it by dividing the annual dividend by the stock’s price.
Example: If a company pays an annual dividend of ₹10 and its stock price is ₹200, the dividend yield is 5%.
Why it matters: Investors who want regular income from their stocks look at dividend yield. A high dividend yield could be a sign of a good income-generating investment. But be cautious—sometimes, a high yield can signal a struggling company.
8. Free Cash Flow (FCF)
FCF shows “how much cash a company generates after paying for capital expenditures (like buying equipment or buildings).” It’s a great indicator of a company’s ability to pay dividends or invest in growth.
How to calculate: Subtract (separate) capital expenses from operating cash flow.
Why it matters: A company with high FCF has more flexibility to reward investors with dividends, pay down debt, or reinvest in the business. Means more FCF, more cash to reward.
Putting it All Together
When you start reviewing a stock, don’t stick to just one metric. Combine these key metrics to get a complete picture of the company’s financial health. Here’s a quick checklist for beginners:
P/E Ratio – Is the stock overpriced or underpriced compared to earnings?
EPS – Is the company making a good profit per share?
D/E Ratio – How risky is the company’s debt situation?
ROE – Is the company using your investment wisely?
P/B Ratio – Is the stock trading above or below its actual asset value?
Dividend Yield – Is this stock paying out a good income regularly?
Free Cash Flow – Can the company invest and grow comfortably?
Pro Tip for Indian Investors:
In the Indian market, experts often prefer to study sectors like IT (Infosys, TCS) and banking (HDFC, ICICI) using P/E ratios and ROE. For example, IT companies generally have higher P/E ratios due to growth potential. On the flip side, banks are better understood by looking at the P/B ratio and D/E ratio.
2. Technical Analysis: Studying Stock Price Movements
Technical analysis is the art of predicting the future price movement of a stock by analyzing past price data. Unlike fundamental analysis, technical analysis doesn’t care about a company’s profits, revenue, or debt. It’s all about reading stock price charts to predict future movements. Investors who use this method believe that stock prices move in patterns, and by understanding those patterns, you can make buy or sell decisions.
The main goal of technical analysis is to spot patterns in the stock market, which can give clues about the future direction of stock prices. If you can understand these patterns, you’ll know when to buy a stock at a lower price and sell it at a higher price, or vice versa.
Technical analysis is especially useful for short-term traders who want to make quick profits by timing their trades perfectly. It’s like being able to read the mood of the market—whether it’s exciting and prices are rising, or fearful and prices are dropping.
Key Tools for Technical Analysis
Technical analysis is based on a few key tools that help traders understand price movements. Here are some of the most important ones:
1. Price Trends
A trend is the general direction in which the stock price is moving over a certain period. It could be moving upward (bullish), downward (bearish), or sideways (neutral).
Uptrend (Bullish): The price is consistently rising.
Downtrend (Bearish): The price is consistently falling (dropping).
Why It Matters: Understanding trends helps you decide whether to buy or sell.There is a saying, “Trend is your friend” in the stock market. Although it is suggested to take advice from your friend, trust your own research and don’t blindly follow it.
2. Demand-Supply Dynamics (The Big Bull Approach)
Demand-supply dynamics is a key concept in technical analysis. It shows how stock prices are influenced by the balance between buyers (demand) and sellers (supply). The theory follows Newton’s law of physics and science of trade (business), which makes it more profound than other technical analysis methods.
Why It Matters: Knowing these zones helps investors decide when to buy (in demand zones) or sell (in supply zones). It ’s a proven strategy for smart market timing and helps you spot footprints of pending orders of institutional buyers on a bigger level, keeping you one step ahead of conventional buyers.
3. Support and Resistance Levels
These are critical price levels where stocks tend to bounce or reverse their movement:
Support Level: The price at which a stock tends to stop falling because there’s enough demand, like a trampoline.
Resistance Level: The price at which a stock tends to stop rising because there’s enough selling pressure. This is like a ceiling for the stock.
Why It Matters: Knowing support and resistance levels can help you time your trades. If a stock is nearing a support level, it might be a good time to buy. Conversely, if it’s near a resistance level, it might be time to sell.
4. Moving Averages (MA)
A Moving Average is the average price of a stock over a specific number of days. It helps smooth out price fluctuations and shows the overall direction of the stock.
There are two types:
Simple Moving Average (SMA): The average price over a fixed period, like 20 days or 50 days.
Exponential Moving Average (EMA 20): Gives more weight to recent prices, making it more responsive to current trends.
Why It Matters: Moving averages help you spot the direction of the trend and potential reversal points. A crossover (when a shorter-term moving average crosses above a longer-term one) is often a signal to buy or sell, depending on its type.
5. Conventional Chart Patterns: Visual Cues for Stock Movements
One of the most exciting parts of technical analysis is recognizing chart patterns, which are visual cues that help predict future price movements. Some common patterns are:
Cup and Handle Pattern
Head and Shoulders Pattern
Double Top and Bottom Pattern
Wedge Patterns
Ascending and Descending Patterns
Gartley Patterns, and more.
Why It Matters: Investors have assessed these chart patterns over the years to find how the market works based on historical movements. These formations show a shift in market sentiment and can be useful for traders looking to profit from reversals.
Fundamental vs. Technical Analysis: What Should You Use?
The cold war between fundamental analysts and Technical analysts has been confusing traders – which one to trust and which one is more suitable for investment purposes?
Well to answer this, let’s first take a look at its suitability as per the circumstances:
Fundamental Analysis is for long-term investors who want to understand the true value of a company. If you’re looking to hold onto stocks for years, this is the way to go.
Technical Analysis is for short-term traders who focus on price movements and market trends. If you’re interested in short-term profits, this method will help you find the right entry and exit points.
Blending Both Approaches
You know the saying, “Ek se bhale Do” means it’s good to do your homework thoroughly to have a full understanding about your investment. Hence many investors use a combination of both and suggest to club both. For example, you might use fundamental analysis to pick a strong company (say, HDFC Bank) and then use technical analysis to decide when to buy or sell its stock based on price movements.
Final Words
Reviewing stocks can feel complicated, but wise investors look at both sides of the coin – technical and fundamental analysis. With these key metrics in mind, you’ll be well on your way to making smarter investment decisions. Take your time, research, and never invest in something you don’t understand.
