Fundamental Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition

Fundamental Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Matt Krantz
Released May 2016
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119263593

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Book description

Determine the strength of any business with fundamental analysis

Have you ever wondered the key to multibillionaire Warren Buffet's five-decade run as the most successful investor in history? The answer is simple: fundamental analysis. In this easy-to-understand, practical, and savvy guide, you'll discover how it helps you assess a business' overall financial performance by using historical and present data to forecast its future monetary value—and why this powerful tool is particularly important to investors in times of economic downturn.

It's more important than ever for investors to know the true financial stability of a business, and this new edition of Fundamental Analysis For Dummies shows you how. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just want to learn how to make more intelligent and prudent investment decisions, this plain-English guide gives you practical tips, tricks, and trade secrets for using fundamental analysis to manage your portfolio and enhance your understanding of shrewdly selecting stocks!

  • Predict the future value of a business based on its current and historical financial data
  • Gauge a company's performance against its competitors
  • Determine if a company's credit standing is in jeopardy
  • Apply fundamental analysis to other investment vehicles, like currency, bonds, and commodities

With the help of Fundamental Analysis For Dummies, you just may find the bargains that could make you the next Warren Buffet!

Table of contents

    1. Cover
    2. Introduction
      1. About This Book
      2. Icons Used in This Book
      3. Beyond the Book
      4. Where to Go from Here
    3. Part 1: What Fundamental Analysis Is and Why You Should Use It
      1. Chapter 1: Understanding Fundamental Analysis
        1. Why Bother with Fundamental Analysis?
        2. Knowing the Tools of the Fundamental Analysis Trade
        3. Making Fundamental Analysis Work For You
      2. Chapter 2: Getting Up to Speed with Fundamental Analysis
        1. What Is Fundamental Analysis?
        2. Comparing Fundamental Analysis with Other Ways of Picking Investments
        3. Putting Fundamental Analysis to Work For You
        4. Making Money with Fundamental Analysis
        5. The Fundamental Analysis Toolbox
      3. Chapter 3: Gaining an Upper Hand on Wall Street: Why Fundamental Analysis Gives Investors an Edge
        1. Better Investing with Fundamentals
        2. Relying on the Basic Info the Pros Use
        3. Figuring Out When to Buy or Sell a Stock
      4. Chapter 4: Getting Your Hands on Fundamental Data
        1. Getting In Sync with the Fundamental Calendar
        2. Getting up to Speed with the Basic Accounting and Math
        3. How to Get the Fundamental Data You Need
    4. Part 2: How to Perform Fundamental Analysis
      1. Chapter 5: Analyzing a Company’s Profitability Using the Income Statement
        1. Digging Deep Into the Income Statement
        2. Taking in the Top Line: Revenue
        3. Calculating Profit Margins and Finding Out What They Mean
        4. Comparing a Company’s Profit to Expectations
      2. Chapter 6: Measuring a Company’s Staying Power with the Balance Sheet
        1. Familiarizing Yourself With the Balance Sheet
        2. Understanding the Parts of the Balance Sheet
        3. Analyzing the Balance Sheet
        4. The Danger of Dilution
      3. Chapter 7: Tracking Cash with the Statement of Cash Flow
        1. Looking at the Cash-Flow Statement As a Fundamental Analyst
        2. How Investors May Be Fooled by Earnings, But Not by Cash Flow
        3. Understanding the Fundamentals of Free Cash Flow
      4. Chapter 8: Using Financial Ratios to Pinpoint Investments
        1. Using Financial Ratios to Find Out What’s Really Going on at a Company
        2. Getting Familiar with the Price-to-Earnings Ratio
        3. Putting the P-E into Perspective
      5. Chapter 9: Mining the Proxy Statement for Investment Clues
        1. Getting up to Speed with What the Proxy Statement Is
        2. Expanding Fundamental Analysis Beyond the Numbers
        3. Stepping Through the Proxy
        4. How Much Are We Paying You? Understanding Executive Compensation
        5. Checking In on Your Fellow Shareholders
    5. Part 3: Making Money with Fundamental Analysis
      1. Chapter 10: Looking for Fundamental Reasons to Buy or Sell
        1. Looking For Buy Signals from the Fundamentals
        2. Knowing When to Bail out of a Stock
        3. What Dividends Can Tell You about Buying or Selling a Stock
      2. Chapter 11: Finding a Right Price for a Stock Using Discounted Cash Flow
        1. How to Stop Guessing How Much a Company is Worth
        2. Performing a Discounted Cash Flow Analysis
        3. Making the Discounted Cash Flow Analysis Work for You
      3. Chapter 12: Using the Annual Report (10-K) to See What a Company Is Worth
        1. Familiarizing Yourself with the Annual Report
        2. How to Tackle a Massive Annual Report
        3. Examining What the Auditor’s Opinion Means For Investors
      4. Chapter 13: Analyzing a Company’s Public Comments and Statements
        1. Using Analyst Conference Calls as a Source of Fundamental Information
        2. Getting In Tune with Fundamental Information from the Media
        3. Knowing When to Pay Attention at Shareholders’ Meetings
      5. Chapter 14: Gleaning from the Fundamental Analysis Done by Others
        1. Reading Analysts’ Reports for Fundamental Analysis Clues
        2. Interpreting Credit-Rating Agencies’ Reports For Fundamental Analysis
        3. Finding Fundamental Data about Companies Using Social Investing
      6. Chapter 15: Performing “Top Down” Fundamental Analysis
        1. Broadening Out Fundamental Analysis to Include Monitoring the Economy
        2. Analyzing the Key Measures of the Economy’s Health
        3. Getting a Jump on the Future Using Leading Economic Indicators
    6. Part 4: Getting Advanced with Fundamental Analysis
      1. Chapter 16: Digging into an Industry’s Fundamentals
        1. Realizing How a Company’s Industry Can Influence Its Value
        2. How to Track How Sectors Are Doing
        3. Adding Industry Analysis to Your Fundamental Approach
      2. Chapter 17: Pinpointing Trends Using Fundamental Analysis
        1. Understanding Why to Consider Trends
        2. Finding Trends in Insider Trading Information
        3. Designing Screens to Pinpoint Companies
      3. Chapter 18: Avoiding Investment Blow-Ups with Fundamental Analysis
        1. Uncovering the Dangers of Not Using Fundamental Analysis
        2. Finding and Avoiding Financial Red Flags
      4. Chapter 19: Marrying Fundamental Analysis with Technical Analysis
        1. Understanding Technical Analysis
        2. Blending Fundamental and Technical Analysis
        3. The Primary Tools Used by Technical Analysts
        4. Keeping a Close Eye on Options
        5. Applying Technical Analysis Techniques to Fundamental Analysis
    7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
      1. Chapter 20: Ten Things to Look at When Analyzing a Company
        1. Measuring How Much of a Company’s Earnings Are “Real”
        2. Considering How Much Cash the Company Has
        3. Making Sure You Don’t Overpay
        4. Evaluating the Management Team and Board Members
        5. Examining the Company’s Track Record of Paying Dividends
        6. Comparing the Company’s Promises with What It Delivers
        7. Keeping a Close Eye on Industry Changes
        8. Understanding Saturation: Knowing When a Company Gets Too Big
        9. Avoiding Blinders: Watching the Competition
        10. Watching Out When a Company Gets Overly Confident
      2. Chapter 21: Ten Things Fundamental Analysis Cannot Do
        1. Ensure You Buy Stocks At The Right Time
        2. Guarantee You’ll Make Money
        3. Save You Time When Picking Stocks
        4. Reduce Your Investing Costs
        5. Protect You from Every Fraud
        6. Easily Diversify Your Risk Over Many Investments
        7. Predict the Future
        8. Make You the Next Warren Buffett
        9. Protect You from Your Own Biases
        10. Overcome the Danger of Thinking You’re Always Right
    8. About the Author
    9. Advertisement Page
    10. Connect with Dummies
    11. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: Fundamental Analysis For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Matt Krantz
  • Release date: May 2016
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119263593