Category: Business

Stock market investing can sometimes cause investors heads to spin. Following stocks on a daily basis, it is plain to see the amount of coverage that follows certain companies. This non-stop barrage of information may eventually become overwhelming for the novice investor. Filtering through all the data may involve taking a look at a company or stock from multiple angles. There are many investors out there that preach strictly following fundamental data. There are others that swear by the technical analysis. Many investors will opt to employ a research strategy that involves pieces of the two approaches. Knowing every little detail about a company may not be overly necessary, but it may help provide a bit more direction when navigating the stock market maze. Investors who put in the time to study all the fundamentals may want to also start watching the charts on stock that they are thinking about adding to the portfolio. Making sure that no stone is left unturned when examining a stock may end up being the difference between a big winner and a big loser.

Investors may be taking a look at certain business aspects when attempting to research a stock. Investors often look to see if the stock’s specific industry is on the rise. There may be a greater chance of success when investing in an industry that is rapidly growing. Investors may then want to see how the company stacks up within the industry. Many investors will look for stocks that are proven industry leaders. Industry leaders have the ability to influence pricing and not necessarily be susceptible to what other companies are doing around them. Investors may also be taking note of how a company invests in research and development. Companies that are focused on the future may have a competitive advantage over those who are too focused on the near-term.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX), of the Healthcare sector recently touched $127.60 based on a recent trade, indicating movement of 0.00%. Analysts are predicting earnings per share growth of 18.70% for the current year. The earnings per share growth over the next five years are expected to be 7.92%. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has had earnings per share growth of 10.20% over the past five years.

Currently the return on equity is 14.10% and its debt to equity is 0.71. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a total market cap of $16868.72, a gross margin of 34.30% while the profit margin is 10.30% and the ROI is 9.40%.

Performance

The stats on Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) are currently as follows. The weekly performance is 3.17%, and the quarterly performance is at 26.76%. The monthly performance is 19.30% and the yearly performance is 19.30%. The performance for Year to Date (YTD) is 19.49%.

Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has posted a trailing 12 months earnings per share of $5.66 and the earnings per share growth for this year is expected to be 18.70%. The ROI is 9.40% and the return on equity for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated stated earlier, is currently at 14.10% .The return on assets (ROA) for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is 6.50%.

Earnings per share (EPS) the amount of income that “belongs” to each share of common stock. This is a valuable tool that investors use to determine the value and projected value of a stock. Earnings per share is generally reported in annualized form from the most recent fiscal year. To determine the value, the average number of shares outstanding is usually calculated by averaging the number of shares at the beginning of the fiscal period and the number of shares at the end of the period.

Technicals

The technical stats for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated are as follows. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated (NYSE:DGX) is trading 74.75% away from the stock’s 52-week low and -3.19% off of the 52-week high. Current levels place the company 7.00% away from it’s 20-day simple moving average. The average volume stands around 8066. Trading volume is a hugely important consideration for any investor. By watching how many shares are trading hands and looking for any changes in that activity, trading opportunities can be spotted along with a deeper understanding of the reliability of other indicators on the stock. A significant increase in trading volume means that more than double the average amount of stocks are moving. When volume is decreased significantly, it may indicate there is an issue that shareholders should watch out for. It’s also important to take into consideration how long the unusual volume sustains for. If it’s only the one trading day, it can be dismissed as an anomaly.

The current stock levels place it 20.42% away from the 200 day moving average. Quest Diagnostics Incorporated has a beta of 1.37 and the weekly and monthly volatility stands at 2.57% and 2.80% respectively. The simple moving average is the most common method used to calculate the moving average of prices. It takes the sum of all of the past closing prices over a specific time period and divides the result by the number of prices used in the calculation. Increasing the number of time periods in the calculation is an effective way to ascertain the strength of the long-term trend and/or the likelihood that it might reverse. Some argue that this type of average is not necessarily useful because each data point in the series has the exact same impact on the result no matter where it occurs in the sequence.

Beta is used to measure a stock’s price volatility relative to the market. A stock with a beta of “0” indicates that its price is not correlated with the market. A positive beta indicates that the stock follows the market. A negative beta means that the stock inversely follows the market, decreasing in value when the market goes up.

Price Earnings Ratio

The price/earnings ratio (P/E) for Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is 22.53 and the forward P/E ratio stands at 15.91. The price to sales growth is 2.20. The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is a market prospect ratio which calculates the value of a stock relative to its earnings. On other words, the P/E ratio is and indicator of what investors are will to pay for a stock relative to its earnings. A firm with a high P/E ratio typically indicates that investors are willing to pay a premium for the stock and higher performance in future quarters would be anticipated. Going a step further we can also look at the PEG ratio of a company. A stock’s price/earnings ratio divided by its year-over-year earnings growth rate. In general, the lower the PEG, the better the value, because the investor would be paying less for each unit of earnings growth.

Figuring out when to sell a stock can be just as important as deciding what stocks to buy at the outset. Some investors may refuse to sell based on various factors. Investors may have become stubborn, too emotionally attached, or set too high of an expectation for a stock. Holding on to a stock for way too long in order to squeeze every last drop of profit out of a price move may leave the investor desperately searching for answers in the future. Investors may have different checklists for when it is time to sell a stock. Of course this depends largely on the individual and how much is at risk. Often times, investors will make a move to sell when the fundamentals drastically change, the dividend is cut, or a previous set target price has been hit. Getting out of a position at the right time is obviously not easy, but it may become a bit easier with time and rese arch.

Stock market investing can sometimes cause investors heads to spin. Following stocks on a daily basis, it is plain to see the amount of coverage that follows certain companies. This non-stop barrage of information may eventually become overwhelming for the novice investor. Filtering through all the data may involve taking a look at a company or stock from multiple angles. There are many investors out there that preach strictly following fundamental data. There are others that swear by the technical analysis. Many investors will opt to employ a research strategy that involves pieces of the two approaches. Knowing every little detail about a company may not be overly necessary, but it may help provide a bit more direction when navigating the stock market maze. Investors who put in the time to study all the fundamentals may want to also start watching the charts on stock that they are thinking about adding to the portfolio. Making sure that no stone is left unturned when examining a stock may end up being the difference between a big winner and a big loser.

For the average investor, figuring out how to best approach the stock market can be challenging. Many investors have probably seen at least one of their prized stocks take off in the last year, and they may be wondering which one is next. With the stock market still trading at super high levels, investors may be worried that a major shift will occur in the near future. Looking back over the first part of this year, investors may not have too much to fidget within the portfolio. If the stock market decides to reverse course and take a turn for the worse, investors may start questioning their strategy and become somewhat worried. Drastic shifts in the markets happen from time to time. Investors who are prepared for volatile market environments may be much better suited to weather the storm than those who are not. Crafting a plan that accounts for the regular ups and downs of the market may be a wise choice for the individual investor. This may mean shifting the mindset to be on the lookout for opportunities when they become available. Investors who have done the research and planning might be more secure in their stock choices should turbulent times arise.

Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO), of the Consumer Cyclical sector recently touched $144.00 based on a recent trade, indicating movement of -1.37%. Analysts are predicting earnings per share growth of 8.00% for the current year. The earnings per share growth over the next five years are expected to be 12.45%. Tractor Supply Company has had earnings per share growth of 11.90% over the past five years.

Currently the return on equity is 38.20% and its debt to equity is 0.78. Tractor Supply Company has a total market cap of $17046.96, a gross margin of 34.40% while the profit margin is 6.70% and the ROI is 29.10%.

Performance

The stats on Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) are currently as follows. The weekly performance is 2.71%, and the quarterly performance is at 53.55%. The monthly performance is 12.96% and the yearly performance is 12.96%. The performance for Year to Date (YTD) is 56.25%.

Tractor Supply Company has posted a trailing 12 months earnings per share of $4.74 and the earnings per share growth for this year is expected to be 8.00%. The ROI is 29.10% and the return on equity for Tractor Supply Company stated earlier, is currently at 38.20% .The return on assets (ROA) for Tractor Supply Company is 10.30%.

Earnings per share (EPS) the amount of income that “belongs” to each share of common stock. This is a valuable tool that investors use to determine the value and projected value of a stock. Earnings per share is generally reported in annualized form from the most recent fiscal year. To determine the value, the average number of shares outstanding is usually calculated by averaging the number of shares at the beginning of the fiscal period and the number of shares at the end of the period.

Price Earnings Ratio

The price/earnings ratio (P/E) for Tractor Supply Company is 30.78 and the forward P/E ratio stands at 25.52. The price to sales growth is 2.01. The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is a market prospect ratio which calculates the value of a stock relative to its earnings. On other words, the P/E ratio is and indicator of what investors are will to pay for a stock relative to its earnings. A firm with a high P/E ratio typically indicates that investors are willing to pay a premium for the stock and higher performance in future quarters would be anticipated. Going a step further we can also look at the PEG ratio of a company. A stock’s price/earnings ratio divided by its year-over-year earnings growth rate. In general, the lower the PEG, the better the value, because the investor would be paying less for each unit of earnings growth.

Technicals

The technical stats for Tractor Supply Company are as follows. Tractor Supply Company (NASDAQ:TSCO) is trading 125.39% away from the stock’s 52-week low and -6.78% off of the 52-week high. Current levels place the company 4.84% away from it’s 20-day simple moving average. The average volume stands around 2290. Trading volume is a hugely important consideration for any investor. By watching how many shares are trading hands and looking for any changes in that activity, trading opportunities can be spotted along with a deeper understanding of the reliability of other indicators on the stock. A significant increase in trading volume means that more than double the average amount of stocks are moving. When volume is decreased significantly, it may indicate there is an issue that shareholders should watch out for. It’s also important to take into consideration how long the unusual volume sustains for. If it’s only the one trading day, it can be dismissed as an anomaly.

The current stock levels place it 41.95% away from the 200 day moving average. Tractor Supply Company has a beta of 1.04 and the weekly and monthly volatility stands at 3.58% and 2.75% respectively. The simple moving average is the most common method used to calculate the moving average of prices. It takes the sum of all of the past closing prices over a specific time period and divides the result by the number of prices used in the calculation. Increasing the number of time periods in the calculation is an effective way to ascertain the strength of the long-term trend and/or the likelihood that it might reverse. Some argue that this type of average is not necessarily useful because each data point in the series has the exact same impact on the result no matter where it occurs in the sequence.

Traders may be going deeper into the playbook in order to scoop up profits in the current stock market environment. The first half of the year has produced plenty of big winners. Investors will be closely monitoring the most recent earnings releases to hopefully spot the next big mover. Traders may be looking to more closely define some major trends in order to identify which way the momentum is going to carry the stock market into the close of the calendar year. Keeping track of all the financial news and global happenings can be a tall order, even for the most seasoned investors. Staying the course while following a sound investing plan can help the individual investor become prepared for whatever lies ahead. The optimists still believe there is much more room for growth in the markets while the pessimists are calling for a major reversal in the near future. Traders and investors will be closely tracking the major economic news to help come to a solid conclusion about which way the markets are headed. Staying up on the fundamentals as well as the popular technical indicators may help the investor sort through the maze and prepare for the next stage.

Beta is used to measure a stock’s price volatility relative to the market. A stock with a beta of “0” indicates that its price is not correlated with the market. A positive beta indicates that the stock follows the market. A negative beta means that the stock inversely follows the market, decreasing in value when the market goes up.

Disclaimer: The views of the author are in no way suggesting whether or not to buy a stock. Data is provided by Yahoo Finance.

Coming up with a viable and solid stock investment plan might be on the minds of many individual investors. A solid plan might entail defining the overall objective and recognizing tangible restraints. Figuring out these details may help the investor focus on the most important aspects of investing in the stock market. Following strategies set forth by others may work, but they may also leave the investor in a quandary. What worked in the past for one person may not work in the future for another. Investors may need to craft the plan keeping in mind the long-term goals. Although some investors and traders focus on the short-term, many investors are more interested in making the grade over a number of years, and not a number of days or months. Plans may need to be set up so that they are flexible and have the ability to withstand unforeseen shifts and rapidly changing stock market scenarios. Flexibility may end up being the key to a successful plan down the road. Investors may also want to do regular check-ins on portfolio performance in order to keep tabs on how well the plan is working.

For the average investor, figuring out how to best approach the stock market can be challenging. Many investors have probably seen at least one of their prized stocks take off in the last year, and they may be wondering which one is next. With the stock market still trading at super high levels, investors may be worried that a major shift will occur in the near future. Looking back over the first part of this year, investors may not have too much to fidget within the portfolio. If the stock market decides to reverse course and take a turn for the worse, investors may start questioning their strategy and become somewhat worried. Drastic shifts in the markets happen from time to time. Investors who are prepared for volatile market environments may be much better suited to weather the storm than those who are not. Crafting a plan that accounts for the regular ups and downs of the market may be a wise choice for the individual investor. This may mean shifting the mindset to be on the lookout for opportunities when they become available. Investors who have done the research and planning might be more secure in their stock choices should turbulent times arise. 

Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL), of the Industrial Goods sector recently touched $31.59 based on a recent trade, indicating movement of -3.51%. Analysts are predicting earnings per share growth of 18.30% for the current year. The earnings per share growth over the next five years are expected to be 7.63%. Hexcel Corporation has had earnings per share growth of 11.00% over the past five years. 

Currently the return on equity is 21.60% and its debt to equity is 0.73. Hexcel Corporation has a total market cap of $2728.74, a gross margin of 27.20% while the profit margin is 13.00% and the ROI is 13.90%.

Performance

The stats on Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) are currently as follows. The weekly performance is -17.93%, and the quarterly performance is at -58.30%. The monthly performance is -50.16% and the yearly performance is -50.16%. The performance for Year to Date (YTD) is -56.91%.

Hexcel Corporation has posted a trailing 12 months earnings per share of $3.58 and the earnings per share growth for this year is expected to be 18.30%. The ROI is 13.90% and the return on equity for Hexcel Corporation stated earlier, is currently at 21.60% .The return on assets (ROA) for Hexcel Corporation is 9.70%. 

Earnings per share (EPS) the amount of income that “belongs” to each share of common stock. This is a valuable tool that investors use to determine the value and projected value of a stock.  Earnings per share is generally reported in annualized form from the most recent fiscal year. To determine the value, the average number of shares outstanding is usually calculated by averaging the number of shares at the beginning of the fiscal period and the number of shares at the end of the period. 

Price Earnings Ratio

The price/earnings ratio (P/E) for Hexcel Corporation is 8.83 and the forward P/E ratio stands at 8.29. The price to sales growth is 1.16. The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is a market prospect ratio which calculates the value of a stock relative to its earnings. On other words, the P/E ratio is and indicator of what investors are will to pay for a stock relative to its earnings.  A firm with a high P/E ratio typically indicates that investors are willing to pay a premium for the stock and higher performance in future quarters would be anticipated. Going a step further we can also look at the PEG ratio of a company.  A stock’s price/earnings ratio divided by its year-over-year earnings growth rate. In general, the lower the PEG, the better the value, because the investor would be paying less for each unit of earnings growth.

Technicals

The technical stats for Hexcel Corporation are as follows. Hexcel Corporation (NYSE:HXL) is trading 12.62% away from the stock’s 52-week low and -63.69% off of the 52-week high. Current levels place the company -23.94% away from it’s 20-day simple moving average. The average volume stands around 1644620. Trading volume is a hugely important consideration for any investor.  By watching how many shares are trading hands and looking for any changes in that activity, trading opportunities can be spotted along with a deeper understanding of the reliability of other indicators on the stock.  A significant increase in trading volume means that more than double the average amount of stocks are moving.  When volume is decreased significantly, it may indicate there is an issue that shareholders should watch out for.  It’s also important to take into consideration how long the unusual volume sustains for.  If it’s only the one trading day, it can be dismissed as an anomaly.

The current stock levels place it -57.44% away from the 200 day moving average. Hexcel Corporation has a beta of 1.52 and the weekly and monthly volatility stands at 7.64% and 12.03% respectively. The simple moving average is the most common method used to calculate the moving average of prices.  It takes the sum of all of the past closing prices over a specific time period and divides the result by the number of prices used in the calculation.  Increasing the number of time periods in the calculation is an effective way to ascertain the strength of the long-term trend and/or the likelihood that it might reverse.  Some argue that this type of average is not necessarily useful because each data point in the series has the exact same impact on the result no matter where it occurs in the sequence.

Traders may be going deeper into the playbook in order to scoop up profits in the current stock market environment. The first half of the year has produced plenty of big winners. Investors will be closely monitoring the most recent earnings releases to hopefully spot the next big mover. Traders may be looking to more closely define some major trends in order to identify which way the momentum is going to carry the stock market into the close of the calendar year. Keeping track of all the financial news and global happenings can be a tall order, even for the most seasoned investors. Staying the course while following a sound investing plan can help the individual investor become prepared for whatever lies ahead. The optimists still believe there is much more room for growth in the markets while the pessimists are calling for a major reversal in the near future. Traders and investors will be closely tracking the major economic news to help come to a solid conclusion about which way the markets are headed. Staying up on the fundamentals as well as the popular technical indicators may help the investor sort through the maze and prepare for the next stage.

Beta is used to measure a stock’s price volatility relative to the market. A stock with a beta of “0” indicates that its price is not correlated with the market. A positive beta indicates that the stock follows the market. A negative beta means that the stock inversely follows the market, decreasing in value when the market goes up. 

Disclaimer: The views of the author are in no way suggesting whether or not to buy a stock.  Data is provided by Yahoo Finance.

Free Cash Flow Growth (FCF Growth) is the free cash flow of the current year minus the free cash flow from the previous year, divided by last year’s free cash flow.  The FCF Growth of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is -0.098857.  Free cash flow (FCF) is the cash produced by the company minus capital expenditure.  This cash is what a company uses to meet its financial obligations, such as making payments on debt or to pay out dividends.  The Free Cash Flow Score (FCF Score) is a helpful tool in calculating the free cash flow growth with free cash flow stability – this gives investors the overall quality of the free cash flow.  The FCF Score of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 0.508862.  Experts say the higher the value, the better, as it means that the free cash flow is high, or the variability of free cash flow is low or both.

Because there are so many stocks to choose from, it may not be feasible for investors to be able to research all of them. Investors may have many different preferred methods for screening stocks, and it can sometimes be easier to focus on a small number of stocks at first. There is no shortage of stock picking ideas that come from various outlets across the globe. Certain stocks tend to become household names simply because of the amount of coverage that they get from the media. There are many unglamorous stocks that might be a good fit for the portfolio. Taking the time to branch out into previously non-researched sectors may give the investor some new ideas for portfolio additions in the future.

Shifting gears, we can see that Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) has a Q.i. Value of 8. The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be.

Checking in on some valuation rankings, Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) has a Value Composite score of 10. Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 6.

Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 40.3202. The 6 month volatility is 52.8227, and the 3 month is spotted at 70.1788. Following volatility data can help measure how much the stock price has fluctuated over the specified time period. Although past volatility action may help project future stock volatility, it may also be vastly different when taking into account other factors that may be driving price action during the measured time period. 

The C-Score is a system developed by James Montier that helps determine whether a company is involved in falsifying their financial statements.  The C-Score is calculated by a variety of items, including a growing difference in net income verse cash flow, increasing days outstanding, growing days sales of inventory, increasing assets to sales, declines in depreciation, and high total asset growth.  The C-Score of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 3.  The score ranges on a scale of -1 to 6.  If the score is -1, then there is not enough information to determine the C-Score.  If the number is at zero (0) then there is no evidence of fraudulent book cooking, whereas a number of 6 indicates a high likelihood of fraudulent activity. The C-Score assists investors in assessing the likelihood of a company cheating in the books.

The Piotroski F-Score is a scoring system between 1-9 that determines a firm’s financial strength.  The score helps determine if a company’s stock is valuable or not.  The Piotroski F-Score of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 7.  A score of nine indicates a high value stock, while a score of one indicates a low value stock.  The score is calculated by the return on assets (ROA), Cash flow return on assets (CFROA), change in return of assets, and quality of earnings.  It is also calculated by a change in gearing or leverage, liquidity, and change in shares in issue.  The score is also determined by change in gross margin and change in asset turnover.

The MF Rank (aka the Magic Formula) is a formula that pinpoints a valuable company trading at a good price.  The formula is calculated by looking at companies that have a high earnings yield as well as a high return on invested capital.  The MF Rank of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 1218.  A company with a low rank is considered a good company to invest in.  The Magic Formula was introduced in a book written by Joel Greenblatt, entitled, “The Little Book that Beats the Market”.

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 0.263356.  The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not.  It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits.  The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital.  The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets.  Similarly, the Return on Invested Capital Quality ratio is a tool in evaluating the quality of a company’s ROIC over the course of five years.  The ROIC Quality of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 3.226094.  This is calculated by dividing the five year average ROIC by the Standard Deviation of the 5 year ROIC.  The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets).  The ROIC 5 year average of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 0.191492.

Price Index 

The Price Index is a ratio that indicates the return of a share price over a past period. The price index of Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) for last month was 0.87971. This is calculated by taking the current share price and dividing by the share price one month ago. If the ratio is greater than 1, then that means there has been an increase in price over the month. If the ratio is less than 1, then we can determine that there has been a decrease in price. Similarly, investors look up the share price over 12 month periods. The Price Index 12m for Trinseo S.A. (NYSE:TSE) is 0.64485.

Once the individual investor has figured out a plan to analyze stocks, they can begin to start building a portfolio. Because not everyone has the same goals, time horizons, and risk appetites, it is hard to provide one answer to the question of how to construct the perfect winning stock portfolio. Although every investor’s goal is typically to beat the market and secure consistent profits, this is no easy accomplishment. Professionals have spent many years studying the ins and outs of the stock market. There are certain strategies that may work better during different market cycles, but it is hard to say with any certainty that they will continue to work in the future. Markets and economic landscapes are constantly changing, and being able to keep up with the changes might involve tweaking strategies that have previously been successful but no longer are.

Stock market investing can sometimes cause investors heads to spin. Following stocks on a daily basis, it is plain to see the amount of coverage that follows certain companies. This non-stop barrage of information may eventually become overwhelming for the novice investor. Filtering through all the data may involve taking a look at a company or stock from multiple angles. There are many investors out there that preach strictly following fundamental data. There are others that swear by the technical analysis. Many investors will opt to employ a research strategy that involves pieces of the two approaches. Knowing every little detail about a company may not be overly necessary, but it may help provide a bit more direction when navigating the stock market maze. Investors who put in the time to study all the fundamentals may want to also start watching the charts on stock that they are thinking about adding to the portfolio. Making sure that no stone is left unturned when examining a stock may end up being the difference between a big winner and a big loser.

Investors may be taking a look at certain business aspects when attempting to research a stock. Investors often look to see if the stock’s specific industry is on the rise. There may be a greater chance of success when investing in an industry that is rapidly growing. Investors may then want to see how the company stacks up within the industry. Many investors will look for stocks that are proven industry leaders. Industry leaders have the ability to influence pricing and not necessarily be susceptible to what other companies are doing around them. Investors may also be taking note of how a company invests in research and development. Companies that are focused on the future may have a competitive advantage over those who are too focused on the near-term.

Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG), of the Services sector recently touched $14.69 based on a recent trade, indicating movement of 5.08%. Analysts are predicting earnings per share growth of 60.90% for the current year. The earnings per share growth over the next five years are expected to be -1.05%. Big Lots, Inc. has had earnings per share growth of 20.20% over the past five years. 

Currently the return on equity is 33.40% and its debt to equity is 0.34. Big Lots, Inc. has a total market cap of $573.45, a gross margin of 39.70% while the profit margin is 4.60% and the ROI is 22.90%.

Performance

The stats on Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) are currently as follows. The weekly performance is 13.26%, and the quarterly performance is at -46.19%. The monthly performance is -11.56% and the yearly performance is -11.56%. The performance for Year to Date (YTD) is -48.85%.

Big Lots, Inc. has posted a trailing 12 months earnings per share of $6.19 and the earnings per share growth for this year is expected to be 60.90%. The ROI is 22.90% and the return on equity for Big Lots, Inc. stated earlier, is currently at 33.40% .The return on assets (ROA) for Big Lots, Inc. is 7.50%. 

Earnings per share (EPS) the amount of income that “belongs” to each share of common stock. This is a valuable tool that investors use to determine the value and projected value of a stock.  Earnings per share is generally reported in annualized form from the most recent fiscal year. To determine the value, the average number of shares outstanding is usually calculated by averaging the number of shares at the beginning of the fiscal period and the number of shares at the end of the period. 

Technicals

The technical stats for Big Lots, Inc. are as follows. Big Lots, Inc. (NYSE:BIG) is trading 45.09% away from the stock’s 52-week low and -62.84% off of the 52-week high. Current levels place the company 4.81% away from it’s 20-day simple moving average. The average volume stands around 1653757. Trading volume is a hugely important consideration for any investor.  By watching how many shares are trading hands and looking for any changes in that activity, trading opportunities can be spotted along with a deeper understanding of the reliability of other indicators on the stock.  A significant increase in trading volume means that more than double the average amount of stocks are moving.  When volume is decreased significantly, it may indicate there is an issue that shareholders should watch out for.  It’s also important to take into consideration how long the unusual volume sustains for.  If it’s only the one trading day, it can be dismissed as an anomaly.

The current stock levels place it -36.97% away from the 200 day moving average. Big Lots, Inc. has a beta of 1.65 and the weekly and monthly volatility stands at 8.24% and 17.15% respectively. The simple moving average is the most common method used to calculate the moving average of prices.  It takes the sum of all of the past closing prices over a specific time period and divides the result by the number of prices used in the calculation.  Increasing the number of time periods in the calculation is an effective way to ascertain the strength of the long-term trend and/or the likelihood that it might reverse.  Some argue that this type of average is not necessarily useful because each data point in the series has the exact same impact on the result no matter where it occurs in the sequence.

Beta is used to measure a stock’s price volatility relative to the market. A stock with a beta of “0” indicates that its price is not correlated with the market. A positive beta indicates that the stock follows the market. A negative beta means that the stock inversely follows the market, decreasing in value when the market goes up. 

Price Earnings Ratio

The price/earnings ratio (P/E) for Big Lots, Inc. is 2.37 and the forward P/E ratio stands at 4.57. The price to sales growth is 0.11. The price/earnings ratio (P/E) is a market prospect ratio which calculates the value of a stock relative to its earnings. On other words, the P/E ratio is and indicator of what investors are will to pay for a stock relative to its earnings.  A firm with a high P/E ratio typically indicates that investors are willing to pay a premium for the stock and higher performance in future quarters would be anticipated. Going a step further we can also look at the PEG ratio of a company.  A stock’s price/earnings ratio divided by its year-over-year earnings growth rate. In general, the lower the PEG, the better the value, because the investor would be paying less for each unit of earnings growth.

Figuring out when to sell a stock can be just as important as deciding what stocks to buy at the outset. Some investors may refuse to sell based on various factors. Investors may have become stubborn, too emotionally attached, or set too high of an expectation for a stock. Holding on to a stock for way too long in order to squeeze every last drop of profit out of a price move may leave the investor desperately searching for answers in the future. Investors may have different checklists for when it is time to sell a stock. Of course this depends largely on the individual and how much is at risk. Often times, investors will make a move to sell when the fundamentals drastically change, the dividend is cut, or a previous set target price has been hit. Getting out of a position at the right time is obviously not easy, but it may become a bit easier with time and rese arch.              

Disclaimer: The views of the author are in no way suggesting whether or not to buy a stock.  Data is provided by Yahoo Finance.

The FCF Yield 5yr Average is calculated by taking the five year average free cash flow of a company, and dividing it by the current enterprise value.  Enterprise Value is calculated by taking the market capitalization plus debt, minority interest and preferred shares, minus total cash and cash equivalents.  The average FCF of a company is determined by looking at the cash generated by operations of the company.  The Free Cash Flow Yield 5 Year Average of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 0.067293. 

One of the most basic ideas that goes along with the stock market is buy low and sell high. Although this advice is overly obvious, many new investors will do the exact opposite when trading stocks. Inexperienced investors have the tendency to buy stocks that have been performing the best recently. This may be caused by certain factors such as not looking into the underlying fundamentals or just hoping that the stock will continue to rise. Rookie investors may also make the error of holding onto shares that continue to drop in value. Instead of cutting the loser loose, they hold off with the hope that eventually the stock will at least get back to the breakeven point. 

Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) presently has a current ratio of 2.39. The current ratio, also known as the working capital ratio, is a liquidity ratio that displays the proportion of current assets of a business relative to the current liabilities. The ratio is simply calculated by dividing current liabilities by current assets. The ratio may be used to provide an idea of the ability of a certain company to pay back its liabilities with assets. Typically, the higher the current ratio the better, as the company may be more capable of paying back its obligations.

Investors may be interested in viewing the Gross Margin score on shares of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662). The name currently has a score of 50. This score is derived from the Gross Margin (Marx) stability and growth over the previous eight years. The Gross Margin score lands on a scale from 1 to 100 where a score of 1 would be considered positive, and a score of 100 would be seen as negative.

Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662)’s Leverage Ratio was recently noted as 0.011761. This ratio is calculated by dividing total debt by total assets plus total assets previous year, divided by two. The leverage of a company is relative to the amount of debt on the balance sheet. This ratio is often viewed as one measure of the financial health of a firm.

At the time of writing, Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) has a Piotroski F-Score of 2. The F-Score may help discover companies with strengthening balance sheets. The score may also be used to spot the weak performers. Joseph Piotroski developed the F-Score which employs nine different variables based on the company financial statement. A single point is assigned to each test that a stock passes. Typically, a stock scoring an 8 or 9 would be seen as strong. On the other end, a stock with a score from 0-2 would be viewed as weak.

Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) has a current ERP5 Rank of 1261. The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.

Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) has a Price to Book ratio of 2.499605. This ratio is calculated by dividing the current share price by the book value per share. Investors may use Price to Book to display how the market portrays the value of a stock. Checking in on some other ratios, the company has a Price to Cash Flow ratio of , and a current Price to Earnings ratio of 9.806944. The P/E ratio is one of the most common ratios used for figuring out whether a company is overvalued or undervalued.

Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) has a current MF Rank of 516. Developed by hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt, the intention of the formula is to spot high quality companies that are trading at an attractive price. The formula uses ROIC and earnings yield ratios to find quality, undervalued stocks. In general, companies with the lowest combined rank may be the higher quality picks.

Valuation
The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 0.535855. The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not. It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits. The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital. The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets. Similarly, the Return on Invested Capital Quality ratio is a tool in evaluating the quality of a company’s ROIC over the course of five years. The ROIC Quality of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 4.571207. This is calculated by dividing the five year average ROIC by the Standard Deviation of the 5 year ROIC. The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets). The ROIC 5 year average of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 0.509994.

On a typical market day there is no shortage of stock news. Investors are often tasked with trying to decipher which news is worth paying attention to and which isn’t. Not only is there plenty of swirling news, there are usually plenty of opinions that follow. Closely following market sentiment can be useful for some, but it may impede others when decisions need to be made. When it comes to dedicated stock research, taking shortcuts may result in disappointing portfolio performance. Investors have to be careful not to be tempted by the hot stocks of the day. Of course, maybe some of those stocks would fit well in the portfolio, but doing individual stock study can help confirm the addition.

The Value Composite One (VC1) is a method that investors use to determine a company’s value.  The VC1 of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 30.  A company with a value of 0 is thought to be an undervalued company, while a company with a value of 100 is considered an overvalued company.  The VC1 is calculated using the price to book value, price to sales, EBITDA to EV, price to cash flow, and price to earnings.  Similarly, the Value Composite Two (VC2) is calculated with the same ratios, but adds the Shareholder Yield.  The Value Composite Two of Ateam Inc. (TSE:3662) is 28.

Investors might be looking to find some bargains to add to the portfolio as we move closer towards the end of the year. Maybe some of the earlier portfolio picks don’t look as promising as they did a few months ago. There might also be a few names that have fallen off a cliff and do not look they will be returning to previous levels. Investors may be searching for a few overlooked stocks that the rest of the investing community has passed on for whatever reason. Nobody knows for sure what the next couple of quarters have in store. As earnings season kicks off, investors will be closely following the companies that manage to beat expectations by a wide margin.    

Shares of iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) opened the last session at $30.79, touching a high of $31.49 and a low of $30.04 , yielding a change of -1.41.  The latest reading places the stock above the Ichimoku cloud which indicates positive momentum and a potential buy signal for the equity.  

There are many factors that can affect the health of a company. This is one reason why stock trading can be extremely difficult at times. Because there are always so many things to take into consideration, it may be next to impossible to create a formula that will continually beat the market. Even after all the data has been scrutinized and the numbers have been crunched, the investor still has to make sense of the information and figure out what to do with it. Knowing how to use the information about publically traded companies can end up being the difference between handsome gains and devastating losses. 

The Ichimoku cloud is a favorite technical indicator used primarily in Asian markets. The cloud is one of the only indicators that is both forward and backward looking. The cloud produces better levels of support and resistance and is a breakout trader’s best friend. The cloud is also one of the easiest indicators to use. Any trader, regardless of skill level or expertise, can use the cloud to quickly and efficiently analyze any product on any time frame. The cloud shines in the fact that it can be universally applied to any trading plan by any trader.

It is a type of chart used in technical analysis to display support and resistance, momentum, and trend in one view. TenkanSen and KijunSen are similar to moving averages and analyzed in relationship to one another. When the shorter term indicator, TenkanSen, rises above the longer term indicator, KijunSen, the securities trend is typically positive. When TenkanSen falls below KijunSen, the securities trend is typically negative. TenkanSen and KijunSen as a group are then analyzed in relationship to the Cloud, which is composed of the area between Senkou A and Senkou B. A multi-faceted indicator designed to give support/resistance levels, trend direction, and entry/exit points of varying strengths. General theory behind this indicator states that if price action is above the cloud, the overall trend is bullish, and if below the cloud, the overall trend is bearish. There are also moving averages (the Tenkan and Kijun lines) which act like the MACD crossover signals with the Tenkan crossing from underneath the Kijun as a bullish signal, while crossing overhead giving a bearish signal.

Checking on some popular technical levels, iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 7.34. The CCI technical indicator can be employed to help figure out if a stock is entering overbought or oversold territory. CCI may also be used to help discover divergences that may signal reversal moves. A CCI closer to +100 may provide an overbought signal, and a CCI near -100 may provide an oversold signal.

Tracking other technical indicators, the 14-day RSI is presently standing at 39.43, the 7-day sits at 47.36, and the 3-day is resting at 60.27 for iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a highly popular technical indicator. The RSI is computed base on the speed and direction of a stock’s price movement. The RSI is considered to be an internal strength indicator, not to be confused with relative strength which is compared to other stocks and indices. The RSI value will always move between 0 and 100. One of the most popular time frames using RSI is the 14-day.

Moving averages have the ability to be used as a powerful indicator for technical stock analysis. Following multiple time frames using moving averages can help investors figure out where the stock has been and help determine where it may be possibly going. The simple moving average is a mathematical calculation that takes the average price (mean) for a given amount of time. Currently, the 7-day moving average is sitting at 28.13.

Successful stock market traders and investors don’t usually just become that way overnight. There are often many years of experience behind those winning trades. The amount of data available to investors these days is staggering. Investors have to be able to focus on the provided information and decide which data should be followed and prioritized. Many investors will be keeping a watchful eye on the next round of company earnings reports. As companies start to report quarterly numbers, investors may be able to sift through the data and make some projections on how the stock will perform over the next few quarters.

Let’s take a further look at the Average Directional Index or ADX. The ADX measures the strength or weakness of a particular trend. Investors and traders may be looking to figure out if a stock is trending before employing a specific trading strategy. The ADX is typically used along with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) which point to the direction of the trend. The 14-day ADX for iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) is currently at 49.94. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would point to an extremely strong trend.

Shares of Teekay Corp. (TK) opened the last session at $2.77, touching a high of $3.08 and a low of $2.63 , yielding a change of 0.21.  The latest reading places the stock above the Ichimoku cloud which indicates positive momentum and a potential buy signal for the equity.  

There are many factors that can affect the health of a company. This is one reason why stock trading can be extremely difficult at times. Because there are always so many things to take into consideration, it may be next to impossible to create a formula that will continually beat the market. Even after all the data has been scrutinized and the numbers have been crunched, the investor still has to make sense of the information and figure out what to do with it. Knowing how to use the information about publically traded companies can end up being the difference between handsome gains and devastating losses. 

The Ichimoku cloud is a favorite technical indicator used primarily in Asian markets. The cloud is one of the only indicators that is both forward and backward looking. The cloud produces better levels of support and resistance and is a breakout trader’s best friend. The cloud is also one of the easiest indicators to use. Any trader, regardless of skill level or expertise, can use the cloud to quickly and efficiently analyze any product on any time frame. The cloud shines in the fact that it can be universally applied to any trading plan by any trader.

It is a type of chart used in technical analysis to display support and resistance, momentum, and trend in one view. TenkanSen and KijunSen are similar to moving averages and analyzed in relationship to one another. When the shorter term indicator, TenkanSen, rises above the longer term indicator, KijunSen, the securities trend is typically positive. When TenkanSen falls below KijunSen, the securities trend is typically negative. TenkanSen and KijunSen as a group are then analyzed in relationship to the Cloud, which is composed of the area between Senkou A and Senkou B. A multi-faceted indicator designed to give support/resistance levels, trend direction, and entry/exit points of varying strengths. General theory behind this indicator states that if price action is above the cloud, the overall trend is bullish, and if below the cloud, the overall trend is bearish. There are also moving averages (the Tenkan and Kijun lines) which act like the MACD crossover signals with the Tenkan crossing from underneath the Kijun as a bullish signal, while crossing overhead giving a bearish signal.

Checking on some popular technical levels, Teekay Corp. (TK) has a 14-day Commodity Channel Index (CCI) of 94.71. The CCI technical indicator can be employed to help figure out if a stock is entering overbought or oversold territory. CCI may also be used to help discover divergences that may signal reversal moves. A CCI closer to +100 may provide an overbought signal, and a CCI near -100 may provide an oversold signal.

Tracking other technical indicators, the 14-day RSI is presently standing at 48.73, the 7-day sits at 58.23, and the 3-day is resting at 85.81 for Teekay Corp. (TK). The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a highly popular technical indicator. The RSI is computed base on the speed and direction of a stock’s price movement. The RSI is considered to be an internal strength indicator, not to be confused with relative strength which is compared to other stocks and indices. The RSI value will always move between 0 and 100. One of the most popular time frames using RSI is the 14-day.

Moving averages have the ability to be used as a powerful indicator for technical stock analysis. Following multiple time frames using moving averages can help investors figure out where the stock has been and help determine where it may be possibly going. The simple moving average is a mathematical calculation that takes the average price (mean) for a given amount of time. Currently, the 7-day moving average is sitting at 2.45.

Successful stock market traders and investors don’t usually just become that way overnight. There are often many years of experience behind those winning trades. The amount of data available to investors these days is staggering. Investors have to be able to focus on the provided information and decide which data should be followed and prioritized. Many investors will be keeping a watchful eye on the next round of company earnings reports. As companies start to report quarterly numbers, investors may be able to sift through the data and make some projections on how the stock will perform over the next few quarters.

Let’s take a further look at the Average Directional Index or ADX. The ADX measures the strength or weakness of a particular trend. Investors and traders may be looking to figure out if a stock is trending before employing a specific trading strategy. The ADX is typically used along with the Plus Directional Indicator (+DI) and Minus Directional Indicator (-DI) which point to the direction of the trend. The 14-day ADX for Teekay Corp. (TK) is currently at 20.25. In general, and ADX value from 0-25 would represent an absent or weak trend. A value of 25-50 would support a strong trend. A value of 50-75 would signify a very strong trend, and a value of 75-100 would point to an extremely strong trend.