Four values to remember before Investing

Investing is only for people planning on long term.Here I am gonna give you a short tip on factors to consider before investing are

1.Price-to-Earnings Ratio

The price-to-earnings ratio helps investors determine the market value of a stock compared to the company's earnings. In short, the P/E ratio shows what the market is willing to pay today for a stock based on its past or future earnings. A high P/E could mean that a stock's price is high relative to earnings and possibly overvalued. Conversely, a low P/E might indicate that the current stock price is low relative to earnings.

The P/E ratio is important because it provides a measuring stick for comparing whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued. However, it's important to compare a company's valuation to companies within its sector or industry.

Since the ratio determines how much an investor would have to pay for each dollar in return, a stock with a lower P/E ratio relative to companies in its industry costs less per share for the same level of financial performance than one with a higher P/E. Value investors can use the P/E ratio to help find undervalued . Please keep in mind that with the P/E ratio, there are some limitations. A company's earnings are based on either historical earnings or forward earnings, which are based on the opinions of Wall Street analysts. As a result, earnings canalysts' expectations can prove to be wrong.

. Price-to-Book Ratio

The price-to-book ratio or P/B ratio measures whether a stock is over or undervalued by comparing the net assets of a company to the price of all the outstanding shares. The P/B ratio is a good indication of what investors are willing to pay for each dollar of a company's assets. The P/B ratio divides a stock's share price by its net assets, or total assets minus total liabilities.

The reason the ratio is important to value investors is that it shows the difference between the market value of a company's stock and its book value. The market value is the price investors are willing to pay for the stock based on expected future earnings. However, the book value is derived from a company's assets and is a more conservative measure of a company's worth.

A P/B ratio of 0.95, 1 or 1.1, the underlying stock is trading at nearly book value. In other words, the P/B ratio is more useful the greater the number differs from 1. To a value-seeking investor, a company that trades for a P/B ratio of 0.5 is attractive because it implies that the market value is one-half of the company's stated book value. Value investors often like to seek out companies with a market value less than its book value in hopes that the market perception turns out to be wrong.

For more in-depth comparison of market and book value including examples, please read "Market Value Versus Book Value."

1. Debt-to-Equity

The debt-to-equity ratio helps investors determine how a company finances its assets. The ratio shows the proportion of equity to debt a company is using to finance its assets.

A low debt-to-equity ratio means the company uses a lower amount of debt for financing versus equity via shareholders. A high debt-equity ratio means the company derives more of their financing from debt relative to equity. Too much debt can pose a risk to a company if they don't have the earnings or cash flow to meet its debt obligations.

As with the previous ratios, the debt-to-equity ratio can vary from industry to industry. A high debt-to-equity ratio doesn't necessarily mean the company is run poorly. Often, debt is used to expand operations and generate additional streams of income. Some industries, with a lot of fixed assets such as the auto and construction industries, typically have higher ratios than companies in other industries.

1. Free Cash Flow

Free cash flow is the cash produced by a company through its operations, minus the cost of expenditures. In other words, free cash flow or FCF is the cash left over after a company pays for its operating expenses and capital expenditures or CAPEX.

Free cash flow shows how efficient a company is at generating cash and is an important metric in determining whether a company has sufficient cash, after funding operations and capital expenditures, to reward shareholders through dividends and share buybacks.

Free cash flow can be an early indicator to value investors that earnings may increase in the future, since increasing free cash flow typically precedes increased earnings. If a company has rising FCF, it could be due to revenue and sales growth, or cost reductions. In other words, rising free cash flows could the stock reward investors in the future which is why many investors cherish FCF as a measure of value. When a company's share price is low and free cash flow is on the rise, the odds are good that earnings and the value of the shares will soon be heading up.

Since stock market is volatile you should consider all this for long run.Intraday trading can't be done based on this tips.Thank you.

Reference:Investopedia