AbsolutelyStocks is designed to help you navigate all the financial jargon that can appear intimidating at first blush. If nothing else, our Fundamental and Valuation scores give you a quick take on the company's underlying strength and attractiveness. Our tools are intuitive and very easy to use. The financial statements and ratios have all been standardized for easy comparisons.
Be a Smart Investor, Be Informed
Our job, as analysts, is to find stocks that will give us reasonable and positive returns, regardless of the macro market environment. Why "just reasonable", you ask.
The stocks we choose may not necessarily give the highest returns, as these usually entail a high degree of risks. Whilst the goal of investing is to maximise profits, an even more important objective is to avoid making losses. And that means not taking on excessive risks.
"Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget rule no.1" - Warren Buffett
How to pick a good stock
Picking a good stock is, often times, part science and part art. There is no absolute right or wrong. But having more information on the company will always serve you well. As they say, knowledge is power.
Critically, picking stocks with solid underlying fundamentals will limit your losses, in case things do not turn out the way you expect. And there will be times when you will be wrong and expectations go awry. Losses are an inevitable part and parcel of investing. The key is to minimise such occurrences.
Equally important, when it is clear that the prospects you expect is no longer viable, cut loss. Do not hold on to losers. It will be painful but you will be better off recycling your money into another stock with potentially better returns. To be clear, we are not talking about buying or selling based on short-term market sentiment, emotion and herd mentality.
Here are some of the common attributes we look for when evaluating stocks.
Fundamental and Valuation Scores
The company's earnings are the main driver for stock prices over the longer-term.
AbsolutelyStocks has simplified the task by condensing key metrics such as profit margin, return on equity, gearing, liquidity and gearing into a Fundamental Score for each company. The score ranges from zero to 3. The higher the score, the stronger the underlying fundamentals.
A company with good fundamentals would still have to be attractively valued, which could determine how much gains there are to be made. Again, AbsolutelyStocks has simplified this search down to a Valuation Score, taking into account current share price relative to growth and ROE, yield and book value. This score also ranges from zero to maximum of 3. The higher the score, the more attractively valued is the stock.
Earnings, cashflow and balance sheet
Historical financial track record is important. Although the past does not guarantee the future, it usually provides good guidance.
You must, however, ask yourself if there is any structural change – whereby the past is no longer a good guide to the future. For instance, a major change in industry outlook, key management change, change in business direction, the emergence of new competitors, substitute products or services and so on so forth.
Look at the trend in sales over the last 5 years and past 8 quarters. Are sales growing or slowing? Consistently falling sales must raise a red flag.
Look at the trend for Ebitda margin and net margin. Again, are they expanding or narrowing over the recent quarters and years? Falling margins suggest competitive pressure and lack of pricing power.
Are pre-tax profit and net profit rising or falling? Is the growth/decline short-term in nature or chronic? If profits have fallen, what is the probability of an imminent turnaround?
Profits are important. But cashflow means the life and death of a company. Look at the annual cash from operations and free cashflow (FCF). Is it positive or negative?
Positive FCF means leftover money to pay dividends. Negative FCF means there is a funding shortfall that has to be bridged, either by taking on more debt or making cash call to shareholders.
Companies undergoing big expansions (net PPE) will likely have negative FCF in the short-term; borrowings and gearing may rise. Expansion is generally positive as it leads to higher future sales and earnings.
However, consistently higher borrowings is not sustainable long-term without corresponding rise in sales and cashflow as interest costs will eat into profits. The company may even run into financial trouble and bankruptcy. Be wary when gearing is overly high and current ratio, cash ratio and interest cover start to decline from year to year.
Other metrics to consider include trade debtors/receivables and stocks/inventories. Rising levels mean tying up more cash (as working capital) and higher risks of bad debt and obsolescence.
Look at the increase/decrease in working capital. Rising working capital as sales expand is to be expected but the reverse must raise caution.
All these financial statistics, and more, are available on AbsolutelyStocks.
10 years of historical share price
One must also take into account the historical share price movements. Is the share price moving steadily higher, lower or demonstrate unusual levels of volatility?
Compare share price performances for up to 5 stocks. Has a company done better or worse than its peers/competitors? Often times, past winners will continue to be future winners.
Historical P/E and P/NAV bands
Is the stock currently trading at a premium or discount to its historical averages? This could be an indicator of whether the stock is 'cheap' or 'expensive' relative to its past.
What is the average daily traded volume? This would tell you if the stock is liquid or otherwise. Generally, we would prefer a stock with reasonable liquidity.
Does the company pay dividend?
Dividend income is a very important component of total returns to investors over the longer-term.
Look at the company's historical annual dividend per share. The best stocks are often those that pay not only consistent dividends but critically, growing dividends.
What is the payout ratio? This will determine the magnitude a company can potentially up dividends. For instance, if the payout ratio is 80%, there is limited room to raise dividends substantially compared to say, if payout ratio is only 20%.
Is there an upcoming dividend? Buying a stock before the ex-date means you will be entitled to the dividend payment. What are the dates, historically, where the company has declared and paid dividends?
InsiderAsia company reports and Portfolios
Read about a company's prospects and updates in our reports.
Check out our current stock recommendations in the InsiderAsia Quality Portfolio and InsiderAsia Income Portfolio. The former focuses on stocks with a balance of growth and yields while the latter places more weight on steady dividend income and above market-average yield and lower risks.
See also what stocks our Celeb Investor is buying and selling. There is a Malaysia Portfolio that has done very well since its inception in October 2014, far outperforming the benchmark indices.
Diversification (across markets and asset classes) should lower overall risks for your portfolio. Check out the Global Portfolio for stock ideas in markets beyond Malaysia.
Good luck in your investing!
The Team
InsiderAsia
*Fees are payable upfront and are not refundable after the 14 days cooling-off period.
Features
Chartist Picks
Our proprietary algorithm picks out stocks - listed on Bursa Malaysia and Singapore Exchange – that are showing sustained upward price trends. in 2015, an average of 2 stocks were picked every day and the success rate was over 89%!Read More
Chartist Picks
A report card for our Chartist Picks summarised by the Month in which the stocks were picked and the Success Rate (%). If the share price is higher within 3 months of the stock being picked by our algorithm, we define it as “Success”.
In 2015, an average of 2 stocks were picked every day and the success rate was more than 89%!
The Fundamental and Valuation scores give you a quick overview of the company’s fundamental strength and attractiveness of prevailing valuations, calculated based on historical data.
The Fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength. A score of 0 means weak fundamentals while a maximum score of 3 denotes strong fundamentals.
Similarly, the Valuation score ranges from 0 to 3. A score of 0 means valuations are not attractive while a maximum score of 3 means valuations are attractive.
For companies with insufficient data to calculate all of the required ratios, for instance new listings, the scores are displayed as “NA”.
- This is the date for when the current displayed stocks were generated. A fresh stock list will be posted by 2.30 pm of every trading day.
- Click on either Bursa or SGX to see the Chartist Picks for Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange, respectively.
- Our proprietary algorithm picks out stocks that are enjoying sustained upward price trends. Anecdotal evidence suggests that past winners often continue to be future winners.
- This is the last traded price (delayed)
- This is the price change for the day
- Date the stock was picked by our proprietary algorithm
- Price of the stock when it was picked by our proprietary algorithm
- The highest close price within 3 months after the stock was picked by our proprietary algorithm
- The % change of 3-month High from price when stock was picked by our proprietary algorithm
- Date of highest close price within a 3-month period after stock was picked by our proprietary algorithm
- No stock was picked on this date due to poor market momentum
A report card for our Chartist Picks summarised by the Month in which the stocks were picked and the Success Rate (%). If the share price is higher within 3 months of the stock being picked by our algorithm, we define it as “Success”.
In 2015, an average of 2 stocks were picked every day and the success rate was more than 89%!
The Fundamental and Valuation scores give you a quick overview of the company’s fundamental strength and attractiveness of prevailing valuations, calculated based on historical data.
The Fundamental score reflects a company’s profitability and balance sheet strength. A score of 0 means weak fundamentals while a maximum score of 3 denotes strong fundamentals.
Similarly, the Valuation score ranges from 0 to 3. A score of 0 means valuations are not attractive while a maximum score of 3 means valuations are attractive.
For companies with insufficient data to calculate all of the required ratios, for instance new listings, the scores are displayed as “NA”.
- This table offers expanded details on the stocks that were generated in any selected month.
InsiderAsia Portfolios
Choice of portfolios and stocks tailored to suit your preference in investing style, risks and investment horizon.Read More
Toolbox
We offer you a range of tools to discover your own hidden gems in the stock markets. You can filter stocks by Industry, Useful Ratios and Compare Multiple Stocks.Read More
Toolbox
- Currently, companies are categorised under 4 Templates based on their financial reporting formats. The templates are Bank, Insurance, REITs and Generic (for all other companies that do not fall into the first 3 categories).
- We offer you a range of filters to discover your own hidden gems on both Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange.
- You can Compare financial ratios for Multiple Stocks. Simply type in the stock code or stock name and click the Add button. To clear the results table and start a new search, click the Reset button.
- You can sort each ratio in ascending or descending order.
- Your selected companies will be displayed in the results table.
- Type a stock name or stock code
- Select to filter for stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia or the Singapore Exchange
You can compare all of the stocks listed under a selected Sector as defined by the Stock Exchange.
Or you can compare all of the stocks listed under Industry as defined by AbsolutelyStocks. Here, we categorised companies based on a more detailed description of their industries, so as to enable you to better compare companies with similar businesses.
- You can filter all stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange
You can compare all of the stocks listed under a selected Sector as defined by the Stock Exchange.
Or you can compare all of the stocks listed under Industry as defined by AbsolutelyStocks. Here, we categorised companies based on a more detailed description of their industries, so as to enable you to better compare companies with similar businesses.
- Simply select the Sector or Industry you wish from the drop down menu.
- All of the stocks listed under the selected Sector or Industry will be displayed in the results table.
- You can sort each ratio in ascending or descending order.
- Currently, companies are categorised under 4 Templates based on their financial reporting formats. The templates are Bank, Insurance, REITs and Generic (for all other companies that do not fall into the first 3 categories)
- You can filter all stocks listed on Bursa Malaysia and the Singapore Exchange
- Choose a ratio and enter the range that you wish to filter the stocks by. Our drop down menu offers a selection of the most Useful of Ratios. You can select up to 4 ratios in one search.
- You can sort each ratio in the results table in ascending or descending order.
- Click on the Search button to view your results. To start a new search, simply click on the Clear button.
- All stocks meeting your selected search criteria will be displayed in the results table.
- Enter the low and high values you wish to filter the stocks by
Stock Search
Here, you get a quick and concise bird's eye view of the most important facts for each company.Read More
Stock Search
The Fundamental and Valuation scores give you a quick overview of the company's fundamental strength and attractiveness of prevailing valuations, calculated based on historical data.
The Fundamental score reflects a company's profitability and balance sheet strength. A score of 0 means weak fundamentals while a maximum score of 3 denotes strong fundamentals.
Similarly, the Valuation score ranges from 0 to 3. A score of 0 means valuations are not attractive while a maximum score of 3 means valuations are attractive.
For companies with insufficient data to calculate all of the required ratios, for instance new listings, the scores are displayed as "NA".
The Stock Beta measures the movements of your selected company’s share price against the market benchmark index, in this case either the FBM KLCI or the Straits Times Index (STI), over a period of time.
A Beta < 1 means that its share price has been, historically, less volatile than the benchmark index, which is proxy for the broader market. A Beta > 1 indicates that its share price has been, historically, more volatile than the market.
- Simply type in your company name and select from the drop down suggestions menu to start your Search.
- You will see the Last Price, Trading Volume (as at the date and time stamp) and a 1-year share price chart for your selected company
- You can scroll to see the close price and volume traded for each day
The Fundamental and Valuation scores give you a quick overview of the company's fundamental strength and attractiveness of prevailing valuations, calculated based on historical data.
The Fundamental score reflects a company's profitability and balance sheet strength. A score of 0 means weak fundamentals while a maximum score of 3 denotes strong fundamentals.
Similarly, the Valuation score ranges from 0 to 3. A score of 0 means valuations are not attractive while a maximum score of 3 means valuations are attractive.
For companies with insufficient data to calculate all of the required ratios, for instance new listings, the scores are displayed as "NA".
- This reflects the Volatility of a company’s share price relative to the rest of the market, ranked from Low to Medium to High. Low means its share price has been relatively stable. High means its share price has fluctuated widely based on historical movements.
- This is an indicator of a company in a state that lends itself to corporate exercise (whether merger & acquisition, take-over or otherwise) based on our proprietary set of predefined criteria. Companies are categorized as having either High or Normal likelihood of corporate exercise.
- This indicates the average number of shares traded daily over the past 200 trading days
The Stock Beta measures the movements of your selected company’s share price against the market benchmark index, in this case either the FBM KLCI or the Straits Times Index (STI), over a period of time.
A Beta < 1 means that its share price has been, historically, less volatile than the benchmark index, which is proxy for the broader market. A Beta > 1 indicates that its share price has been, historically, more volatile than the market.
- This section gives a brief description of the business for your selected company and other key facts such as current Market Capitalisation, Key Personalities and Substantial Shareholders.
- This is a table of some Key Ratios for your selected company. If available, we will display ratios for up to 3 financial years as well as that for the trailing 12-month period.
- You can view a summary of the Income Statement, Cashflow and Balance Sheet for your selected company. If available, we will display data for up to 3 financial years as well as that for the latest reported quarter.
- This indicates the Currency in which your selected company’s financial statements are reported.
- You can compare the share price performance for up to 5 companies and for periods of up to 3 years against your selected company. Simply type in the name of a company, select from the drop down suggestions and click the Compare button.
- This is a table to compare select peer companies based on our proprietary Industry classifications. We display the top 3 companies by market capitalisation in the same Industry as your selected company as well as the 3 companies with the most similar market capitalisation in the same Industry as your selected company.
- You can select the time period of the chart display
- You can also select the period of chart display by using this scroll bar
- This is how your stocks is classified by the stock exchange and by AbsolutelyStocks own Industry Classification
- We display some Broker Reports for your selected company. The reports are arranged by month of publication, name of the research house as well as the recommendation for the stock. Click on the research house to view the report.
PRICING
There is no other hidden fee. You will get full and complete access to all of the above-mentioned content with our standard package. The minimum subscription period is 1 year.
INFORMED DECISION = SMART INVESTMENT
*Fees are payable upfront and are not refundable after the 14 days cooling-off period.
Help
If you need help at any point, please write to [email protected]
Please include your Username if you are our existing member, so that we may spot you quicker from our system.
AbsolutelyStocks is brought to you by Asia Analytica Data Sdn Bhd in collaboration with Asia Analytica. It is our aim to provide easy to use financial information, analytics and tools to help you make better investing decisions. Our coverage extends to all companies listed on Bursa Malaysia and Singapore Exchange.