Find Top Stocks Fast with Predictive Metrics | Cheatsheet
ValueRay's Cheatsheet simplifies stock selection ✓ Quickly identify high-potential stocks using proven predictive metrics and make better investment decisions.
Top 21 Stocks - selected by GARP Metrics and Peer-Group Analyses
| Symbol | Market Cap | Perf 3m | Perf 12m | Perf 5y | P/E | PEG | RoE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COR NYSE Cencora |
66.2B | 27.2% | 48.0% | 259% | 35.1 | 0.82 | 196% |
| HOT XETRA HOCHTIEF Aktiengesellschaft |
21.5B | 39.9% | 147% | 369% | 22.8 | 2.04 | 87.7% |
| BK NYSE The Bank of New York Mellon |
75.6B | 6.52% | 41.7% | 220% | 15.7 | 1.10 | 12.3% |
| AM NYSE Antero Midstream Partners |
8.33B | -6.56% | 19.8% | 315% | 17.9 | 1.17 | 21.7% |
| ENSG NASDAQ The Ensign |
10.7B | 15.7% | 28.1% | 190% | 33.3 | 1.57 | 16.6% |
| FSS NYSE Federal Signal |
7.18B | -11.4% | 23.5% | 269% | 32.3 | 2.35 | 19.0% |
| EME NYSE EMCOR |
29.3B | 5.10% | 30.5% | 757% | 26.3 | 1.32 | 36.8% |
| HURN NASDAQ Huron Consulting |
2.85B | 29.2% | 30.0% | 298% | 27.7 | 1.52 | 21.4% |
| MPWR NASDAQ Monolithic Power Systems |
52.1B | 19.1% | 23.1% | 213% | 28.5 | 2.08 | 56.6% |
| MS NYSE Morgan Stanley |
263B | 16.4% | 27.8% | 242% | 16.8 | 1.67 | 15.3% |
| ATGE NYSE Adtalem Global Education |
3.47B | -20.6% | 6.92% | 255% | 14.6 | 1.29 | 17.5% |
| TSM NYSE Taiwan Semiconductor |
1,573B | 25.4% | 51.8% | 254% | 33.2 | 1.52 | 34.4% |
| MU NASDAQ Micron Technology |
251B | 119% | 114% | 336% | 29.5 | 0.18 | 17.1% |
| AXP NYSE American Express |
247B | 24.1% | 25.2% | 231% | 24.1 | 1.92 | 33.4% |
| RCL NYSE Royal Caribbean Cruises |
78.2B | -19.0% | 13.2% | 241% | 19.3 | 0.98 | 46.8% |
| AWI NYSE Armstrong World Industries |
8.25B | -1.65% | 23.0% | 168% | 27.4 | 1.66 | 37.3% |
| GOOGL NASDAQ Alphabet |
3,399B | 45.3% | 62.0% | 226% | 27.8 | 1.67 | 35.0% |
| GOOG NASDAQ Alphabet C |
3,399B | 45.0% | 60.7% | 226% | 27.9 | 1.68 | 35.0% |
| MA NYSE Mastercard |
497B | -2.66% | 6.78% | 65.2% | 35.3 | 1.96 | 197% |
| META NASDAQ Meta Platforms |
1,680B | -19.8% | 8.54% | 123% | 29.5 | 1.98 | 30.9% |
| EXEL NASDAQ Exelixis |
10.4B | 8.19% | 14.9% | 94.3% | 18.6 | 2.27 | 27.7% |
The Four Principals of Profitable Investing
1. Find Economic Moat
- High customer switching cost or effort
- Unbeatable Prices
- Intangible Assets (Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Approvals, Brand Names, Geographic Advantage)
- Network Effect (Being the first mover -> Winner takes it all = legal Monopolists)
2. Buy at Fair Value or below
- What is a low valuation for this company? (Historical P/E, P/B and P/S over the last 10 Years)
- Discounted Cash-Flow Valuation (with a Margin of Safety)
3. Let it Compound
- Avoid Trading (Commissions, Taxes, you will miss the best spots anyways by 10%)
4. Know when to sell
- Realizing it was a mistake to buy it at the first place.
- The stock became wildly overvalued (P/E Forward, PEG in the 90+ percentile of its peer group).
- The company's moat has been destroyed or fundamentals are deteriorating.
- You need the money to buy a house for your family (Do it, allways invest in inner peace and lifestyle).
Make money by not loosing it:
- Risk Management: Take the opposite position and evaluate the risks, not just the chances (Stop Loss, Opportunity Costs).
- Highest-Quality only: Choose stocks so valuable, that you'd happily pass them on to your children.
- Rigorous Selection: If you could buy every year only one stock, would you still buy it?
Generic Screener Recommendations
- Average Volume > 250,000 (> 1,000,000 for Options-Trading)
When you're looking at stocks, it's a good idea to check if they have more than 250,000 shares traded on average each day. This usually means a smaller spread, making it quicker for you to buy or sell when you need to. - Market Cap > $500 Million (> $5,000 Million for Options-Trading)
Avoid Nano Cap stocks, this helps to reduce the risk of share price manipulation. - Price > $7
Avoid penny stocks, they often come with information problems and a high risk of being manipulated. - Age > 2 years
For solid research, make sure you have access to at least two fiscal years or 8 quarters of key financial data: balance sheets, income statements and cash flow reports.
Recommended Fundamental Ratios
Sources: McKinsey 1,
McKinsey 2
Profitability
- ROIC > 15%
Look for companies with an ROIC greater than 15% for a more profitable investment choice. - Net Profit Margin > 25%
Net Profit Margin is a good indicator of how profitable a company is at the most fundamental level. Compare it to the industry average to see how well the company is doing. - FCF Margin > 7%
Free cash flow is the amount of cash a company has left over after it pays for its operating expenses and capital expenditures. FCF margin is how much free cash a company generates relative to its revenue.
Growth
- Revenue Growth > 10% YoY
Key Driver of Long-Term Stock Performance. - EPS Growth > 10% YoY
Leads to higher stock prices, hence most investors use Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) to value stocks.
Debt
- Net Debt / EBITDA < 3
- Net Debt / Free-Cash-Flow < 4
- Debt / Equity < 80%
- RoIC > WACC
How to identify the best stocks to buy by analyzing the earning sheets?
Business
- Low volatility of margins
Historically, gross margins should be stable and predictable - Pricing power
High gross margins > 30% - Low Capital Intensity
CAPEX/Sales < 5% and CAPEX/Operational Cash Flow < 15%
- Skin in the Game
Owner & Family > 20% of shares (as example the Lundin Family owns a high amount of the shares and allways wins the vote)
How to identify Best Stocks to Buy by comparing financial ratios?
Business
- Moat
Sustainable, high Return on Invested Capital (ROIC > WACC) with recurring revenues, high gross margins and low capital intensity - Pricing Power
Best CAPEX/Sales in Peer-Group
- Reinvest for organic growth (ROIC > 20%, historically stable)
- Acquisitions (hard to predict which M&A creates value; 60%-90% don't)
- Share buybacks (better than dividends)
- Dividends 20% - 35% of EPS (only in absence of value creating alternatives)
How to Analyze a Stock
Understand the Product
- Annual Reports
- Investor Presentations, Shareholder Letters
- In which different segments does the company make money (Reliance on one product or group of customer?)
- How does the geographical split look like (Geopolitical Risks?)
- There are 1,000 resons to sell a stock, but only ONE to buy. So, which Insiders are buy/holding their stocks?
- Check ROIC curve of the last 3-5 Years, the more stable the higher the Moat. No competition = legal monopoly.
- CAPEX/Sales < 5%
- CAPEX/Operating Cash Flow < 15%
- Interest Coverage Ratio (EBIT/Interest payments) > 10
- Net Debt / Free Cash Flow < 4
- Gross Margin > 30
- FCF Margin > 20 (highly depends on the industry)
- Yearly Revenue Growth > 5%
- Yearly Earnings Growth > 7%
- Secular trend (urbanization, aging, cybersecurity, obesity, digital payments, …)