Category: Investing

  • How to find and identify undervalued stocks

    How to find and identify undervalued stocks

    Undervalued stocks are stocks that are trading at a lower price than their actual fair price. At times the stock price does not fairly represent the true worth of the company. Sometimes small companies get ignored by analysts who are experiencing increased sales and better profit margins and have undervalued share prices. Investors look forward to investing in undervalued stocks because the possibilities are very high that the price of these stocks will increase in future. But, the question that arises here is how to identify these undervalued stocks.

    10 parameters that one should consider to decide whether the stock is fairly priced or not –

    quick summary of 10 paramters that one should consider to decide whether the stock is fairly priced or not

    Read Also: Semiconductor Industry in India

    1. P/E ratio

    The P/E ratio shows the relation between the stock price and the company’s earnings. It is calculated by dividing the current market price of the stock by the earnings per share.


    The ratio can be used to determine whether the stock is undervalued, overvalued or fairly valued.

    • If the stock P/E is more than the industry P/E we can say that the stock is overvalued.
    • If the stock P/E is less than the industry P/E we can say that the stock is undervalued.

    And lastly, if the stock P/E is nearly equal to the industry P/E then the stock is fairly priced. The P/E ratio is important when determining the true worth of the company.

    2. P/B ratio

    The P/B ratio shows the relationship between the current stock price and its book value.

    There are 3 main steps for computing the P/B ratio of any company.

    • Step 1- Calculate the book value(company assets minus liabilities ) = assets – liability = book value.
    • Step 2- Calculate the book value per share = book value. of outstanding shares.
    • Step 3- Calculate the P/B ratio = current market of the share book value per share.

    Any value below 1 is considered desirable by value investors indicating that the stock is undervalued. And a value above 3 is considered that the share is overvalued.

    3. P/S Ratio

    The P/S ratio or price-to-sales ratio is a financial ratio that shows the relationship between the price of the share and the sales of the company.

    P/S ratio = market capitalisationnet annual sales


    • An ideal P/S ratio can vary from industry to industry or sector to sector. But still, a P/S ratio between 1-2 is considered a good ratio for value investors.
    • A high P/S ratio may indicate the inefficiency of the management in using the shareholder’s funds to drive more revenue.

    Whereas a lower P/S ratio as compared to the industry standards may indicate that the stock is undervalued.

    4. Debt-to-equity ratio

    The debt-to-equity ratio is a financial ratio that is used to assess how much proportion of debt to equity a company is using to finance its assets. Debt is the creditor or debt holders’ money that is invested in the company against which they receive a payment in the form of interest regularly. Whereas equity funds are the money of the shareholders that is invested in the business.

    Having a high debt-to-equity ratio can be a big red flag for any company if the free cash flow of the company is not good. Because then the company will not be able to meet its short debt financing obligations which is not good. This does not mean that having a high debt-to-equity ratio is a bad thing. It generally depends from sector to sector. A sector that requires heavy fixed assets (like automobile or construction) might have a high debt-to-equity ratio as compared to a company that does not require so many fixed assets (like the IT sector).

    5. The PEG ratio

    The PEG ratio is a financial ratio that shows the relationship between the price and the earnings to the growth of the company. It can be defined as an advanced version of the P/E ratio. Since the P/E ratio does not tell about the price of the stock being fairly valued taking into account only the current earnings of the company and not the forecasted future earnings.

    That’s where the PEG ratio comes to the rescue it tells whether the share is being fairly valued or not at the stock exchange taking into consideration the growth rate of the company.

    PEG ratio = price/EPS growth


    • A PEG ratio of more than 1 is considered that the stock may be overvalued and not considered for investing by value investors.
    • A PEG ratio of less than 1 indicates that the stock is undervalued than its true worth and might be a good option to invest in by value investors.

    6. Free cash flow 

    Free cash flow is the cash left with the company after paying for its operating expenses and capital expenditures. The formula for finding the free cash flow for any company is given below.

    Free cash flow cash flow from operations – (operating expenses + capital expenditure).

    Having a positive FCF is a major green flag for the company because a positive FCF indicates that earnings are expected to increase in future. Which is a good sign for any value investor. Showing that either the company is experiencing sales growth or better net profit margins and that the company is effectively using their resources.

    7. Dividend yield

    The dividend yield is a financial ratio that shows what percentage of the share price the company is giving out as dividends to its shareholders.

    Dividend yield =annual dividend paid/market price

    If a company is giving out high dividends it is a green flag for any value investor and might indicate that the company is undervalued. Because generally in a company with a high dividend payout the shareholders are not only benefited from the capital appreciation but also the dividend payments give them a good annual return on their investment.

    8. ROE

    Return on equity is a financial ratio expressed in percentage terms indicating a relationship between the company’s net earnings and the shareholder’s equity.

    ROE=(Net earnings/ shareholders equity)*100


    • A 15-20% ROE is considered very good for any company as it shows how effectively the company is using the shareholder’s funds to make more money. 
    • An ROE higher than 20% might indicate that the management is taking a high risk on shareholders’ money to get more business. 

    9. Intrinsic value 

    Intrinsic value is the anticipated value of any stock. Based on certain parameters the IV of any stock is calculated. Taking into consideration both tangible and intangible factors. 

    Intrinsic value = Future cash flows(1+ discount rate)^no. of periods

    It is very complicated to calculate the intrinsic value of any stock manually, and individuals can use the stock screeners available online to get the correct IV for any stock.


    • If IV>current market price then the share is considered to be undervalued.
    • If IV<current market price then the share is considered to be overvalued.
    • If IV is almost equal to the market price then we can say that the stock is fairly valued.

    10. Pitroski score

    Pitroski f- score is a no. between 0-9 which is used to assess the strength of the company’s financials. It is taken into account to decide whether the stock is suitable for investing or not with 9 being the best and 0 being the worst.

    The calculation of the Pitroski score is quite complicated if done by hand, there are many stock screeners available online that automatically calculate the Pitroski score for you.


    • A Pitroski score below 3 is not considered good.
    • A score between 3-6 is considered good.
    • And a score above 6 is excellent for investing.

    Conclusion

    Thus we can conclude that identifying undervalued stocks is not even that hard. You just need to keep a few points in mind before starting your research. 

    Investing in stocks that you can hold for the long term is a good way to build a strong portfolio. Also, it is important to regularly churn your portfolio on a regular basis so that you can maximize the returns and minimise the risk in your overall portfolio.

    S.NO.Check Out These Interesting Posts You Might Enjoy!
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    5Best Places To Park Your Short Term Money

    FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

    1. What are undervalued stocks?

      Stocks are trading at a lower price in the stock exchanges as compared to their actual fair price. There are various accounting financial ratios that you can use to assess the true value of the stock.

    2. How to find undervalued stocks?

      There are different financial ratios you can consider to decide whether the stock is undervalued, overvalued or fairly valued.

    3. Fundamentally strong stocks that are undervalued in 2022 India.

      You can check out any stock screener to find the top fundamentally strong stocks that are undervalued in 2022 India.

  • What is a good rule for investing in stocks?

    What is a good rule for investing in stocks?

    When talking about investing nearly all of us know this simple and yet the most important rule of investing, i.e. ‘Buy low, sell high’. And yet it is not like we all are Warren Buffet.
    According to statistics, only 1% of people make money in stock markets. Did you ever wonder what this 1% of people have done right in the markets?
    After intensive research, we have shortlisted 10 such findings that were common among the top 1% of the investors. Which can be your ultimate guide to start your investing journey in the stock market.

    10 golden investing rules that every investor should keep in mind:

    quick summary of 10 golden investing rules that every investor should keep in mind

    1. Invest in your surroundings- 

    The first and foremost rule in investing that every investor must abide by is, to invest in the companies they understand and know about their business. 
    Even coined by one of the most successful investors of all time Mr. Warren Buffet that one should only invest in companies that they understand and believe will have a sustainable competitive edge in the market over other companies.

    2. Do not try to predict the markets- 

    Never, try to time the markets because it is impossible to tell whether the market will go up or down in a certain period. Therefore, it is always advised to invest in the long run and not aim for short-term gains. People who do not understand the stock market often say that the stock market is equivalent to gambling. But that is not how the stock market works, it works on a cause-and-effect relationship. For every bull run or market crash there is a significant reason. 
    Stock markets are highly volatile and are affected by investor sentiments. Thus, one cannot predict the market.

    3. Be patient- 

    Stock markets are highly volatile. And at times you might end up losing money. But never sell your investments out of panic. If you have done your research correctly then have faith in yourself. If you have invested in good companies with thorough background checks, then the period of your investments will give you good returns. And the stock market is not a one-day game. To see desirable results you need to have patience.

    4. Be disciplined- 

    It is necessary to have discipline in the stock market to be profitable. Sometimes markets are volatile and perform against our expectations due to which we get carried away with our emotions and end up making rash decisions that we might regret later. So it is significant to have some investing rules and strategies that one should strictly follow. Invest in the market, check your investments regularly, make the timely necessary changes, have realistic expectations and be disciplined.

    5. Power of compounding – 

    The compounding effect is the gathering of big rewards from a series of small and intelligent choices. Small, seemingly insignificant steps completed with discipline over a longer period can show exceptional results. An interesting fact is that Warren Buffet’s net worth graph closely resembles the graph of a compounding series. To experience the power of the compounding effect yourself is to start investing early. Today with so much technological advancement anyone can start their investing journey with as little as 500 rupees per month. 

    6. Buy when others are fearful –

    When the stock market goes down for any reason most investors become fearful and start selling off their investments because of which the market becomes bearish and keeps on falling. 
    But someone who understands the stock market knows that it is the best time to buy because due to the overall market crash, the price of the shares of good companies also falls. Thus, they become undervalued. This offers an excellent opportunity for investors to enter the investment.

    7. Sell when others are greedy – 

    Taking the other case scenario when the markets go up people become greedy and start investing more money into the markets till the saturation point. Again the smart investor will exit the market before the saturation point. Whereas most people keep on buying, and when the market corrects itself most people will lose money. 

    8. The rule of opposites- 

    This rule was given by the author of the famous book,” The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham. The more enthusiastic investors and spectators become in the long run (of investing), the more certain they are to be proved wrong in the short run because the stock market is unpredictable. 

    9. Continuous learning – 

    It takes years of practice and hard work to understand how the stock market works. Learning is a never-ending process and the person who thinks ‘they know it all’ is the biggest fool. 
    The quality that differentiates a successful person from a not-so-successful person is their attitude. The attitude of how they perceive things. The ocean of knowledge is very vast and one can never get enough of it. 

    10. Risk to reward-

    In order to be a successful investor you should always pre-define your risks and rewards before entering into the markets. Because the greater the risk, the greater the reward. This is called the risk-return trade-off. The sole purpose of any investment is to minimize the risk and maximize the return. And it is advisable to never borrow money from others to invest in the stock market.

    Read Also: 5 points to be considered before buying or selling any stocks

    Conclusion

    So, the key takeaway that you can take from the above article is that invest in your surroundings. Never try to predict the markets because the stock market is a very volatile market. 
    If you try to time the market you will end up making huge losses. Control your emotions, have patience, and be disciplined to see extraordinary results in the long run. And if you stick with something for long enough you will eventually figure it out. Stock market is a zero-sum game i.e. one person’s gain is another person’s loss. So, always buy when others are fearful and sell when others are greedy. 

    Read Also: Top 10 Books for Beginners in Trading & Investing

    FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

    1. How to start investing in the stock market?

      In order to start investing in the stock market you need to open a demat account. There are various brokers present online where you can open a demat account for free and at the ease of your own comfort.

    2. How to start investing in mutual funds?

      There are various mutual funds present in the market where you can invest. You have to open a demat account before start investing in any kind of securities. There are various types of mutual funds present in the market. It depends on the preference of the investor in what kind of securities they want to invest in.

    3. How to learn to invest in the stock market?

      The first and foremost thing that is essential to learn when investing in the stock market is passion. One can only learn about investing in the stock market if they are passionate about the financial markets. Because understanding and learning about the stock market takes time.

  • What are T2T (Trade to trade) stocks?

    What are T2T (Trade to trade) stocks?

    There are various segments in the equity market (AKA the stock market) like the rolling settlement, institutional segment, etc. These segments are overseen by the Security Exchange Board of India (SEBI). One such segment is the Trade to Trade segment (t2t) which we will be discussing today. There are many segments in the equity market similarly there is a T2T segment. Stocks that are not available for intraday trading fall under this category. The delivery of T2T stocks cannot be taken on the same day. Settlement of t2t stock takes place on a t + 2-day basis.

    T2T Trade

    How to identify T2T stocks?

    Shares that fall under the category of T2T stock have a symbol of BE attached to them at the end. For instance, let’s take an example of the Vodafone idea. When the share is not in the T2T category the script name is given like IDEA. When the share is in the T2T category the script mane is given like IDEA BE. 

    T2T stocks

    Criteria for shifting stocks into the T2T segment.

    P/E ratio- 

    In the case of NSE if the p/e of the nifty50 index is 15-20 and the P/E of the share is above 30, then the stock may be considering moving into the T2T segment
    The P/E ratio is a price-to-earnings ratio that shows for every rupee that you are giving to the company how much earning they can make out of it.  Remember that the P/E ratio is a significant measure to analyse a stock and its fair value.
    However, the P/E ratio is not the only deciding factor in whether or not to move stock into the T2T segment.

    Price variation-

    When the price of a stock is very volatile i.e. the movement in the share price is very large. The price filter bands or the price circuit are fixed in the scope of positive and negative 5% of the share value for at least 22 trading days. 
    Also, T2T is not the set category group of shares that you can find in BSE.

    Market capitalisation-

    If the market capitalization of a company is under 500 Crore And the above criteria are also full filling then that share is likely to be moved into the t2t segment.
    The stocks are monitored on a fortnightly basis, or quarterly basis to decide whether to move them to/from the T2T segment.
    The reason these criteria have been set is that many times when the Market capitalisation is low, volume is high, and price variation is high there are high probabilities of manipulation in the stock so to protect the investor’s interest, these stocks are moved into the T2T segment.

    Need for creating a separate segment. 

    1. Avoid speculative trading-

    The ultimate aim behind the formation of a new segment was to avoid speculative trading in the market. Speculative trading is when the trader buys or sells the share to gain profit from the short-term price movement. Speculative trading is highly risky because the trader does not take into consideration the fundamentals of the underlying asset. He is only concerned with the change in the price movement in the short term.

    2. To safeguard the investor risk-

    The ultimate aim behind the formation of a new segment was to avoid speculative trading in the market. Speculative trading is when the trader buys or sells the share to gain profit from the short-term price movement. Speculative trading is highly risky because the trader does not take into consideration the fundamentals of the underlying asset. He is only concerned with the change in the price movement in the short term.

    3. To prevent high volatility

    Volatility is the degree of variation in the price movement. The stock market is very volatile, i.e. it reacts aggressively to certain news. And trading in such a market can sometimes be very risky especially when some stocks are being manipulated.
    Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Apart from manipulation market volatility can be happened because of various other factors Which are discussed below –

    • Economic factors- These are generally controlled by the RBI and fall under this category namely interest rate, repo rate, CRR, SLR etc. 
    • Political factor– Changes in any kind of government policy, new laws, or a new type of tax issued by a government affect the stock market. 
    • Technical factors- Technical analysis is the study of historical price movements to identify patterns that can be used to predict future price movements.

    4. To prevent manipulation 

    The T2t segment was created so that manipulation of stock can be avoided. Whenever the regulator Security Exchange Board of India suspects that a stock is being manipulated it is shifted to the T2T segment. So that the manipulation can be avoided. For the record stock price manipulation is an illegal activity.

    5. Kind of surveillance mechanism-

    The decision to shift the stocks into the T2T segment, if any kind of manipulation is noticed, acts as a surveillance mechanism that ensures the smooth and uninterrupted functioning of the stock exchanges.

    How to trade T2T stocks?

    If any person wishes to trade in the T2T segment then they had to pay the full amount. The concept of margin is not applicable in the t2t segment.


    Let’s take an example

    If you want to buy 5000 shares of Yes Bank @15 each but it is in the T2T segment. 

    So you need to have 75000 rupees in your A/C to successfully execute the trade.

    • Take the trade as delivery, you cannot do intraday trading in the T2T segment i.e. buying and selling the shares on the same day but still if you put an intraday trade in stock that is in the T2T segment then the exchange will cancel your order. And you might even have to pay some penalty fees.
    • You can only place delivery orders for t2t segment stock and it takes t + 2 days for the settlement of the stock. It takes 2  trading days for the stock that you have purchased to be reflected in your Demat account.
    • While selling you have to check whether the delivery has come to your Demat account or not Without any delivery you cannot sell T2T shares. Also once the shares are sold you cannot buy them back on the same day.

    Who does it?

    • Stock exchanges do it with the market regulator SEBI.
    •  The process of identifying the security is moving to the treated segment is done on a fortnightly basis.
    • Security moving from flash to the t2t segment is done every quarter.

     What should investors do to trade in the T2T segment?

    • Ensure 100% payment-make sure that you have the entire amount if you want to place a purchase order in the segment.
    • To sell you should have delivery in your team at.
    • One cannot buy the shares again after selling them intraday.

    Conclusion 

    After reading this article you will be able to know everything that you need to in order to start trading or investing in t2t stocks. T2T stocks are not for intraday trading you can only place delivery orders in the T2T segment. The T2t segment was created to protect the investor’s interest as the stocks that show signs of price manipulation are moved to this segment. Because they have a market capitalization of below 500 cr. The P/E ratio is also higher as compared to the indexes. And the price variation is also very high. 
    So, an investor can trade into the t2t segment, they just need to be a little more careful and know that they should have the whole amount in their account before placing the order. Because the margin is not available for t2t stocks. Start trading T2T stocks today, open a demat account with Pocketful.

    FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

    1. What is t2t stock?

      Stocks that are not available for intraday trading and have BE symbols attached to them at the end are T2T stocks. You can only take delivery orders in the T2T segment.

    2. Is it legal to trade in T2T stocks?

      Yes, it is completely legal in India to trade in T2T stocks. They are a little different from normal equity stocks. A few characteristics that set them apart from other segments are.

    3. Where to find the T2T stock list?

      You can access the list of the T2T stocks through the NSE website. The link is available here list of t2t stocks.

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