Stock Investing: Pick a stock and buy it

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The most commonly used valuation ratios are:

  • Price-to-earnings (P/E): This is a company's stock price divided by how much it earns per share over 12 months (expressed as earnings-per-share, or EPS). Most often, the EPS used is the most recent 12 months' earnings. Another way to calculate P/E is by using the consensus of Wall Street analysts' forecasts for a company's earnings in the current fiscal year. P/E is the most widely used valuation gauge.
  • Price-to-sales (P/S): A company's stock price divided by the most recent 12 months' sales-per-share. Some investors favor P/S over P/E because sales don’t vary as much as earnings from quarter to quarter. Another advantage is that you can calculate P/S, but not P/E, when a company loses money in a quarterly or annual reporting period.
  • Price-to-book (P/B): Also called book value, this is a company's assets minus its liabilities. A P/B ratio divides a company's stock price by its book value per share. Value investors tend to favor P/B.

There is no universal agreement on ratio values that define value or growth. Here’s my simplified take.

Defining value and growth

Ratio

Value

Growth

Overpriced Growth

P/E

Less than 15

More than 20

More than 50

P/S

Less than 2.5

More than 3

More than 10

P/B

Less than 3

More than 5

More than 15

Stocks with valuations in the gaps between the value and growth definitions -- say, a P/E of 18 and a P/B of 4 -- could be in either category, depending on the circumstances. Valuations in the Overpriced Growth column define stocks that many investors would consider overpriced

ElkCorp: Company Report


ElkCorp (Elk), through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in the manufacture of Elk premium roofing and composite building products. Within the building products sector, the Company operates in two segments: Premium Roofing Products, which manufactures premium laminated fiberglass asphalt shingles and accessory products, together with coated and uncoated non-woven fabrics used in asphalt shingles and other applications, and Composite Building Products segment manufactures composite wood decking, railing, marine dock, fencing and other original equipment manufacturer products. It also has another segment Other, Technologies, which includes the operations of Chromium Corporation (Chromium) and Elk Technologies, Inc. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005 (fiscal 2005), Elk acquired RGM Products, Inc. and Railwayz Inc. During fiscal 2005, the Company sold its subsidiary, Ortloff Engineers, LTD, and substantially all of the assets of its subsidiary, Cybershield, Inc.

Stock Activity

Last Price

28.41

52 Week High

37.12

52 Week Low

23.17

Volume

184,800

Average Daily Volume (13wk)

244,603

fyi

50 Day Moving Average

25.93

200 Day Moving Average

31.26

Volatility (beta)

0.72

Detailed quote

Financial data in U.S. dollars

Stock Price History

Change

Relative Strength

fyi

Last 3 Months

-1.7%

53

Last 6 Months

-21.3%

24

fyi

Last 12 Months

-19.4%

27

Historical charts

Institutional Statistics

Analyst Consensus

Moderate Buy

Institutional Ownership

86.10%

More Analyst Ratings

Want to learn how to evaluate a stock? Walk through the steps using the Research Wizard.

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Financials

Last 12 Months

5 Year Growth

Sales

929.8 Mil

19.7%

Income

45.5 Mil

39.0%

Dividend Rate

0.20

0.00%

Dividend Yield

0.70%

0.80%

Fundamental Data

Debt/Equity Ratio

0.62

Gross Margin

18.34%

Net Profit Margin

4.89%

Total Shares Outstanding

20.5 Mil

Market Capitalization

581.80 Mil

Earnings/Share

2.21

Earnings Estimates  fyi

Qtr(9/06) EPS Estimate

0.53

FY(6/07) EPS Estimate

2.46

Current P/E

12.90

FY(6/08) EPS Estimate

2.92

Forward P/E

11.50

Next Earnings Release: N/A

Continental Materials: Company Report


Continental Materials Corporation operates primarily within two industry groups, construction products, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). The Company has four segments: the Heating and Cooling segment, the Evaporative Cooling segment, the Door segment, and the Concrete, Aggregates and Construction Supplies segment. The Heating and Cooling segment produces and sells gas-fired wall furnaces, console heaters and fan coils. The Evaporative Cooling segment produces and sells evaporative coolers. Doors are fabricated and sold along with the related hardware from the Company's wholly owned subsidiary, MDHI of Pueblo, Colorado. The Company manufactures evaporative air coolers at a plant in Phoenix, Arizona. It also produces ready-mix concrete. It sells hollow metal doors, door frames and other hardware throughout the United States

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