Monday, September 21, 2009

Ignore Stock Price, Focus on Value


Posted by: Matthew Maillet
Article by: Pat Dorsey

It's all too easy to think that a stock that has risen sharply is no longer a bargain -- or conversely that shares that have been cut in half must be a good deal. If only investing were that simple.

I learned this the hard way a few years ago. In the summer of 2006 I bought some MasterCard stock after the credit card company went public. In the first few months the shares moved up steadily, but then they rocketed from $70 to $90 in just a week's time. Since I was on an overseas business trip with little time for research, I reflexively sold a chunk of my holdings.

Dumb move. As it turned out, the company's profit margins were growing faster than I had anticipated -- boosting MasterCard's value -- and the shares topped out at $320 a couple of years later. If I had paid more attention to the value of the business, rather than the price of the stock, I might have held on.

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4 comments:

  1. I agree with the author of this article. However, this notion of day-trading and not holding stocks for the company's value can be extremely profitable for the trader if he or she has a plan and sticks to it. I agree looking for stocks with value is good for long-term investments, but not necessarily short-term.

    -Andrew Pia

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  2. Very useful and simple formula for unprofessional investors who can get confused in different indicators of stocks' values. - Alma Zhumagulova (group 5A)

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  3. It all depends on the investor and what they are comfortable with. Some investors have more time and can invest on a daily basis. While there is more of a risk because the stocks constantly perform good and bad. Much more risk and quicker returns

    Posted by Michael Rivezzo

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  4. Very helpful article to clear out people's misconceptions!
    -Ka Lee Angel Lee (2b)

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