How To Select The Optimal Valuation Method To Build Better Price Targets (Part 3 Of 3) by The Finance Professionals’ Post
This 3-part post is all about following best practices for selecting the optimal valuation method…namely the one that’s going to derive a price target more accurate than consensus.
As noted in Part 2 of this 3-part series, there are limitations to every valuation method, but some are better than others. For years I had been looking for an information source that quickly summarized the best method(s) to use under each circumstance, but couldn’t find one. So I created the flow chart below.
The idea is to start at the top of the flow chart and work your way down as far as possible, to get closer to the methods that measure free cash flow. Note the blue shapes are single-period multiples-based methods whereas the tan shape, DCF, is a multi-period cash flow method.
Callout: The further you can go through the flowchart, the closer you are to valuing the company’s free cash flows.
Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts - Book Review
Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts: Essentials for Buy-Side and Sell-Side Analysts by James J. Valentine
A real-world guide to becoming a top-performing equity analyst
Praise for Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts:
“Jim Valentine has taken his decades of experience as a highly successful security analyst and written an effective and comprehensive guide to doing the job right. I only wish I had this book by my side throughout my career.” — Byron R. Wien, Vice Chairman, The Blackstone Group L.P. (NYSE:BX) Advisory Partners LP
“Given the fast pace and high-pressure nature of the markets, analysts don’t have the luxury to make mistakes. James J. Valentine’s Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts should be required reading for all new and experienced analysts, particularly those who were not lucky enough to be brought up in the business under a mentor. Valentine can be that mentor.” — Jami Rubin, Managing Director, Global Investment Research, Goldman Sachs Group Inc (NYSE:GS)
“Jim’s book is an excellent window into the world of securities research. Very few works cover the complete life cycle of an analyst and the necessary balance between theory and practice. This is one of them.” — Juan-Luis Perez, Global Director of Research, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS)
“Valentine’s book doesn’t rehash the basics of finance but covers all the nonacademic topics in terms of how the analysts should manage their time, resources, data, and contacts in order to come up with the best stock picks. This book is required reading for beginning analysts and a must-read for all analysts who want to develop an edge.” — Carl Schweser, Founder of Schweser’s Study Program for the CFA Exam
“Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts is by far the best written and most comprehensive book that I have read on how to become a top-notch analyst. I shouldn’t be surprised; it was written by one of the best analysts that Wall Street has ever seen. Every securities firm should require their analysts to read this book.” — Eli Salzmann, Portfolio Manager
Most equity research analysts learn their trade on the job by apprenticing under a senior analyst. However, equity analysts who work for senior producers often have little time or incentive to train new hires, and those who do have the time may not have research skills worth emulating.
Now, Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts offers promising equity research analysts a practical curriculum for mastering their profession. James J. Valentine, a former Morgan Stanley analyst, explains everything today’s competitive analyst needs to know, providing practical training materials for buy and sell-side research analysis in the United States and globally.
Conveniently organized for use as a learning tool and everyday reference on the job, Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts covers the five primary areas of the equity research analyst’s role:
- Identifying and monitoring critical factors
- Creating and updating financial forecasts
- Deriving price targets or a range of targets
- Making stock recommendations
- Communicating stock ideas
Expanding upon material covered in undergraduate courses but written specifically to help you perform in the real world, this authoritative book gives you access to the wisdom and expertise of leading professionals in the field. You’ll learn best practices for setting up an information hub, influencing others, identifying the critical factors and information sources for better forecasting, creating a better set of financial forecast scenarios, improving valuation and stock-picking techniques, communicating your message effectively, making ethical decisions, and more.
Without Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts, you’re just treading water in the sink-or-swim world of the equity analyst.
Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts: Essentials for Buy-Side and Sell-Side Analysts by James J. Valentine
