How to Analyze Stocks like Warren Buffett

Are you ready to learn the secrets of one of the world's most successful investors? We'll reveal the strategies and techniques used by Warren Buffett to pick and analyze stocks like a pro. Get ready to take your investing skills to the next level and start seeing real results in the market.

Whether you're just starting out in the world of investing or you're a seasoned pro, there's something for everyone in this article. So sit back, grab a pen and paper, and get ready to learn how to invest like the Oracle of Omaha.

Warren Buffets investment style is often referred to as value investing, which involves buying undervalued stocks and holding them for the long term.

Value investing is all about finding companies that are trading at a discount to their intrinsic value and buying them at a price that's lower than what they're actually worth. This requires a lot of research and analysis, as well as a long-term mindset. Buffet looks for companies with strong financials, competitive advantages, and a history of steady growth.

He's not afraid to hold onto a stock for years, or even decades, if he believes it has the potential to generate strong returns for him and his investors. Buffet's approach may not be for everyone, but it's certainly worth considering if you're looking to build a solid foundation for your portfolio. So, if you want to invest like Buffet, it's important to start by understanding the principles of value investing and how to apply them to your investments.

Warren Buffett's investing journey

Let's begin by exploring how Warren Buffett became the multi-billionaire man he is today.

Buffet's first taste of real success came in high school when he and a friend bought a used pinball machine and placed it in a local barbershop.

They quickly expanded their operation to include several more machines, and by the time Buffet graduated from high school, he had saved up enough money to attend the University of Pennsylvania
where he studied under the legendary investor Benjamin Graham.

After graduating from business school, Buffet returned to Omaha and worked and started his investment partnership in 1956. From 1957 to 1968, the Buffett Partnership earned a 25.3% annual return compared to 9.1% for Dow Jones.

In the late 1960s, Buffet began buying shares in Berkshire Hathaway, a textile company that he saw as undervalued. He eventually became the company's chairman and CEO, and over the next 50 years, he transformed it into a holding company that owns a diverse range of businesses, including insurance, railroads, and retail.

Throughout his career, Buffet has been known for going against the crowd and buying stocks that others are overlooking. He has famously said that "price is what you pay, value is what you get," and he has always focused on buying businesses at a discount to their intrinsic value.

He is often referred to as the Oracle of Omaha, and his name is synonymous with long-term, value-oriented investing. Despite his success, Buffet has remained humble and down-to-earth, and he has used his wealth to give back to his community and charitable causes.

With that in mind, let's delve into how to find strong companies with a competitive advantage.

Find and identify strong companies

Identifying strong companies is an important part of building a successful investment portfolio. Buffett usually looks for companies that provide a good return on equity over many years, particularly when compared to rival companies in the same industry. 

Consider the following four characteristics before diving deeper into a company's financial statements:

Valuation: Warren Buffett primarily invests in Blue Chip Stocks. Companies that are valued at $10B or higher are referred to as Blue Stocks. Other than the valuation, he also looks for stocks that have a steady history of dividend payouts.

Popular Brand: Overall, a strong brand can effectively communicate its unique value proposition and create a positive, emotional connection with its customers.

Unique offering: Is the company selling a product or service that is hard to copy? A unique offering also includes innovative features, patented technology, or unique design elements.

Market share: Consider the company's market position and whether it is a leader in its industry or a niche player. This can give you a sense of the company's competitive advantage and its ability to differentiate itself in the market.

Companies with these kinds of advantages are often better positioned to succeed in their respective industries.

Competitive advantages can be found almost anywhere. Some restaurants thrive because of their location. An airline company might have locked in a low-price fuel contract before prices rose, allowing it to price customers away from other airlines. There are car manufacturers that have better production processes than their competitors. And Coca-Cola, of course, has that secret recipe and huge brand name recognition.

So, where can you find companies with the just mentioned characteristics? 

The best way to start your research is by using a StockScanner. I prefer to use TradingView. 

I will cover US-listed stocks in this Article, but the investing principles mentioned before are for every company the same.

First, we need to filter for companies that match our requirements. 

1. The company should be worth 10b or more
2. The PE ratio should be less than 25. The PE ratio basically tells you how much you pay for every dollar of profits.
3. And a Quick ratio above 1. A company with a quick ratio of less than 1 cannot pay its current liabilities.
   

Now you should get a list of globally established companies. If you want you can play with the filters to get an even further narrowed list of companies. 

Pick at least 3 companies that you think match the aspects of a strong company before proceeding with the next step.

Conduct thorough due diligence

When evaluating potential investments, Buffett conducts a detailed analysis of the company's income statement, cash flow, and balance sheet. He also looks at the company's growth prospects and industry and conditions.

Here is a quick overview of the 3 financial statements used to analyze stocks:

The income statement shows the performance of the business throughout each period, displaying sales revenue at the very top.

The balance sheet displays the company’s assets, liabilities, and shareholders’ equity (aka the "Net Worth" of a company).

The cash flow statement then takes net income and adjusts it for any non-cash expenses.

I will go into more detail about the financial statements later.

All of these financial statements are included in the company 10k and 10Q forms every publicly US-listed company has to file at the SEC. 10-Q is the quarterly report of a company and 10-K is the more detailed annual report. 

10-K and 10-Q filings are public information and readily available through a number of sources. For me the most reliable source is Nasdaq.com. 

You can get a charted overview of a company's financials on over a span of more than 10 years on macotrends.com without going through every financial statement one by one.

UNDERSTAND THE COMPANY'S BUSINESS MODEL

First and most importantly you need to know how the company makes money. Warren Buffett takes this step very seriously throughout his due diligence process.

He will not continue to analyze a company if its business model is too complex even if it has a great track record.

Once you have a clear understanding of a company's business model, it's time to dive deeper into its industry.

LOOK UP IT'S INDUSTRY

Start by gathering as much information as possible about the target market, including its size, growth projections, and competitors. This will help you to get a sense of the industry's overall health and potential.

Then Identify the industry's key drivers. Look at the factors that are driving the industry, such as consumer demand, technological innovations, and economic conditions. Understanding these drivers can help you to predict future industry trends and identify opportunities.

Lastly, Evaluate the industry's barriers to entry: Look at the barriers to entry in the industry, such as regulatory barriers, economies of scale, and patent protections. Higher barriers to entry can make it more difficult for new competitors to enter the market and can help to protect existing players from competition.

Dig deeper into the finances

Now it is time to take a closer look at the numbers. Have you ever heard the quote: "Man lie, Women lie, Numbers don't".

It s true, especially when it comes to evaluating a company. Your job here is to question every little inconsistency like an accountant would do.

INCOME STATEMENT 

The income statement shows a company's revenues and expenses over a specific period, such as a fiscal year or quarter, and is used to calculate the company's net income or profit. Here are some tips for analyzing a company's income statement:

Look at the company's revenues and overall profitability: The first thing to look at on the income statement is the company's revenues. Consider whether the company's revenues are growing or declining and whether they are coming from a diverse range of sources or are concentrated in a few areas. When analyzing an income statement, Buffett looks for companies with strong and consistent revenues, as well as strong and consistent profitability.

Analyze the company's expenses: The next thing to look at on the income statement is the company's expenses. Consider whether the company is controlling its expenses effectively and whether there are any unusual or unexpected changes in its expenses. If a company has unusually high expenses in a quarter or fiscal year dig deeper and find out why. 

An income statement can be used to extract several ratios, each of which discloses various forms of information about a company, such as:

Gross margin. This is revenues minus the cost of goods sold, divided by revenues.

Operating margin. This is the profit earned after all operating expenses have been subtracted from the gross margin, divided by revenues.

Net profit margin. This is the profit earned after all operating and non-operating costs have been subtracted from the gross margin, divided by revenues

CASH FLOW STATEMENT 

The cash flow statement is an important financial statement that shows a company's inflows and outflows. Analyzing a company's cash flow statement can help you to understand the company's ability to generate and manage its cash resources. Here are some tips for analyzing a company's cash flow statement:

When analyzing a cash flow statement, there are several key factors to consider:

1. Operating cash flow: This is the cash generated from a company's day-to-day operations, such as selling products or providing services. A positive operating cash flow is a sign of a healthy business.
2. Investing activities: This section of the cash flow statement shows the cash a company is using to acquire assets, such as equipment or real estate. A company with a lot of investing activities may be expanding or upgrading its operations.
3. Financing activities: This section shows the cash a company is using to pay off debt or raise additional capital. A company with a lot of financing activities may be taking on more debt or issuing new shares of stock.
4. Net cash flow: The net cash flow is the overall change in a company's cash and cash equivalents over a given period. A positive net cash flow indicates that the company is generating more cash than it is using, while a negative net cash flow suggests that the company is using more cash than it is generating.
5. Free cash flow: Free cash flow is the cash a company has available after accounting for its operating and capital expenditures (short CapEx). It is an important measure of a company's financial health, as it shows how much cash is available to pay dividends, repurchase stock, or make acquisitions. A company with a strong and growing cash balance/FCF is generally seen.

Analyze the company's cash balance: In addition to analyzing the company's net cash flow, it is also important to look at the company's cash balance, which is the amount of cash it has on hand at a given point in time.

BALANCE SHEET

A balance sheet is a financial statement that shows a company's financial position at a specific point in time. It consists of three sections: assets, liabilities, and shareholder equity. Several financial ratios can be calculated using information from a company's balance sheet. 

Let's take a look at a few of these ratios:

Current ratio

This ratio measures the company's ability to pay its short-term debts. It is calculated by dividing current assets by current liabilities. A higher current ratio indicates that the company has a stronger ability to pay its short-term debts.

Generally speaking, a current ratio of 2:1 or higher is considered healthy, as it indicates that the company has twice as many current assets as current liabilities.

However, some industries may have different expectations for the current ratio. For example, in the retail industry, a current ratio of 1.5:1 or higher may be considered healthy. In the technology industry, a current ratio of 1:1 or higher may be considered healthy.

Debt-to-equity ratio

This ratio measures the proportion of debt and equity used to finance a company's assets. It is calculated by dividing total liabilities by total equity. A higher debt-to-equity ratio indicates that the company is more reliant on debt financing, which can be riskier than equity financing. A D/E ratio of below 1.5 is excellent. 

Return on equity (ROE)

This ratio measures the company's profitability by comparing net income to shareholder equity. It is calculated by dividing net income by shareholder equity. 

Some investors may consider an ROE ratio of 15% or higher to be strong, while others may consider an ROE ratio of 20% or higher to be strong. It's also important to consider the company's industry and the average ROE ratio for its industry when evaluating the company's ROE ratio.

Final words

Thanks for joining me for this deep dive into how to analyze stocks. I hope you found these tips and strategies helpful and that you feel more confident in your ability to research and evaluate potential investments. Remember, successful investing takes time and effort, but by following a systematic and disciplined approach, you can increase your chances of making informed and profitable decisions. Happy investing!