How-to guides for stock research
Research tasks broken into steps, with the time each one takes. The short version sits at the top of every guide; the detail and the mistakes to avoid follow.
Screening
| Guide | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| How to Look for Undervalued Stocks With Public Data Write down what undervalued means for this search: price below an estimate of value you can defend | 5 | 45 min |
| How to Screen for Dividend Stocks Without Yield Traps Set a yield floor and a ceiling, and park the names above the ceiling for a separate review | 5 | 25 min |
| How to Set Up a Growth Stock Screen, Filter by Filter Filter on revenue growth measured over three to five years | 6 | 25 min |
| How to Use a Stock Screener to Build a Short List Write down the one question the screen should answer before touching a filter | 6 | 20 min |
| Piotroski F-Score: How to Calculate It From Two 10-Ks Download the two most recent 10-K filings for the company | 5 | 30 min |
| How to Build a Stock Watchlist From a Screen Write down the question the watchlist should answer | 6 | 25 min |
Quote pages
| Guide | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| How to Read a Stock Market Heatmap Check what sets tile size and what the color scale measures before reading anything | 5 | 8 min |
| How to Read a Stock Quote Page, Field by Field Read the price block: last price, change, and the bid and ask with their sizes | 5 | 10 min |
| How to Read Analyst Ratings and Price Targets Map each firm's rating words onto one buy, hold and sell scale | 5 | 12 min |
| Market Data Subscriptions: What Professional Traders Need Write down which instruments and sessions your strategy trades | 6 | 20 min |
| Market Data Subscriptions: Reading the Subscriber Agreement Find the agreement before you switch the package on, and save a copy | 6 | 15 min |
| Market Data Subscriptions: Options Data for Pro Traders Confirm whether your current package includes options data at all | 6 | 15 min |
| Market Data Subscriptions: Professional or Non-Pro Status? Open the full data agreement and read the non-professional definition | 6 | 15 min |
| Share Count vs Shares Outstanding: Which Number Is Which Hover over the share count field or open the tool's glossary to see which count it shows | 5 | 10 min |
Filings and earnings
| Guide | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Altman Z-Score Example: Scoring a Company From Its 10-K Open the latest 10-K and copy total assets, current assets and current liabilities | 6 | 25 min |
| How to Find and Read 10-Q and 8-K Filings on EDGAR Search EDGAR by company name or ticker to open the company's filing list | 5 | 15 min |
| How to Get Useful Information From an Earnings Call Read the earnings release and the slide deck before the call starts | 5 | 60 min |
| How to Look Up Insider Buying With Form 4 Filings Search the company on EDGAR and filter its filing list to Form 4 | 6 | 15 min |
| How to Read a 10-K Annual Report Without Reading All of It Get the filing from EDGAR or from the company's investor relations site | 5 | 60 min |
| Price Book Value: How to Work It Out From the Filings Open the latest 10-K or 10-Q and go to the balance sheet | 6 | 20 min |
| Share Count in a 10-Q: Finding Basic, Diluted and Current Open the latest 10-Q on EDGAR and go to the main document | 6 | 15 min |
Charts
| Guide | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 200-Day Moving Average Chart: How to Read the Line Open a daily chart with at least a year of split-adjusted history | 6 | 10 min |
| Charting Stocks: The Settings That Change What You See Pick a chart type: a line for the long trend, candlesticks or OHLC bars when each period's range matters | 6 | 15 min |
| How to Compare a Stock's Performance to Its Sector Choose the sector or industry ETF that best matches what the company sells | 5 | 10 min |
| How to Draw a Trendline That Holds Up Pick the timeframe that matches how long you plan to hold | 6 | 10 min |
| How to Read Volume Bars Under a Stock Chart Check what each bar counts and how your chart colors it | 5 | 10 min |
| When to Switch a Stock Chart to Log Scale Open the chart settings or right-click the price axis to find the scale options | 4 | 5 min |
Research and portfolio
| Guide | Steps | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Analyst Research Reports: Free and Paid Ways to Get Them Check the research section of your brokerage account first | 6 | 15 min |
| ETF Overlap: How to Check a Whole Portfolio List every fund and stock you own with its value | 6 | 30 min |
| How to Keep a Stock Watchlist You Will Actually Use Cap the list at a size you can review in one sitting | 6 | 20 min |
| How to Calculate Your Portfolio's Return, Including Deposits List every deposit and withdrawal with its date and amount | 5 | 20 min |
| How to Compare Two Stocks in the Same Industry Write down what would make a company in this industry worth owning | 6 | 30 min |
| How to Estimate a Stock's Fair Value With a Simple DCF Find the company's trailing free cash flow: operating cash flow minus capital spending | 6 | 45 min |
| How to Read an ETF Fact Sheet Before You Buy Find the index the fund tracks and how that index weights its holdings | 5 | 10 min |
| Position Size Formula for Stocks: Worked Examples Choose the percent of the account you accept losing on the trade | 6 | 15 min |
| Analyst Research Reports: How to Read One in 15 Minutes Check the report date and what event prompted it | 6 | 15 min |