As a follow up to my How I Identify New Companies to Research post, in this post I address the position sizing conundrum investors face when trying to determine how to properly size a position within an investment portfolio. Dollar versus Percentage Perspective Determining how much weight each particular stock receives in a portfolio is [...]
Every great business is built around a strong moat. - Warren Buffett A company’s moat is an essential concept for investors and business professionals. It refers to a company’s ability to maintain competitive advantages to protect its long-term profits and market share from competing firms. Think of a company's moat as the answer to What [...]
A common question I receive is how I identify new companies to research and whether I use stock screeners. I use the free version of the Finviz stock screener sparingly. Stock screeners are not exclusive to a single user, and therefore, any stock screener output is readily accessible by all paying subscribers. I, therefore, derive [...]
Should you invest in a company with negative or negligible shareholder equity? Calculate shareholders’ equity by subtracting total liabilities from a company's total assets; both are on a company's Balance Sheet. Negative shareholder equity indicates a company's total liabilities exceeds its total assets. In many instances, this is a sign of financial distress. Not everything, [...]
Had I been much more mature when I was younger, I would likely now have a much larger investment portfolio. Alas, my priorities were much different decades ago. Allow me to regale you with some of my high school and undergraduate degree education experiences. Although I enjoyed high school and my undergraduate Economics university program, [...]
I have made my fair share of errors of commission and omission over the years! One of my errors of omission is not initiating a Cintas (CTAS) position when I looked at it in this November 10, 2017 post. On August 16, 2016, shortly after I retired, CTAS announced its intent to acquire G&K Services, [...]
Following the release of Q3 and YTD2024 results on August 26, 2024, I disclosed the purchase of 100 HEICO (HEI and HEI-a) Class A shares @ ~$189.47 in a 'Core' account within the FFJ Portfolio in my August 27 post. On October 28, I purchased an additional 100 Class A shares @ ~$195.58 through the [...]
Despite the following impressive statistics, equity exchange traded funds have disadvantages. Assets Under Management (AUM): In October 2024, AUM were in excess of ~$13T and had experienced a ~20% cumulative annualized growth rate (CAGR) since 2008. Number of ETFs: Over 12,000 ETFs listed globally. Market share: ETFs have more than doubled their market share relative [...]
I currently have insignificant PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) exposure within a retirement account for which I do not disclose details. As evidence of how little interest I have in this company, I have not reviewed this holding since this July 12, 2022 post. I strongly suspect that world-class athletes rarely consume PEP products. People who lead [...]
In my September 28, 2024 How Stock Based Compensation Distorts Free Cash Flow post, I state that I have been giving more thought to how stock-based compensation (SBC) distorts Free Cash Flow (FCF). In subsequent posts that are accessible through The FFJ Archives, I look at a company's FCF using two methods. The first method [...]