Book Description
Stickney/Brown/Wahlen is a balanced, flexible, and complete Financial Statement Analysis book that is written with the premise that students learn financial statement analysis most effectively by performing the analysis on actual companies. Students learn to integrate the concepts from economics, business strategy, accounting, and other business disciplines through the integration of a unique six-step process.
Customer Reviews:
Best book on FSA I have ever read.......2007-09-28
I like its strategic focus and case-oriented approach. The FSAP is terrific. In this book, financial statements finally found its correct place: describe the strategic decisions made by management. This book is never dry. Instead, it is vivid, fascinating, and a great reading for anyone who is serious with a career in equity research.
Worst textbook ever!.......2007-04-30
After three years of graduate school and two Master's degrees (MPH/MBA)I have to say this was the WORST textbook I was unfortunate enough to encounter. I wish I could get a refund for both the cost of the book and the pain and suffering I endured while trying to read it. If a professor tries to get you to buy this book please say "NO"!
HORRIBLE BOOK EVER.......2007-02-22
I am in an MBA program too. I have to use this book as a textbook for the course, Financial Statement Analysis. I have taken Managerial Financing before and done a very good job on that course. But it doesn't help me a lot to understand this terrible book. It isn't that course's fault. I appreciate that I have taken some financing course before I use this book. I can't understand this book very well totally because this book is terrible. Both textbooks for Financing and this course are published by the same publisher, Thomas?..I couldn't believe how different those two books are.
In this book, Pepsi case keeps confusing most readers. Most equations are not highlighted so you can not find them easily and quickly. Homework is not designed for the students who are studying this book but for the authors themselves. Fortunately, our professor sends his master copy to us. It will help us understand homework more, but unfortunately after we have handed in our results.
If anyone who teaches FSA, please do not use this book as your textbook for your students. Pls, pls, pls..Even though you are an expert on accounting or finance, your students will still suffer from your course and almost learn nothing from this TERRIBLE book.
This book sucks if you're learning for the first time........2006-09-26
This book is TERRIBLE. I am an engineer in an MBA program. The book is supposedly for non accountants, but I don't see how it's possible to understand this book if you're not an accountant. If you're unfortunate and have to use this book, find a good book that you can actually read to supplement the subject.
There's a lot mumbo jumbo using technical terms that could be much easier stood with a table and reference to specific numbers in the table. There has got to be a better way to learn finacial statement analysis.
Book Description
From the "guru to Wall Street's gurus" comes the fundamental techniques of value investing and their applications
Bruce Greenwald is one of the leading authorities on value investing. Some of the savviest people on Wall Street have taken his Columbia Business School executive education course on the subject. Now this dynamic and popular teacher, with some colleagues, reveals the fundamental principles of value investing, the one investment technique that has proven itself consistently over time. After covering general techniques of value investing, the book proceeds to illustrate their applications through profiles of Warren Buffett, Michael Price, Mario Gabellio, and other successful value investors. A number of case studies highlight the techniques in practice.
Bruce C. N. Greenwald (New York, NY) is the Robert Heilbrunn Professor of Finance and Asset Management at Columbia University. Judd Kahn, PhD (New York, NY), is a member of Morningside Value Investors. Paul D. Sonkin (New York, NY) is the investment manager of the Hummingbird Value Fund. Michael van Biema (New York, NY) is an Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Business, Columbia University.
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional Addition for Any Investor.......2007-07-07
Fantastic summary of modern value investing. Greenwald looks at the discipline with the critical eye of a professor, making it more informative than many other books about the subject. Even seasoned value investors will learn from this book.
Must-read for value investors!.......2007-07-01
What I Liked About It
* Details several valuation methods that I haven't seen in other non-academic, mainstream investing books.
* Several real-world examples to apply valuation methods
* Great treatment of brands vs. franchises
What Needed Work
* Various investor profiles unnecessarily fill the 2nd half of the book.
* Attempts at quantifying "franchise" felt a bit forced.
Greenwald's book ranks at the very top of my investing bookshelf. I read this after having read Graham, Greenblatt, Klarman, Lynch, P. Fisher, Cramer (yes, that Cramer!), Dorsey, Buffett, and Browne among others. Amazingly, this book broached a number of topics not covered by those prominent authors. As such, this book is required reading for the discerning investor.
The most important concepts this book gave me were valuation methods based on net asset value (NAV) and earnings power value (EPV). Before this, I had trouble valuing companies that didn't generate steady cash flow or have commodity assets. Now I have more angles from which to examine a prospect and find undervalued companies besides running a DCF analysis. We've heard about past opportunities where you could have bought a company like McDonalds for the price of its real estate and gotten the business for free. Greenwald shows you how to find these opportunities using his asset valuation methods. He also gives you the tools to fairly value "tech" companies (or any enterprise with heavy intangible capital). Less convincing is his discussion of earnings power value but nonetheless, it's still helpful to be able to examine a company's earnings ability.
Greenwald also spends time discussing problems with discount cash flow analysis (DCF) as well as franchises. While his thoughts on these subjects were thought-provoking, I don't completely agree with his conclusions.
On DCF, Greenwald says that trying to project future growth rates 5-10 years forward is folly and will distort your DCF analysis. While he is right that future growth projections are problematic, that doesn't mean DCF isn't helpful for individual investors. Greenwald concedes that his preferred methodologies require, in some instances, in-depth knowledge of the business and industry of the company being examined. The non-professional (me!) may not have this expertise and any estimates of asset worth or capital costs would be just as faulty as analyst growth estimates. In fact, an adjusted future growth rate derived from a number of industry-knowledgeable analysts may be more generally accurate (if imprecise).
The main knock against the book is the whole second half consisting of eight investor profiles. There's nothing wrong with them per se except that they are in the book at all. If I had wanted a book on famous value investors, I would have picked up something by Kirk Kazanjian. The chapter on Warren Buffett is almost exclusively quotations taken from freely available public reports and Seth Klarman has written his own book on investing.
I've written a more-indepth review at my enlightened-american website but in summary, my advice is to soak in the 1st half of the book and skip the 2nd half entirely. Dig into an annual report instead and start applying what Greenwald's shown you.
A MUST READ.......2006-11-13
find weak areas with strong fundamentals is secret according to this book. this is a good combo to Investing Without Losing (ISBN: 0978834607 NOT on amazn, on other stores), one is about the concept and the latter is about execution
the most comprehensive review on value.......2006-09-20
In short, this book is grounded on economics and common sense. It summarizes "the intelligent investor", "security analysis", and the modern books on Buffett pretty well (there are other paths to heaven besides Buffett's). Its verbiage is beautifully chosen and a joy to read, especially for avid value investors. Best of all it is a scholarly work - if you're sick and tired of the commercial investing books that flood bookstores, buy this book.
Must-read for serious investors of any stripe.......2006-08-12
A must-read for investors of any stripe, growth or value. This book, written by a couple of the most popular professors at Columbia Business School, explains the innovations in the field of value investing as practiced by some of the most successful investors in the field. (fair disclosure: I will be taking courses from them in 2007) This book successfully bridges the gap between the traditional Graham & Dodd style of value investing to what works today. Although it's a paperback, it's written with the density of a textbook. The writing style is not light, and the actual meat of the book takes some time to wade through. If you don't have some experience in accounting or corporate finance, then Joel Greenblatt's The Little Book That Beats the Market is good to read first.
The substance of this book is a process for modern value investing: value investing is not investing in lousy companies just because they appear cheap. The authors also teach a structured way to value a company. Finally, the authors address how to value growth.
First, before reading this book I had the mistaken impression that value investing was all about investing in the ugliest, least interesting company you could find just because it had a low P/E ratio. I was completely wrong! (Maybe I have attended too many stock pitch sessions and heard too many poultry stocks and encyclopedia companies get pitched.) Modern value investing, according the authors: "When B. Graham went scouring financial statements looking for his net-nets, it did not concern him that he may have known little about the industry in which he found his targets. All he was concerned with were asset values and a margin of safety by that measure. A contemporary value investor had better be able to identify and understand the sources of a company's franchise and the nature of its competitive advantages. Otherwise he or she is just another punter, taking a flier rather than making an investment." What a breath of fresh air to read this passage.
Second, this book lays out a structured way to value a company by first looking at reproduction costs of assets, then earnings power, and finally the value of profitable growth. I, like the authors, find traditional DCF valuations to be plagued by false precision. The authors' more practical method starts by adjusting the balance GAAP balance sheet to calculate the cost of the assets for a potential business entrant. Next, the company is valued based on the earnings generates consistently, assuming no growth. A key insight is the value of the franchise: the difference between asset value and Earnings Power Value is the value created by a company that has significant competitive advantage. Last, the value of profitable growth is considered.
As a self-admitted recovering growth stock addict, I learned from this book that value investors are skeptical about growth for two reasons. One reason is that it is so hard to predict, but more important, many times growth is not worth much. Unless the return on capital (ROC) of the company is higher than the cost of capital, growth does not create value. (I am a slow learner; Greenblatt's example in The Little Book That Beats the Market of opening an additional gum store is even clearer to me.) The growth matrix and formulas in the book were a revelation to me. The surprising thing is how little multiple expansion a stock deserves based on growth. Unless a company truly has a franchise, expanding into other areas and "diversifying" the business often destroys value. And growth for growth's sake will not make a stock go up.
This book brings value investing into the modern stock market. Modern value investors still use traditional valuation principles in a structured way, but they also consider the value of growth and the attractiveness of the business. What a relief, I not restricted to buying typewriter and pay phone stocks! The authors quote Warren Buffett: It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.
Book Description
This book describes valuation as an exercise in financial statement analysis. Students learn to view a firm through its financial statements and to carry out the appropriate financial statement analysis to value the firm's debt and equity. The book takes an activist approach to investing, showing how the analyst challenges the current market price of a share by analyzing the fundamentals. With a careful assessment of accounting quality, accounting comes to life as it is integrated with the modern theory of finance to develop practical analysis and valuation tools for active investing.
Customer Reviews:
The Best book in Fundamental Analysis.......2007-09-27
This is an excelente book in Fundamental & Valuation reading, The idea of The author is that reformulation on the tradicional statement must be done for investor propose. He do it, and he teach how to do the work in a eassy form. But first of it, he teach about the fundamental essential and he use value drivers for analysis and estimation value.
The author thinks and demostrated that the Fundamental model are much better than other model of valuation like discount Free Cash flow.
In a line of Graham, Dodds, The fundamental analysis of this book is very deep in concept that I founded very usefull. IS a best book than other traditional. I think that de exercise present in the book must have the answer in a internet site, If this is done, dont doubt:It will be The best book in Fundamental an valuation.
Great Text BUT no access to the site materials.......2007-09-11
great text but shame on the publisher not providing access to the solutions of the materials inside the book.
Good Text, Horrible Service.......2007-07-29
This is such an excellent text. McGraw Hill has to provide access to the solutions so that individual investors who are trying to teach themselves can learn the material. This is ludicrous. It stinks.
Incomplete.......2007-05-13
The book itself is great. I bought it with the idea that I would read it and teach myself the material since completing an MBA two years ago. I was denied access to solutions for the exercises and other resources reserved for instructors and students in degree programs. All information provided to instructors was denied to me by the publisher. For the money spent on this volume, all of the educational resources should be made available either through instructors in formalized degree programs or by some other means to people like myself not in degree programs. Otherwise, this text should not be made available to the general public on Amazon. That stated, the book itself is superb...if you want to read it like a novel.
Book Description
The treatment in Analysis of Equity Investments: Valuation is intended to communicate a practical equity valuation process for the investment generalist. Unlike many alternative works, the book integrates accounting and finance concepts, providing the evenness of subject matter treatment, consistency of notation, and continuity of topic coverage so critical to the learning process.
The book does not simply deliver a collection of valuation models, but challenges the reader to determine which models are most appropriate for specific companies and situations. This book contains many real-life worked examples and problems with complete solutions. In addition, the examples and problems reflect the global investment community.
Chapter 1 describes how an analyst approaches the equity valuation process.
Chapter 2 begins with the basic John Burr Williams dividend discount model (DDM) and discusses the derivation of the required rate of return within the context of Markowitz and Sharpe's modern portfolio theory (the capital asset pricing model).
Chapter 3 shows how the DDM approach can be modified to a free cash flow (FCF) approach. Considerable attention is devoted to forecasting FCF and its relationship both to the firm (FCFF) and to equity (FCFE).
Chapter 4 takes a somewhat different approach to equity valuation by using Graham and Dodd-type concepts of earning power and associated "Market Multiples." The most familiar of these is probably the price-to-earnings ratio, but there is also merit to using price to book value, price to sales, price to cash flow, enterprise value to EBITDA, and price to dividends.
In Chapter 5, the authors present residual income models. The authors demonstrate how to calculate residual income and discuss the accounting adjustments necessary to estimate single-stage and multistage residual income valuation.
Customer Reviews:
Must-have reference for students!.......2007-07-26
As an undergraduate Finance student prepping for the C.F.A. exam, I must say this is the best textbook I have seen on valuing equities. Clearly written by experienced C.F.A.'s, this guide to valuation has been more helpful and easier to use than any of the textbooks used in my finance classes.
It is well organized, making it easy to read as a single pass-through and to use as a reference for specific topics. The best thing about its writing style is the plentiful examples. Pages of practice problems and step-by-step demonstrations leave the reader with no misunderstanding of the material.
Some important topics covered include methods of valuation (discounted dividend, discounted cash flow, multiples, and the less popular residual income), methods of obtaining discount rates/required return, and other helpful information such as how analyst research reports are structured. Each topic is covered in great detail, encompassing just about every aspect an analyst should know and more. Do not expect to remember everything - I suggest building your own spreadsheet models using this book as a reference to help reinforce the information.
If you are a college student or studying for the C.F.A., this is a necessary book to have in your arsenal. If will provide clarity where other books do not suffice.
Book Description
Penman's
Financial Statement Analysis and Security Valuation 2/e focuses on the output of financial statements, not the input. As such, the book asks what financial statements tell you, not how they are prepared. The idea is to get students to see accounting "working." The book focuses on using financial statements in valuation. The text takes the approach that the best way to accurately value a firm is to look at the future earnings of the firm. The main pretext of the book is that financial statement analysis and valuation analysis are inextricably entwined: valuation is an exercise in financial statement analysis. Financial statement analysis is directed by the need to get information for valuation. Accordingly, the book brings finance and accounting concepts together. The book stresses concepts, but the idea is to show how to move from concepts to practice.
Customer Reviews:
Heir to the Throne.......2006-06-23
For decades Graham and Dodd's "Security Analysis" has been the Bible of Value Investing. But now Stephen Penman, Columbia professor who teaches what Graham did, stakes his claim as a truly worthy successor, with this textbook.
I felt a profound expansion of my understanding of fundamental analysis when I read Security Analysis. Penman's textbook is the only other book that has provided me with a similar deepening of my understanding. Indeed, if Graham were still around, I am quite sure this is the book he would have written.
If you seek a strong foundation and understanding of how accounting information and valuation work together, there is no better book i have come across. All the other texts seem to pale in comparison.
Here's a small extract:
"A valuation model not only tells you how to think about the value generation in the future, but it also tells you how to account for the value generation. A valuation model is really a model of proforma accounting for the future. Should you account for the future in terms of dividends? should you account for the future in terms of cash flows? Or should you use accrual accounting for the future? You see, then, that accounting and valuation are very much alike. Valuation is a matter of accounting for value."
Statements like these will give a dedicated value investor a high. If you are one, make sure u read this book!
Best Fundamental Analysis Textbook .......2004-09-20
I must first disclose that I am a student in Professor Penman's class at Columbia, therefore I may have some insights and access to items that other readers may not have. Nonetheless, this textbook is amazing! I am in my last 2 electives before graduating from a dual MBA program at Columbia/LBS, and this textbook and class are "pulling everything together." I have taken 5 finance courses and 3 accounting classes and thus, have a pretty good background in finance/accounting, despite being a physician with no practical experience in the financial services industry (yet).
THE BOOK: What I have found different about this text book and every other finance/valuation textbook I have used in my studies including Brealey and Myers (the finance bible)is that it handles both the broad, conceptual aspects and the nuts-and-bolts valuation tools extremely well. Penman is able to start with a broad concept and then introduce valuation tools/techniques that build on these concepts. This makes it easier to understand and remember the valuation process (at least for me). The graphs and diagrams are equally helpful (for a change) and re-enforce the textual information. In contrast, the McKinsey valuation textbook (bible #2) is good on the conceptual aspects, but lacks tremendously in the detailed analysis sections. The additional workbook for the McKinsey book fails miserably as well. This textbook has it all, and provides an excellent framework and tool set to enter the financial services industry.
Easily the best book in the field..........2004-08-23
Penman's book is rapidly becoming THE textbook for MBA courses in fundamental analysis and equity valuation, and rightly so. The approach he suggests just plain makes good economic sense, and he is able to offer a method that allows the users of financial statements to get to the core of how economic profits are created, and perhaps most importantly, how those profits should be valued.
In the end, of course, no one has all of the answers -- a major weakness in the book, in my opinion, is a less-than-complete discussion of the issues surrounding the determination of the elusive "cost of operations". He rather vaguely suggests the application of a basic statistical method that I won't go into here (read the book and see what you think!), but the discussion is a little thin and will hopefully be beefed up in future editions. But, hey, like I said: no one has really cracked the case on this perennial grey area, and Penman's ideas are as good as any I've encountered.
Again, though, this book provides the reader with some rather powerful tools with which to tackle financial statements. My only regret is that I bought the softcover international edition to save some cash -- I can honestly say that this is the only textbook I've ever purchased where I wished I had picked up the hardcover edition. Don't make the same mistake. This is a text you will want to refer to time and time again, so just go ahead and buy the real, hardcover deal. I know I'll be picking up my own hardcover copy once the next edition is released.
Professor Penman, if you happen to read the reviews here, thanks for the effort and please keep striving to improve on this landmark text!!
A Banking Professional.......2004-07-13
Very much thorough and practical point of view. Awesome! An art piece of integrating in-depth accounting and valuation!
Excellent!.......2003-08-22
I've studied innumerable books on Security Analysis, but have yet to find one that satisfied my desire to fully integrate financial statement analysis with valuation--until now! Penman's book does an excellent job of presenting all the various valuation methods and critiquing the strengths and weaknesses of each one. He does a superb job of showing the relationship between cash flow and accrual accounting and how each relates to valuation. He also shows how corporate strategy affects both the financials and valuation and how to do decent pro formas. For the studious stock analyst, this book is well worth the extra time required to digest its many insights. I rate this book second only to the original Graham and Dodd's Security Analysis.
Book Description
Applied Equity Analysis treats stock valuation as a practical, hands-on tool rather than a vague, theoretical exercise—and covers the entire valuation process from financial statement analysis through the final investment recommendation. Its integrated approach to valuation builds viable connections between a firm’s competitive situation and the ultimate behavior of its common stock. Techniques explained include EVA, newer hybrid valuation techniques, and relative multiple analysis.
Download Description
Applied Equity Analysis treats stock valuation as a practical, hands-on tool rather than a vague, theoretical exercise--and covers the entire valuation process from financial statement analysis through the final investment recommendation.
Customer Reviews:
great book for those in finance.......2006-06-20
This book is great if you're in the field of finance. This is not for the average consumer looking for investment advice. I've been in corporate financial planning and analyis for the past five years and always wondered how equity analysts built their models. This books will give you insight into their thinking and also give enough detail to build your own models. I would have rated it five stars if the book included a CD with his examples in Excel. The author does have website where you can download sample models.
for SELL-SIDE analysts only.......2006-01-14
I bought this book based on the strong reviews as a complement to Damodaran's classic on valuation, but felt disappointed.
To qualify my comments: First, I am not a sell-side analyst, and secondly, I haven't finished the book. After about 50 pages, I threw in the towel.
My first stylistic objection to the book is its low content density. There is tremendous repetition and examples are trotted out in excruciating detail, even where the conclusions are fairly obvious. For example, on p. 34: "At competitive equilibrium, the firm can identify no incremental investment opportunities likely to generate returns in excess of capital costs. Competitive equilibrium is often defined as a condition in which investment opportunities generate returns equal to capital costs, but existing investments continue to earn abnormal rates." To me these two sentences are already redundant. But in case you still didn't get it, further DOWN on the SAME PAGE: "...This situation is called economic equilibrium, or economic parity. What does equilibrium mean? When returns are forced down to capital costs, then economic rents and/or abnormal earnings disappear and no further incentive to enter the business exists".
But the most frequently repeated point of the first two chapters, is best summed up on p. 19: "As I say many times in the coming pages [and he's not kidding, there], equity analysis is not prophecy; it's opinion. It was never meant to be objective description, but it is strong advocacy." If you're the sell-side analyst, having to "dress up a pig" to help your firm gain some banking business, this book might offer some ideas. But where does this leave the consumer of such analysis? "It's the investor's job to 'diversify' by considering a variety of analysts' positions." (p.9)
I think better advice for the investor might be to learn how to perform sound analysis themselves. For that, I recommend Damodaran's book. I lost my faith in this book's intent to provide balanced (let alone predictive) analysis.
One of the Best.......2005-11-01
There are reams and reams of investment valuation books on the market -- that is obvious.
In my opinion, the three no one should be without are Applied Equity Analysis, Stephen Penman's monster tome "financial statements and...", and lastly, Aswath Damadoran's book, "investment valuation."
Most hyperventilating MBAs default to Damadoran; I really enjoy the simplicity behind Applied Equity Analysis.
Caution: Neither of the 3 are what you'd call "light reading."
If you have any money left, honorable mention goes to Cooke's "security analysis on wall street."
Probably the best.......2004-07-15
I've been looking for a practical step by step book on equity analysis from a practitioners viewpoint. This is it. Other books try to take shortcuts. This book does not take short-cuts, but neither is it bogged down with unncessary academic exercises. If you really want to understand how to do valuation and applied equity analysis I can't recommend any book more highly. It is head and shoulders above anything else out there. Penman's book (from Columbia Business School) is also good but it is a VERY serious and weighty book that probably should only be attacked after you have read this one. Get this book by English and you will not be sorry. I have spent way too much time reading hundreds of other books that weren't nearly as educational. Again, however, it is only for the serious investor.
Very readable, very insightful, and extremely practical.......2001-09-23
James English's "Applied Equity Analysis" is a how-to manual on evaluating stocks based on his 20 years of experience at JP Morgan. The book is very well-written and readable since the author employs plain english (no pun intended) to make his three major points: 1) accounting numbers--while by no means perfect--are excellent tools in evaluating stocks, 2) accounting-based stock valuation is superior to (but does not neccessarily supplant) cash flows, and 3) competition ensures that eye-popping financial performance doesn't last forever.
Contrary to another reviewer, English employs excellent examples to clarify and explain his points. Some examples: Gateway 2000's earnings history was used to explain how to find and interpret non-recurring items (NRI) on financial statements. Ratio analysis was demonstrated by looking at the PC industry in 1998. Emerson Electric was the company chosen to show why mature companies were still good buys. Many other examples abound, and English does a successful job in tying their relevance to his arguements.
But successful use of examples is not just the only strength of the book. The author also tackles a range of topics complete with insightful and clear discussions: the flaws of the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH), Economic Value Added (EVA), financial statement analysis, fundamental analysis, etc.
A quick glance at the table of contents below gives you an idea of the scope of English's book. I highly recommend this book to not just Wall Street analysts, anyone who is interested in finding fundamental value in evaluating stocks instead of following the crowd.
Pt. 1 Getting Started
Ch. 1 A Day in the Life
Ch. 2 Fundamentals of Equity Valuation
Ch. 3 Strategy and Competition I: The Firm's External Environment
Ch. 4 Strategy and Competition II: The Firm's Internal Competitive Resources
Ch. 5 Fundamentals of Stock Behavior
Pt. 2 The Basic Tools
Ch. 6 Reading a Financial Statement: The Accuracy, Sustainability, and Predictability of Financial Information
Appendix 6-1 Gateway Financial Statements
Ch. 7 Reading a Financial Statement: the Composition of Returns
Appendix 7-1 Comparative Financial Analysis: Personal Computer Industry
Ch. 8 Reading a Financial Statement: Early-Stage Companies and Investment Capacity
Ch. 9 Reading a Financial Statement: Later-Stage Companies and the Transition to Maturity
Ch. 10 Economic Value Added: An Alternative to Traditional Analysis Techniques
Appendix 10-1 Gateway's Cost of Capital
Pt. 3 Financial Models
Ch. 11 Financial Modeling: Base Case Assumptions and Model Design
Appendix 11-1 Dell Computer Corporation Consolidated Statement of Income
Ch. 12 Financial Modeling: The Income Statement and Balance Sheet
Ch. 13 Financial Modeling: The Statement of Cash Flows
Pt. 4 Equity Valuation
Ch. 14 Valuation: Foundations and Fundamentals
Ch. 15 Combat Finance: Relative Methods and Companion Variable Models
Ch. 16 Hybrid Valuation Techniques
Ch. 17 The Quirky Price/Earnings Ratio
Ch. 18 Valuation of Speculative Stocks
Ch. 19 Equity Analysis and Business Combinations
Pt. 5 Getting It Down on Paper
Ch. 20 Financial Writing: Don't Bury the Lead
Bibliography
Index
Book Description
"Here is an essential tool for the investor: clear, practical, insightful, and concise. This book should have a long, useful life in a professional's library."
—Jeffrey P. Davis, CFA, Chief Investment Officer, Lee Munder Capital Group
"This book provides a clear, comprehensive overview of equity valuation concepts and methods. It is well suited for finance practitioners who want to strengthen their understanding of equity asset valuation and as a supplemental reading in advanced undergraduate and graduate courses addressing security analysis and business valuation."
—Professor Robert Parrino, CFA, PhD, Department of Finance, Red McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin
"CFA Institute has done it again. This will be a 'must' reference book for anyone serious about the nuances of equity investment valuation."
—Robert D. Arnott, Chairman, Research Affiliates
"Equity Asset Valuation concisely and clearly explains the most widely used approaches to equity evaluation. In addition to thoroughly explaining the implementation of each valuation method, there is sophisticated discussion of the commonsense financial economics and accounting issues underlying the methods."
—David Blackwell, Head and RepublicBank/James W. Aston Professor of Finance, Mays Business School, Texas A&M University
Customer Reviews:
An important reference book in CFA curriculum.......2007-04-10
It is an extremely important reference book because I am preparing for CFA Level II exam. I've found the book an introductory one to illustrate basic concept in investment industry. Any one who wants to enter the investment banks,mutual funds,asset manangement corps. should have this book in hand.
I strongly recommend it to all candidates on the road to getting CFA charter, and other partitioners in investment field may also find it helpful.
Book Description
The yield curve is the defining indicator of the global debt capital markets, and an understanding of it is vital to the smooth running of the economy as a whole. All participants in the market, be they issuers of capital, investors or banking intermediaries, will have a need to estimate, interpret and understand the yield curve. Fund managers that accurately predict the shape and direction of the curve will consistently outperform those that do not.
This groundbreaking new book offers:
- An intuitive account of a very important technical subject, cutting through the mathematics to reveal key concepts
- Market approaches to enable fund managers to evaluate the current and expected shape of the yield curve
- An opportunity for market professionals to have an understanding of the latest analytical techniques.
Written by an experienced market practitioner, this book is a clear and accessible account of an important financial topic.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Synopsis for an Important and Much Ignored Topic.......2007-01-06
If you ever tried to research yield curves, then you will most likely find yourself reading a paragraph or a chapter in at least two books and / or articles. The author's capacity to summarize different bits of information to allow the reader to digest more efficiently this specfic topic is impressive. The book is primarily for an intremediate or expert fixed income person, but he does a good job in the beginning chapters to teach entry level fixed income people. The fixed income universe is divergent in products from bonds, derivative contracts and structured vehicles and it is people like Moorad Choudhry and his talent to amalgamate subject matter that any financial market person should read. All readers will ascertain a top down view of yield curves and if they need to go down to a granular level (i.e. find another book or article), then Choudhry has prepared the reader not to be lost between two trees in a forest.
Excellent all-in coverage.......2006-01-11
This book brings together all related points and saves the practitioner from having to buy 2 or 3 books. It covers bond yield, yield curve estimation and modelling, and then brings it all together in a chapter on relative value trading and yield curve spread trading. An excellent, well-written book that I think all government bond and Eurobond traders and portfolio managers will want to check out.
Get this without a doubt!!.......2006-01-11
It is so rare to find an author whose work is aimed at the rank and file of the finance world. Choudhry has excelled himself once again and clearly knows his work. His writing style is quite the most concise yet detailed and also quite convivial. i am quite sure he is an extremely successful person both personally and professionally.
Finally, an excellent book about the Yield Curve.......2004-04-21
There have been so many books about the yield curve, and all of them so mediocre. It is good to finally have one that describes and analyses the curve for everyone - money managers, bankers, investment analysts. Written in the author's trademark accessible style, this book is like nothing out there, highly recommended.
Mediocre.......2004-04-03
There have been so many good books written about the yield curve that it is hard to imagine why this one was written. It is actually very similar, if not remarkably the same, to a couple of other books previously published. If you have the better written books on this subject, there is no need to buy this. If you don't have them, buy them instead.
Book Description
No matter what industry your company competes in, you need to have a firm understanding of how to create a direct link between shareholder value and critical business processes in order to improve performance and achieve long-term value. Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation contains the information and expertise you need to do just this—and much more.
Customer Reviews:
How to link and then drive both performance and value.......2007-04-27
All vehicles have dashboards and those manufactured in recent years have dashboards with gauges which measure more than engine temperature, miles driven, available fuel, etc. Those within the dashboard in my wife's Honda Pilot, for example, measure tire pressure, the temperature outside, and the current percentage of oil efficiency. It also has a built-in compass. I thought about all this as I recently read Wayne Eckerson's Performance Dashboards and Jack Alexander's Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation. If viewed as vehicles, all organizations need means by which to measure, accurately, performance at all levels and in all areas of operation. Burn rate is analogous with consumption of fuel, as are the costs of replacing customers and valued employees analogous with the costs of repairs necessitated by neglect of scheduled (preventive) vehicle maintenance. Comparisons can also be made in terms of alignment and torque. The performance of organizations as well as of vehicles can be measured accurately; only then is it possible to minimize or, better yet, eliminate waste of available resources.
In Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation, Alexander does a brilliant job of introducing and then explaining what he calls the "Value Performance Framework" (VPF) which will enable those who execute it effectively to link and then drive both performance and value. Within his crisp and eloquent narrative, he focuses on performance dashboards and Excel models which are included in a companion CD-ROM. They are identified in the book with a CD-RM logo. As Alexander explains, the dashboards and spreadsheets are intended as working examples for use after appropriate modification to each reader's own circumstances (i.e. resources, needs, and objectives). I hasten to add that the VPF can be of substantial value to any organization, whatever its size and nature may be.
After discussing "the single greatest challenge in creating an effective measurement system" in Chapter 1, Alexander carefully organizes his material as follows:
Part One (Chapters 2-4): Creating Context and Covering the Basics
Excerpt: "Typically, more can be learned by understanding why firms differ on key [valuation] measures than by selecting a peer group that shares common characteristics. A much richer picture is framed by comparing [and contrasting] your firm to market averages and several best-practice companies in addition to a peer group. Further, the use of a broad set of [valuation] measures, with appropriate benchmarks, would help to avoid the level of valuation errors that were made in the recent stock market bubble." (Page 58)
Part Two (Chapters 5-10): Linking Performance and Value
Excerpt: "There are hundreds of potential measures to choose from to measure different aspects of operating effectiveness. Great care must be exercised in selecting the measures that are most appropriate to a firm at a specific point in time. The performance dashboards must reflect key business priorities. The measures should be evaluated periodically and revised to reflect ever-changing priorities and conditions. It is also critical to provide balance to ensure that a focus on efficiency is not achieved at the expense of quality, customer satisfaction, or growth." (Page 142)
Part Three (Chapters 11-13): Driving Performance and Value
Excerpt: "The single most important factor for achieving success with a [Performance Measurement Framework] is to create context for the measurement system. This is achieved by creating linkage among strategy, performance management, process and quality initiatives, financial performance, and shareholder value. It is also critical to integrate and link operating measures to financial measures and then to shareholder value measures. The time spent in establishing this linkage will improve understanding and ultimately the effectiveness of the framework." (Page 232)
Those who share my high regard for this brilliant book are urged to check out the aforementioned Performance Dashboards written by Wayne Eckerson as well as Joseph Bower and Clark Gilbert's From Resource Allocation to Strategy, Jeanne Ross's Enterprise Architecture as Strategy, Henry Chesbrough's Open Business Models, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement, and Ram Charan's Know-How.
Great for Small Businesses too!.......2007-04-12
As a CPA in Public Practice, I found that the "Value Performance Framework" laid out in Alexander's book very adaptable to the small business perspective. It's a very good read and I often refer back to it during my small business engagements.
A must read for public company functional managers.......2007-04-03
Public Company CFO - I have made this a must read for each of my direct reports. This book takes what many have made overly complex and turns it into a real tool to use within the company in driving improved performance. Logically outlines the concepts in terms that are easily understood by both finance and non finance managers. The use of detailed examples, defining key terms and providing working/tailorable templates enables the reader to accelerate real value creation. For a public company it is a valuable enabler for the finance team and it allows functional managers to see the connections between their actions and building value for our shareholders
Great workbook for every management level.......2007-02-05
I've used this book repeatedly since I purchased it a couple of months ago. It is both an excellent reference source and, more importantly, a mechanism for action for all managers that contribute to a company's performance.
The dashboard concept provides easily understood and asimilated performance data for every level of management. The book provides a step by step approach that if implemented corporate wide, must increase awareness and forms the platform for sustained value creation.
The spreadsheet examples on the attached disk are easy to customize to your own situation and take all the pain out of getting started.
Great Book for the Mid-Level Manager.......2007-02-01
I am a mid level manager in a Fortune 500 company. I found Jack's book to be an excellent resource for understanding Value Creation and how to quantify Value Creation to non-finance people within the organization. Jack does a great job of explaining the concepts in an easy-to-read style. It's a "must read" for lower and mid level managers in today's business environment.
Book Description
"Aswath Damodaran is simply the best valuation teacher around. If you are interested in the theory or practice of valuation, you should have Damodaran on Valuation on your bookshelf. You can bet that I do."
-- Michael J. Mauboussin, Chief Investment Strategist, Legg Mason Capital Management and author of More Than You Know: Finding Financial Wisdom in Unconventional Places
In order to be a successful CEO, corporate strategist, or analyst, understanding the valuation process is a necessity. The second edition of
Damodaran on Valuation stands out as the most reliable book for answering many of todays critical valuation questions. Completely revised and updated, this edition is the ideal book on valuation for CEOs and corporate strategists. You'll gain an understanding of the vitality of todays valuation models and develop the acumen needed for the most complex and subtle valuation scenarios you will face.
Customer Reviews:
Very good and very useful book.......2007-09-03
Very useful book for every Investment analyst.
Special credits to Amazon for their perfect shipping - 10 days from order to delivery in BG with standard shipping option!!!
The best valuation book there is.......2007-05-19
This book is for individuals that are serious about valuation. Professor Damodaran provides a clear framework regarding key issues that need to be addressed during company valuation.
This is a must read.
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Books Index
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General
| Popular Economics
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Understanding the Corporate Annual Report: A User's Guide
Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, Fourth Edition
Investments with S&P bind-in card
Bond Markets, Analysis and Strategies (6th Edition)
Cases and Materials on Corporations Including Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies (American Casebook)
