The Intelligent Investor – 8 – The Investor and Market Fluctuations

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Jimit Zaveri under Bibliophile: The Intelligent Investor

When we have invested in the bonds then that will get little fluctuation to the market price. But when we have invested in the common stocks then it will have a wider fluctuation to the market price. So that we need to be ready financially and psychologically for upcoming fluctuation into our common stock investment. It is easy to advise for not doing a speculate but hard to follow it. Fluctuation and behavior of the market attract us to make a speculative decision. So, if we want to make a speculative decision then keep aside some amount of money as considering that we are going to lose it through speculation.

We need to take a benefit from the swing of the market pendulum rather than getting trapped into it. And we can take a benefit by way of timing to the market or through pricing.

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We cannot predict the direction of the market consistently and if we start predicting a direction then we end up as a speculator, not as an investor. People want to buy during the bear market where everyone else is selling and sell during the bull market where everyone else is buying. But people are tending to do the reverse, the majority of the people buy at high / during a bull market and sell at low / during a bear market.

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Similar has happened during the year 2017, people have seen a bull market from the year 2014 to 2017 and they started believing that this will never be going to end and stock prices keep on going higher and higher.

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1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd point has been explained to the previous articles of the same series.

One of the optical and data networking products company

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IPO of the company came at Rs.257 so that MCap was ~Rs.2367cr which was at the EV/EBITDA of 14.09x in FY17 and stock price rose to ~Rs.437 in FY18 which was at EV/EBITDA of ~26.33x. The company has incurred losses in a few years and came to profit since FY2016.

One of the publication company

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The IPO of the company came at P/E of 33x and EV/EBITDA of 16.59x.

Day-to-day or month-on-month fluctuation to the market does not make investors richer or poorer. But what will happen for a longer period that will impact the wealth of investors. We need to keep distance ourselves from the crowd rather than go with the crowd. Also, we need to focus on emotional stability over an investment journey which helps us a lot. The normal investor gets trapped with greed as the market starts advances, but at the same time, intelligent investors booked a position of overpriced issues and parked those funds to bond, he will re-balance his portfolio.

Owning a common stock means we are a part-owner of the business, but due to the advancement of the stock market operation, investor’s mind gets diverted and they are getting more engaged towards the stock prices. They forget that stock price fluctuation should not be focused but they have to focus on the value of the businesses, quality of the businesses and progress of the businesses. Stock prices bring distance between business and us. If a person is making an investment for a longer period, but getting fluctuated as stock prices get fluctuate then he does not know for the emotionally stable and matured investors. Matured and intelligent investors do not focus on the price quotation every second but they focus on the underlying business. As businesses show successes it becomes popular among the people and it will command more premium, its mood swings with the market, etc.

We need to focus on earning the power of the business with the asset value of the business. But we should avoid paying higher to the assets as well as to the earning, otherwise, we need to be stay affected through the market fluctuation.

One of the telecom company

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(Source – Thoughts on Thoughts blog)

The company looks very cheap based on the financial metrics and assets base, but if someone who does not have paid attention to the business of the company and earning the power of the business then—

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One of the gelatin company

The company has some uncertainty and raw material problems but having a stable business. The company was traded at ~Rs.66 cr of MCap with having investment + cash on the balance sheet was worth of ~Rs.70+ cr so that entire business was available at free due to uncertainty. The company has delivered a decent return with also deliver Rs.10/per share as a dividend.

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Few critics of value-based investing tell that such an approach does not work with the listed companies due to the ample amount of liquidity available. Such liquidity and stock market platform provide a daily opportunity to the participants to make changes to their holdings.

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Many a time, Mr. Market ready to pay overpriced for the business and sometimes, He is ignoring too few of the businesses. We need to stay away to getting trapped from the Mr. Market mood swings. Mr. Market also behaves like a human being because prices of it and the behavior of it direct through human involvement as a market participant. We need to control our emotions based on our experience and belief over a while. We should stop overpaying attention to the market.

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If we are doing a business then daily price fluctuations will not be going to disturb us and we do not make a change to our holdings. Price fluctuations only provide an opportunity to buy a business at a favorable price and sell when Mr. Market shows a higher price of the business.

The main distinction between speculators and investors is their attitude towards the market. A speculator is willing to make profits by way of market fluctuations whereas investors are willing to hold security at a suitable price and market fluctuations do not important for them. Market prices are just for our conviction so that taking benefits of it or to ignore it depends on us.

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Stocks or a bond, the Market price will remain to fluctuate over a longer-term period. Good company with good management gets recognition into the good market price and bad management will get bad market price recognition.

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Mr. Graham has explained the liquidity concepts which is suitable for the current scenario. The fund manager purchases few stocks for the portfolio, then the market starts moving upwards which attracts the investors to put more money. Now, due to the additional fund inflow, the fund manager has to buy a similar stock to the additional fund which brings stock prices to the dangerous level. Now, as the market falls, investors ask for the withdrawal of the fund and fund manager has sold out stocks to make the payment which leads to further fall to the stock prices. So here, they buy at high and sell at a low price. Our brain makes a pattern that similar has happened during the last time so it might be going to happens now also. And many times, our brain creates a pattern when there is not the availability of any pattern.

What we should need to do for the better than average return –

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Our behavior is most important to get an above-average return. By controlling ourselves, we can stop ourselves from becoming our enemy. When we have made any prediction and that proven right then we become addicted to own predictions.

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Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation.

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor 7 Portfolio Policy for the Enterprising Investor: The Positive Side

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Jimit Zaveri under Bibliophile: The Intelligent Investor

Enterprising investors are willing to put more attention and efforts for generating a higher return.

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Generally, an intelligent investor buys and keep holding common stock when it has a cheapness and they sell a common stock when it becomes overpriced. After selling off the stock they transfer to the bond and wait till another opportunity of common stock available with the cheapness.

General Market Policy—Formula Timing

This is an approach of investing timing of the market. The market keeps on fluctuating and taking a benefit of those fluctuations to our favor adds additional value. It is very difficult to forecast the future market level for a consistent period. When we look back towards any situation then it looks easier to predict but when we are passing through the situation then it is very difficult to predict.

Growth-Stock Approach

Growth stocks are the companies which have shown a growth better than an average. The problem with such kind of companies is they have given good growth into the past and we have to assume that they will keep on doing the same into the future. But such kind of stocks selection needs huge careful attention from the investors. As the bigger companies start to grow at a slower pace compared to the smaller companies. But it is also a fact that if the company is a leader with the availability of competitive advantage in the market then it has a huge probability of growth. We need to careful with what we are paying for buying a growth. If we pay a sky-high price for the prevailing growth then also, we have to suffer through the company grows.

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If we have proven wrong with our assumption of future growth and also, we have paid a higher amount for the business, then it will be a dangerously affect to our wealth. Growth stocks can create our fortune or can spoil our fortune. If our assumption for the future growth proven right and also, we have bought the stock at a proper valuation then fortune into the growth stock can be created. Many times, the company has a temporary problem, then it will be available at a relatively cheaper valuation. When larger companies have adversity, they have a resource and brainpower to come out from the adversity and market responds quickly to such improvement to the larger company.

One of the two-wheeler company of India

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The company which has a negative cash conversion cycle, availability of float, market leader since many decades, traded at 10%+ of earning yield with higher return ratio, market participants having a fear of electric vehicle disruption.

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One of the MNC FMCG company of India

Company’s one of the flagship product got banned which contributes decent revenue to the company. Also, no other competitor gets success in the same product at the same level. Company has a higher return ratio, good brand over the globe, successful track record.

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Mr. Graham mentioned regarding a cyclical business –

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We need to bought such businesses during the bad time at higher multiplier and need to sell it at a good time at a lower multiplier. During the bad time, the profitability of the company gets depressed which resulted in the higher multiple to the company and reversely, when time is good, profitability gets improvement which resulted in the lower multiple.

One of the sugar company

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When we want to get an above-average return into the investment, then our investment needs to be proper, sound enough to avoid risk and we need to adopt a policy which is different from most of the investors or speculators are using.

Bargain issues are those which are selling below its true worth. Now, for calculation of bargain – first, we need to forecast future earnings and giving it an appropriate multiple for arriving at a future market price. If the current market price seems lower than future market price then we can consider it as a bargain common stock. And second, where we need to focus more on the net realization of the asset value and net working capital (Working capital – all obligations) with the growth into the future earnings. Also, the current result is disappointing (future result can be improved) and unpopularity among the stock price creates a bargain opportunity. During a bear run, people do not focus on the companies which are not a leader, because they have a fear and belief that leader can provide safety. So that companies other than leaders will be available at a cheaper bargain price. We should focus that whether these companies can generate a fair return on invested capital or not and whether that generated return will be above the cost of capital or not. Such companies require a bull market, changes in policies, changes to the management, acquisition of smaller bargain companies by a larger one, etc. for reaching the fair valuation.

A special situation is also one of the ways to create a return on our investment. Special situations are different from the usual part of investing. Here, we need a different kind of process and different level of mentality compared to the usual one. This strategy includes demerger, merger, arbitrage, delisting, buyback, right issues, etc.

When we select to be an aggressive investor rather than a defensive investor then we require a thorough knowledge of businesses, how to value it etc. There is not a middle way between aggressive and defensive investment. And those who are involved in the middle way, they get a disappointment to the result due to the lack of requiring time and knowledge.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article is just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation.

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor – 5 – The Defensive Investor and Common Stocks

Posted on August 25, 2019 by Jimit Zaveri under Bibliophile: The Intelligent Investor

As we have seen to the previous articles of the same series that common stocks have the advantage to beat the inflation and given an income in the form of dividend and price appreciation. But we also have to keep in mind that common stocks become riskier if we bought it at a higher price. If we consider the period of the year 1929 then it has taken 25 years to break the market level of the year 1929. and we need to keep such a scenario in mind while making an investment decision. Such a scenario is more difficult and riskier compared to the bond investment. This scenario becomes difficult to survive if the focus does not have on the risk control.

The criterion for the selection of the stocks for the defensive investors are suggested by Mr. Graham

Investors have made a diversification between 10-30 stocks of the portfolio
Selected companies should be large, prominent, and conservatively financed.
Long track record of dividend payment.
Price multiple limits – multiple should not be higher than 25x of average earning of past seven years and multiple should not be higher than 20x of TTM earning. Such criterion removed growth stocks, popular stocks, etc.

Growth stocks to consider which has given a decent earning growth during the past period and also a similar growth will be sustained to the future also. As growth stocks have a long track record of the decent growth which will attract a speculative nature and increases a higher multiple. Such higher multiple can drop as earning growth fall, earning falls, etc. and that proves dangerous for the defensive investors.

One of the Air Cooler company of India

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As we can see that the company has posted the lowest growth in March-18 since the year 2010 and due to the lowest growth, P/E multiple of the company has fallen from around 89x to 32x.

After the selection of the common stocks to our portfolio, we need to keep track of the particular common stocks for checking whether the improvement of the business, financial or not.

Mr. Graham has also appreciated the systematic investment plan for the index fund which can be helpful to investors for the 20+ years.

We have seen to the last article of the same series that allocation of the capital between common stocks and bond depends on the individual situations. When a person needs money to run his family with no further income sources then he must deploy 75% fund to the bond. Also, investors should allocate fund as per their knowledge, experience, and temperament which is a fortune creator to the investment field.

People get confused for the risk with the fluctuation in the price of the particular common stocks. But we should take value rather than consider a market price of the particular common stock. If value, quality of value is getting deteriorate then it is a real risk for us. And also, if we have paid an excessive price for the common stock, then that invite a loss to our wealth. We need to buy common stock at a price which provides further growth to the future.

If we make a thorough analysis and keep the focus on the safety of capital then deploying money to the common stocks becomes as easy as we put money to the bonds. But when people have lost their money during the crisis, they do not believe that common stock investment also can be safe & help us to create wealth.

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Mr. Lynch has mentioned that we should buy common stock of those companies of which we are using a product or we understand the business. Also, he mentioned that though products of the company are successful and we all are using it, we need to study the financial statement of the company and estimating the value of the particular company. Majority of the people forget to do a later part and just put the focus on to the first part of the saying of Mr. Lynch.

One of the specialty foods with branded rice manufacturing company of India

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A company having a good brand for its products but its major fund gets stuck into the inventories and for that company requires to bring a borrowing. There are many examples where good products do not have rewarded as a good investment. So, there will be no alternative for hard work and analyzing financial statements.

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Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article is just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation.

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor – 3 – A Century of Stock-Market History

Posted on August 4, 2019 by Jimit Zaveri under Bibliophile: The Intelligent Investor

We do not have data available for a century in the Indian stock market so that I have done a calculation with available data. All data are taken from BSE India and RBI site.

When we have seen a huge return into the past from the equities then it is not necessary to consider a similar kind of return into the future. Reality is that common stock prices related to the earnings and dividend from the particular companies or basket of companies. If the company fails to deliver earnings and dividend then it is obvious that the company will not deliver a similar return in the future.

This example shows that growth in earnings and dividend has an impact on the price of the companies and basket of companies (Indices). If earning/dividend growth contentiously falling or depressed during a time then prices of the securities also have an adverse impact. So that we can see that during the year range 2011-2019 or 2016-2019, SENSEX has increased more rapidly compared to the EPS growth. Now, either EPS to grow much rapidly or SENSEX has to fall. Or it can also happen that SENSEX can remain in the range till EPS growth does not match to the average return. For matching the average return, either EPS has to grow by 20-22% or SENSEX has to fall 22-25%. This study can provide a similar result with particular stocks.

When the difference between earning yield to bond yield and dividend yield to bond yield start getting lower than we can think that particular stock or basket of the stocks becoming overvalued. This is one of the effective indicators where we can see that when Earning yield / Bond yield has cross 0.67-0.70x then SENSEX has provided us an attractive investment opportunity and when Earning yield / Bond yield has gone below 0.67-0.70x then we need to decide to liquidate our position to the SENSEX in a phased manner.

The stock market does not become less risky just due to advancement to the prices of it. I have seen many people enter into the market or the particular stocks when the price of it starts increasing.

We have seen during the series of Mr. Howard Marks, The Most Important Things that if everyone thinks in the same way then that thinking getting discounted to the price and will not able to get similar kind of returns for the future.

Above mentioned parameter, we can check into the current scenario where real growth of the corporate earnings was not much and the stock market has performed due to the speculative growth. Everyone starts preferring equity as an asset class to invest due to the recent past return. Now, such a scenario is unfavorable for investors. Absent of earning growth does not attract higher valuation for a longer period.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article is just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation.

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig