10 Powerful Lessons from The Little Book That Still Beats the Market

Here are 10 powerful lessons you might glean from Joel Greenblatt’s The Little Book That Still Beats the Market:

Value Investing Strategies

1. Focus on Quality and Bargains: The book champions value investing, where you buy stocks of high-quality companies at a discount to their intrinsic worth.

2. The Magic Formula: Greenblatt introduces his “Magic Formula,” a ranking system that identifies stocks with good earnings yield (earnings per share divided by share price) and high return on capital (a measure of profitability).

3. Simple Yet Effective: The Magic Formula is a straightforward approach that can be applied by investors of all levels of experience.

4. Long-Term Investment Horizon: The book emphasizes a long-term investment approach, focusing on holding stocks for several years to benefit from company growth.

Disciplined Investing Practices

5. Diversification: While the Magic Formula helps identify undervalued stocks, The Little Book That Still Beats the Market also emphasizes diversification to spread risk across different companies and sectors.

6. Patience and Emotional Control: Value investing requires patience and discipline. The book discourages reacting to market fluctuations and encourages sticking to your investment plan.

7. Low-Cost Investing: Greenblatt advocates for minimizing investment fees and expenses to maximize your returns.

Value Investing Philosophy

8. Margin of Safety: The book emphasizes the importance of buying stocks with a “margin of safety,” meaning the price you pay is significantly lower than the company’s intrinsic value.

9. Thinking Like a Business Owner: Value investors approach the stock market as buying ownership in businesses, not just trading pieces of paper.

10. Beating the Market, Not Timing It: The book focuses on building wealth through a long-term value investing strategy, not attempting to time the market.

Additionally

• Greenblatt’s approach has been successful for him and some investors, but past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

• The book offers a clear and concise introduction to value investing principles.

By reading The Little Book That Still Beats the Market, you can gain valuable insights into value investing strategies, understand the Magic Formula, and develop a disciplined approach to building wealth through the stock market. Remember, investing involves inherent risks, so it’s crucial to do your own research and understand your risk tolerance before making any investment decisions.

BOOK:https://amzn.to/4d8bD0Q

You can also get the audio book for FREE using the same link. Use the link to register for the audio book on Audible and start enjoying.

Investing in Great Companies

All investing is the discounted value of all future cash flow. 

Investing in great companies at reasonable prices is a smart strategy.

Below are nine promising stocks that you might consider for your investment portfolio. Keep in mind that investing always carries risks, so it’s essential to do thorough research and consider your own financial goals and risk tolerance.

Here are some stocks that have caught the attention of experts at Forbes:

  1. Alphabet, Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL): Alphabet, the parent company of Google, has a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22.1. It’s a leader in technology and advertising, making it an attractive choice for long-term investors.
  2. Citigroup, Inc. ©: With a low forward P/E ratio of 8.4, Citigroup is a major global bank. It offers financial services and has the potential for growth.
  3. Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. (FIS): FIS provides financial technology solutions. Its forward P/E ratio is 15.3, and it’s well-positioned in the industry.
  4. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (ISRG): A pioneer in robotic-assisted surgery, Intuitive Surgical has a forward P/E ratio of 60.9. It’s a high-growth company with significant potential.
  5. The Kraft Heinz Company (KHC): With a forward P/E ratio of 12.2, Kraft Heinz is a food and beverage giant. It’s known for its iconic brands and steady performance.
  6. The Progressive Corporation (PGR): Progressive is an insurance company with a forward P/E ratio of 23.3. It has been consistently growing and is well-regarded in the industry.
  7. Spotify Technology S.A. (SPOT): Spotify, the popular music streaming service, has a forward P/E ratio of 98.0. It’s a high-risk, high-reward stock due to its competitive market.
  8. Tapestry, Inc. (TPR): Tapestry, which owns luxury brands like Coach and Kate Spade, has a forward P/E ratio of 8.7. It’s an interesting play in the retail sector.
  9. TopBuild Corp. (BLD): TopBuild, a construction services company, has a forward P/E ratio of 20.8. It benefits from the housing market and construction industry growth.

Remember that these are just suggestions, and it’s crucial to conduct your own research and consult with a financial advisor before making any investment decisions.

Additionally, consider diversifying your portfolio to spread risk across different sectors and asset classes. Happy investing! 📈👍


References:

  1. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/best-stocks-to-buy-now/

Long-term Investing Perspective

Warren Buffett once said, “Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

One tried and true investment philosophy is investing with a long-term perspective. In essence, the time-arbitrage approach gives long-term investors an edge. Most investors are focused on the short term, basing trading decisions on factors that may have little to do with business fundamentals, such as quarterly earnings beat or miss or overall market volatility.

Long-term investors often adopt a long-term perspective while taking advantage of the shortsightedness and noise of the market. They tend to conduct extensive research and conduct a deep dive into the fundamentals of every company in which they are considering an investment.

Their extensive research allows them to develop an informed and thorough understanding of the longer-term secular advantages of these companies. Ultimately, they are more interested in the duration of a company’s growth opportunity rather than being overly focused on its timing.

They like to invest early before a company is on the market’s radar because they believe it’s impossible to pinpoint precisely when the market will notice and start trading the stock up to reflect its growth opportunity properly. This is a vital part of the engine that drives alpha for us.

Low turnover is an outgrowth of this investment process rather than a goal in and of itself. If they find and invest in the right companies, they believe that it makes little sense to replace these companies with new and relatively untested ones. Wsupported remain invested throughout the duration of the growth trajectory of our highest conviction companies. We also believe this is a more tax efficient approach to managing a portfolio and one that is often attractive to company management who are aware of our reputation as long-term holders of stock.

Your primary goal must be capital appreciation, and you should stay involved as companies grow and flourish as long as your investment thesis holds true.

The best risk management starts with knowing the companies in which you invest. By conducting extensive research prior to initiating a position in a company and continuing to conduct due diligence will keep you apprised of the company’s growth story.

Long-Term Investors vs Day Traders

Billionaire “Old School” Investors:

1. Carl Icahn
2. Warren Buffett
3. Charlie Munger
4. Howard Marks
5. Nick Sleep

Billionaire Day Traders:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The second list isn’t blank by accident.

For the purposes of this post:

  • Day trading is buying and selling on small price movements in stocks throughout a trading day, often in intervals of seconds or minutes.
  • Old School (Long-term) investing is buying or selling a company’s stock after long periods of holding an investment and being patient for the right price to intrinsic value proposition.

Benjamin Graham

Every investment is the present value of all future cash flow.

Benjamin Graham, colleague and mentor to billionaire investor Warren Buffett,  is widely acknowledged as the father of value investing. His timeless book, The Intelligent Investor, is considered the value investor’s bible for both individual investors and Wall Street professionals.

Many of Benjamin Graham’s concepts are deemed fundamental for value investors, and his concepts should be studied and followed for anyone who plans to invest long term in the stock market.

For example, “Margin of Safety” is the famous term coined by Ben Graham. In simple terms, an asset worth $100 and bought at $80 has a better Margin of Safety than the same asset purchased at $95. In other words, “A great company is not a great investment if you pay too much for the stock”,  according to Benjamin Graham.

The 10 Benjamin Graham quotes, all of which are valuable in today’s market, tell us that::

  1. “A stock is not just a ticker symbol or an electronic blip; it is an ownership interest in an actual business, with an underlying value that does not depend on its share price.”
  2. “People who invest make money for themselves; people who speculate make money for their brokers.”
  3. “While enthusiasm may be necessary for great accomplishments elsewhere, on Wall Street, it almost invariably leads to disaster.”
  4. “Basically, price fluctuations have only one significant meaning for the true investor. They provide him with an opportunity to buy wisely when prices fall sharply and to sell wisely when they advance a great deal.”
  5. “Obvious prospects for physical growth in a business do not translate into obvious profits for investors.”
  6. “An investment operation is one which, upon thorough analysis, promises safety of principal and an adequate return. Operations not meeting these requirements are speculative.”
  7. “To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks.”
  8. “The intelligent investor is a realist who sells to optimists and buys from pessimists.”
  9. “The investor who permits himself to be stampeded or unduly worried by unjustified market declines in his holdings is perversely transforming his basic advantage into a basic disadvantage. That man would be better off if his stocks had no market quotation at all, for he would then be spared the mental anguish caused him by other persons’ mistakes of judgment.”
  10. “Weighing the evidence objectively, the intelligent investor should conclude that IPO does not stand only for ‘initial public offering.’ More accurately, it is also shorthand for: It’s Probably Overpriced, Imaginary Profits Only, Insiders’ Private Opportunity, or Idiotic, Preposterous, and Outrageous.”

See the source image“I never ask if the market is going to go up or down because I don’t know, and besides, it doesn’t matter. I search nation after nation for stocks, asking: ‘Where is the one that is lowest-priced in relation to what I believe it is worth?’ Forty years of experience have taught me you can make money without ever knowing which way the market is going.”—Sir John Templeton

“Investing isn’t about beating others at their game. It’s about controlling yourself at your own game.” – Benjamin Graham

“Successful investing is about managing risk, not avoiding it.” – Benjamin Graham


References:

  1. https://cabotwealth.com/daily/value-investing/benjamin-graham-quotes-to-improve-your-investing-results/