What is the best ratio to evaluate stocks?

Asked by: Dustin Koch  |  Last update: January 25, 2026
Score: 4.1/5 (68 votes)

Here are the most important ratios for investors to know when looking at a stock.
  1. Earnings per share (EPS) ...
  2. Price/earnings ratio (P/E) ...
  3. Return on equity (ROE) ...
  4. Debt-to-capital ratio. ...
  5. Interest coverage ratio (ICR) ...
  6. Enterprise value to EBIT. ...
  7. Operating margin. ...
  8. Quick ratio.

What is the best ratio to value a stock?

Again, these ratios are often used in a comparative sense, so what's good or bad depends on what you're comparing it against. To give you some sense of what the average for the market is, though, many value investors would refer to 20 to 25 as the average P/E ratio range.

What is the most useful stock ratio?

The top five financial ratios include the Price-to-Earnings (P/E) Ratio, Debt-to-Equity (D/E) Ratio, Return on Equity (ROE), Current Ratio, and Earnings Per Share (EPS). These ratios are vital whether you are a new or seasoned investor.

What is the best formula for stock valuation?

Price-to-Earnings Growth (PEG) Ratio

Using the PEG, you not only can pinpoint the present valuation of the company but also see ahead to map where it's going. The PEG ratio is calculated by taking the P/E ratio of a company and dividing it by the year-over-year growth rate of its earnings as an estimate going forward.

What ratios does Warren Buffett look at?

Debt to Equity Ratio

This key ratio is comparing the debt to the equity in the company. Warren Buffett prefers a company with a debt to equity ratio that is below . 5. In other words, for every $10 in equity the company should only have $5 in debt.

Stock Multiples: How to Tell When a Stock is Cheap/Expensive

18 related questions found

What is Warren Buffett's 90/10 rule?

The 90/10 rule in investing is a comment made by Warren Buffett regarding asset allocation. The rule stipulates investing 90% of one's investment capital toward low-cost stock-based index funds and the remainder 10% to short-term government bonds.

What is the 70 30 investment strategy?

This investment strategy seeks total return through exposure to a diversified portfolio of primarily equity, and to a lesser extent, fixed income asset classes with a target allocation of 70% equities and 30% fixed income.

What is the most accurate way to value a stock?

Price-to-earnings ratio (P/E): Calculated by dividing the current price of a stock by its EPS, the P/E ratio is a commonly quoted measure of stock value. In a nutshell, P/E tells you how much investors are paying for a dollar of a company's earnings.

Which valuation ratio is best?

What are good ratios for a company? Generally, the most often used valuation ratios are P/E, P/CF, P/S, EV/ EBITDA, and P/B. A “good” ratio from an investor's standpoint is usually one that is lower as it generally implies it is cheaper.

How to check if a stock is fundamentally strong?

You can look at industry averages for key financial metrics such as revenue growth, profit margins, and return on equity. If the company consistently outperforms these averages, it might be a strong contender.

What is the golden ratio in stocks?

When traders use the golden ratio in their technical analysis, the ratio is usually translated into three percentages: 38.2% (often rounded to 38%), 50% and 61.8% (usually rounded to 62%). Having said that, traders can use more multiples when necessary, such as: 23.6%, 161.8%, 423%, 684.4% and so on.

What is the ideal stock ratio?

What is a good inventory turnover ratio? For most industries, a good inventory turnover ratio is between 5 and 10, which indicates that you sell and restock your inventory every 1-2 months. This ratio strikes a good balance between having enough inventory on hand and not having to reorder too frequently.

What is the proper ratio for a stock?

Generally speaking, investors prefer a lower P/E ratio, but to fully understand if a P/E ratio is good or bad, you'll need to use it in a comparative sense. Typically, the average P/E ratio is around 20 to 25.

What is the best ratio to find undervalued stocks?

Here are eight ratios commonly used by traders and investors to spot undervalued stocks and determine their true value:
  • Price-to-earnings ratio (P/E)
  • Debt-equity ratio (D/E)
  • Return on equity (ROE)
  • Earnings yield.
  • Dividend yield.
  • Current ratio.
  • Price-earnings to growth ratio (PEG)
  • Price-to-book ratio (P/B)

How to evaluate a stock before buying?

You can check a company's fundamentals such as how it has performed in the past, its profits and revenue numbers, its business segment, competition and broader economic situations before buying stocks of that company.

Which stock valuation method is best?

The most common way of valuing a stock is by calculating the price-to-earnings ratio. The P/E ratio is a valuation of a company's stock price against the most recently reported earnings per share (EPS). Investors use the P/E ratio as a yardstick to measure a company's stock value.

Which ratio is most important to investors?

Return on equity (ROE)

One of the most important ratios for investors to understand is return on equity, or the return a company generates on its shareholders' capital. In one sense, it's a measure of how good a company is at turning its shareholders' money into more money.

What is a good PE ratio for a stock?

As far as Nifty is concerned, it has traded in a PE range of 10 to 30 historically. Average PE of Nifty in the last 20 years was around 20. * So PEs below 20 may provide good investment opportunities; lower the PE below 20, more attractive the investment potential.

What strategy did Warren Buffett recommend for most investors?

Despite his stock-picking prowess, Buffett is a strong advocate for simplicity in investing, particularly for the average investor. He has consistently recommended index funds as a straightforward and effective investment strategy.

What is the simplest way to value a stock?

The most common way to value a stock is to compute the company's price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. The P/E ratio equals the company's stock price divided by its most recently reported earnings per share (EPS).

What is the best indicator of stock value?

Best trading indicators
  • Stochastic oscillator.
  • Moving average convergence divergence (MACD)
  • Bollinger bands.
  • Relative strength index (RSI)
  • Fibonacci retracement.
  • Ichimoku cloud.
  • Standard deviation.
  • Average directional index.

What stock does Warren Buffett recommend?

Top Warren Buffett Stocks

Kraft Heinz (KHC), 325.6 million. Apple (AAPL), 300 million. Occidental Petroleum (OXY), 264.3 million. American Express (AXP), 151.6 million.

What is the 3 5 10 rule in investing?

It suggests that 10% of your portfolio should be allocated to high-risk, high-reward investments, 5% to medium-risk investments, and 3% to low-risk investments. By following this rule, you can spread your investment risk across different asset classes and investment types, such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and cash.

What did Warren Buffett tell his wife to invest in?

Warren Buffett has said that 90 percent of the money he leaves to his wife should be invested in stocks, with just 10 percent in cash. Does that work for non-billionaires? As far as asset allocation advice goes, 90 percent in stocks sounds pretty aggressive.