The Portfolio Analyzer™ provides users with ERS’s proprietary risk and performance ratings. Enter a list of stock symbols, and our tool will reveal ERS’s proprietary ratings for each, along with data about their efficacy over the past 10 to 25 years.

Loading Stock Data

Reading Stock Data

Understanding the Data

Loading Stock Data

Method One

  1. Identify a List of Stock Symbols: Start by gathering the stock symbols you wish to analyze. For stocks that have multiple classes, use a period “.” to indicate the specific class of the stock in your list. For example, you should format Berkshire Hathaway Class A as “BRK.A” and Class B as “BRK.B”. Make sure not to use a dash or any other punctuation mark, such as “BRK-A”. This ensures that the Portfolio Analyzer accurately recognizes and processes each stock symbol correctly.
  2. Prepare Your List: Ensure your list of stock symbols is formatted correctly. Separate each symbol with a comma, a space, or both, such as “AAPL, BRK.A, CLFD, D”.
  3. Copy and Paste the List: At the top of the page, you will see an input box labeled “Paste Your List of Stock Symbols, Separated by Commas or Spaces:”. Copy your prepared list of stock symbols and paste it into this box.
  4. Load Your Symbols: After pasting your list into the input box, click the large green button labeled “Load Symbols”. This will initiate the analysis, and the tool will display ERS’s proprietary ratings for each stock symbol you entered.

Method Two

  1. Identify a List of Stock Symbols: Start by gathering the stock symbols you wish to analyze. For stocks that have multiple classes, use a period “.” to indicate the specific class of the stock in your list. For example, you should format Berkshire Hathaway Class A as “BRK.A” and Class B as “BRK.B”. Make sure not to use a dash or any other punctuation mark, such as “BRK-A”. This ensures that the Portfolio Analyzer accurately recognizes and processes each stock symbol correctly.
  2. Add New Rows: Click the “Add Row” button at the bottom of the table to add a new row for each stock symbol you wish to input. Click this button as many times as necessary to match the number of stocks you are analyzing.
  3. Enter Stock Symbols: The “Symbol” column is the left-most column in the table. Type each stock symbol into the corresponding input box.
  4. Automatic Data Loading: As you type in each stock symbol, the Portfolio Analyzer will automatically begin to retrieve and display ERS’s proprietary data for that stock. This process happens in real time, so you can see the analysis as soon as you enter each symbol.

Reading Stock Data

When using the Portfolio Analyzer to review investment data, it is important to understand the information presented in the output table. Here’s a guide to reading the table, which is organized from left to right with the following columns:

  1. Stock Symbol: The unique series of letters assigned to each publicly traded company.
  2. Company Name: The full name of the company associated with the stock symbol.
  3. Stock Sector: The sector to which the company belongs.
  4. Stock Price: The price of the stock as of the close of the previous trading day.
  5. 100-Day and 200-Day Moving Average: Two key technical indicators used in stock analysis. Moving averages are widely used by investors as technical indicators to help make trading decisions. They smooth out price data to create a single flowing line, making it easier to identify the direction of the stock’s trend, its momentum, and potential areas of support and resistance. The simplest use of a moving average is to determine the trend direction. If the stock price is above its moving average, it suggests an upward trend, and if it’s below, a downward trend.
  6. Market Cap: The total market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock.

The next four columns present ERS’s proprietary stock risk ratings. These ratings are a crucial part of the analysis, offering an advanced gauge of potential risk associated with each stock. Each rating ranges from 0 to 100, where a rating of 0 indicates very low risk and a rating of 100 indicates very high risk.

  1. Price Risk Indicator™ (PRI™): A measure and rating of the statistical probability and magnitude of a stock’s future price changes.
  2. Financial Risk Indicator™ (FRI™): A measure of a company’s liquidity, financial strength, and durability.
  3. Equity Risk Indicator™ (ERI™): A ratings of both the financial condition and valuation of a stock.
  4. Fiduciary Risk Rating™ (FRR™): A robust and trustworthy statistical rating system that alerts fiduciaries to the substantial risks of loss in a company’s stock, regardless of its market popularity.

The final three columns in the Portfolio Analyzer linking directly to other essential tools provided by ERS. These links are crucial for investors seeking a comprehensive and detailed evaluation of their stock holdings. Here’s a brief introduction to each of these columns:

  1. Profit Map™: The Profit Map™ enables users to precisely assess how their projections for a company’s future revenues and earnings will influence the future stock price at the time of sale. Users can also adjust their assumptions to see the specific impact on the future stock price.
  2. Performance and Risk Chart™: View interactive charts of a selected stock’s price and ERS’s risk ratings over a specified date range.
  3. Historic Ratings: Search for the dates on which your selected stock reached its highest or lowest price or risk level and its subsequent performance. The “10-Yr” button looks back 10 years to find these dates, and the “25-Yr” button looks back 25 years.

Understanding the Data

1) Review ERS’s Risk Ratings

When utilizing the Portfolio Analyzer to assess potential investments, a thorough examination of ERS’s proprietary risk ratings is essential. ERS’s Price Risk Indicator™ (PRI™) and Fiduciary Risk Rating™ (FRR™) are primarily concerned with a stock’s valuation risk, while its Financial Risk Indicator™ (FRI™) and Equity Risk Indicator™ (ERI™) offer insights into the company’s overall financial condition and its ability to withstand economic fluctuations. Stocks with lower ratings (under 30) are generally considered safer, while high ratings (above 70) indicate potential overvaluation or financial instability.

2) Consider Technical Indicators

In addition to understanding risk ratings, it’s crucial to use technical indicators to guide your investment decisions, particularly to avoid the pitfalls of “catching a falling knife.” If a stock’s price is below both the 100-day and 200-day moving averages and continues to decline, it may suggest that the stock is in a strong downtrend. Conversely, if the stock’s price begins to stabilize or rise above these moving averages, it might indicate a potential reversal or the establishment of a new upward trend, suggesting a safer entry point.

3) Deeper Analysis

For investors looking to build a robust investment strategy, it’s vital to dive deeper into each stock’s specifics before making any trading decisions. ERS provides a suite of advanced tools that can offer deeper insights into a stock’s performance, risks, and potential profitability. Using tools like ERS’s Profit Map™ and Performance and Risk Chart™ can significantly enhance your understanding and guide your investment actions more effectively. Before taking any action, whether buying, holding, or selling, refer to these analyses to get a complete picture of the stock’s condition, helping you to manage risks and optimize returns more effectively.