To make money by investing in stocks, you must plan ahead and stay disciplined, no matter how much temptation there might be.  If you decide to buy stocks for investment, it can pay off in the long run if you make wise decisions. If you intend to invest in stocks, you should invest some time researching them and do technical analysis before you purchase any stock. As smart as it sounds to get into the stock market, not everyone has a knack for picking the right stocks and earning a profit. Here are ten factors to consider to make sure your money is working hard for you.

10 Factors To Consider Before Buying A Stock

Before you invest in a stock, it's important to make sure the company is financially sound. Do your homework by assessing a company's performance and earnings, as well as its size, structure, and financial condition.  Find out which 10 key factors you need to check before buying a stock.

1) Time Horizon

A trader can buy or sell stocks to make a profit. The different time horizon means the trader will take different kinds of risks. Short-term traders usually hold their stocks for less than one year, while long-term traders hold their stocks for years.

• Long-term

You want to keep long-term investments for more than 10 years. These investments have the longest time to recover if something goes wrong, you need to take the most risk to get a higher return.

• Short time

The short-term horizon is any investment that you plan to keep for less than a year. Short-term investments have little time to recover when anything goes wrong. If you plan to invest in less than a year, it's best to invest in stable blue-chip stocks that pay dividends. The companies represented by these shares are large companies with strong balance sheets, which reduces the risk of negative effects.

• Medium-Term

It will take you at least 10 years to break even on an investment of this size. However, the longer time horizon gives you more time to recover if something goes wrong.

Technical analysis course is very important for investors because it teaches them about the indicators that are used to analyze stocks, currencies, or commodities.

2) Investment Strategy

Successful investors will use some key strategies as mentioned below.

• Value Investing

The strategy is to invest in stocks that are undervalued compared to their peers, which is Warren Buffett’s way of getting a lot more money.

• Growth Investing

It is investing in stocks whose sales and profits grow steadily in line with the market. This type of investor believes that the uptrend in the stocks will continue and create a profit opportunity.

• Income Investing

Lastly, investors should look for high-quality stocks that pay high dividends. Dividends from stocks can generate income to use or reinvest. Strategy is important before buying a company's shares.

3) Diversification

The key to a good investment portfolio is appropriate diversification. Familiarize yourself with a company’s industry and its competitors.

4) Company Size

The company size you want to invest in is very important to the risks you take when buying. Therefore, it is important to consider this before buying stocks, taking into account the time horizon and risk tolerance.

5) Volatility

It describes the extent to which the price of a share or other financial asset fluctuates. Stocks that rise and fall more quickly are said to have high volatility, while stocks that rise and fall less quickly are said to have low volatility.

Keep in mind that volatility describes the rate at which prices swing - not the direction of those price movements.

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6) Revenue Growth

Investors should look at growing companies before buying stocks. This helps you determine by looking at both your income and earnings.

7) Dividend History

Dividend shares are famous for giving away part of their profits to investors in the form of dividends. Investors who follow an income investment strategy should try to invest in this.

If the investor's goal is to earn an investment income, he or she should check the company's dividend history before buying stocks. Investors looking for a high-income level in relation to the share price should consider the company's dividend percentage.

8) Holding Mutual Funds

When stocks are owned by multiple mutual funds, they are generally considered safer stocks than other stocks that are not owned by other mutual funds.

Check the courses that help traders learn fundamentals and do technical analysis of stocks.

9) Shareholder Pattern

Before buying stocks in a company, you might want to become familiar with its shareholder model. Businesses with sponsors who hold large shares of the company may do well over the long term. Investors should therefore invest in multi-stakeholder companies, local, and foreign institutional investors.

10) Check Fundamentals

Famous investors like Warren Buffett have made a fortune by buying undervalued stocks. Buffett says that stocks will eventually reach fair value when their prices are adjusted for the company's earnings potential. Some key metrics to consider before buying any stocks:

• Price to Earnings (P/E) Ratio

The P/E ratio compares a company's share price to its earnings per share (EPS).

• Debt to Equity Ratio

This ratio helps you figure out how much debt a business has. High debt is bad because it indicates bankruptcy.

• Price-to-Book Value (P/B) Ratio

This ratio compares the share price with the company's net asset value and divides it by the number of shares issued.

Bottom Line

It can be tempting to buy stocks simply because you know the name of the company or have been told by someone you trust to buy them. However, this strategy can reduce your chances of earning a healthy return and increase your risk of loss.

Before you buy a stock, do some research and technical analysis of stocks, fundamentals, the state of the market, and/or the economy. Educate yourself by enrolling in LearNow’s Technical Analysis Course and make more money through investments.