PERSONALIZED LEARNING PATH · VALUATION

Build valuation judgment.

Four essential ideas. Practical examples. One mastery check.

Module1 / 4
MODULE 01

Price is not value

Separate the quoted price from the economics you are actually buying.

CORE IDEA

Price is what the market asks today. Value is an estimate of the future cash flows, growth, durability, capital needs, and risk an owner may receive over time. A low share price does not make a stock cheap, and a high share price does not make it expensive.

HOW TO INTERPRET IT

The useful question is not 'Is the share price low?' It is 'What future operating results must occur for this price to be attractive?'

WORKED EXAMPLE

Company A earns $1 per share and trades at $10. Company B earns $20 per share and trades at $300. A trades at 10× earnings. B trades at 15×. The lower share price tells you almost nothing about which security offers the better value.

QUICK CHECKPOINT

Before moving on, explain in one sentence why a $10 stock can be more expensive than a $300 stock.