Investing For Value

This is Chapter 7 of my book Mastering Value Investing: Practical Strategies for Real-World Results . Go there for links to the other chapters.   The real edge in investing begins long before valuation models or price targets. It starts with a much simpler question: Which companies are even worth analysing in the first place? After decades of analysing businesses, I discovered that successful investing is not about looking at more stocks. It is about looking at the right ones. In this article, I explain the screening and research process I use to shortlist companies that may be mispriced by the market. It begins with a simple but powerful idea: stay within your circle of competence. If you do not understand how a company makes money, you have no real edge in valuing it. As Warren Buffett famously noted, investors only need to evaluate businesses they truly understand.  From there, I combine qualitative judgement with a set of quantitative filters designed to surf...

Tips E-27: A 1-minute summary of my fundamental analysis of indie Semiconductor, Inc. (NASDAQ: INDI)    Investment Thesis Indie Semiconductor has built meaningful positions in the automotive semiconductor sector with its IP, switching costs, and OEM embeddedness. However, these advantages have yet to translate into sustainable profits. Indie offers exposure to automotive megatrends, but weak profitability and valuation leave no margin of safety. Main Business Indie operates a fabless automotive semiconductor platform integrating ICs, software, and system-level solutions. Its products span ADAS sensing, autonomous driving, in-cabin user experience, and electrification. Deep integration into OEM programs creates long qualification cycles and high switching costs, but also requires scale to absorb a heavy fixed-cost structure. Growth Revenue growth has been rapid, driven largely by acquisitions rather than purely organic expansion. Profitability Gross margins have aver...

Value Investing Case Study 121-1: A fundamental analysis of United Plantations Berhad, to assess whether it is an investment opportunity.    United Plantations Berhad (UP) operates in one of the most volatile sectors on Bursa Malaysia – palm oil. Earnings rise and fall with commodity prices. Most plantation companies look brilliant during upcycles and average at best when prices normalize. But UP is different. Over the past decade, it has quietly delivered 8%+ revenue CAGR, 10%+ profit CAGR and average ROIC above 20%. And here is  the surprising part - its planted acreage barely grew. This was not growth driven by land expansion. It was driven by higher yields, mechanisation, tighter cost control, and capital discipline. While peers relied on leverage or scale, UP compounded shareholder value with a fortress balance sheet and superior unit economics. When palm oil prices surged post-2020, profits did not just rise - they accelerated. Operating leverage amplified ...

Tips E-26: A 1-minute summary of my fundamental analysis of Roper Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: ROP)    Investment Thesis Roper Technologies has successfully pivoted toward mission-critical vertical software with resilient, recurring revenues. However, returns on invested capital remain below its cost of capita. While fundamentally sound, its acquisition-led growth and valuation leave no margin of safety. Main Business Roper businesses are deeply embedded in customer workflows across healthcare, insurance, construction, utilities, and government. This creates high switching costs and durable recurring revenues. Application Software now accounts for over half of revenue, complemented by network software and select tech-enabled products. Growth Post-2020 growth accelerated to double digits, but organic growth remains mid-single digit, implying continued reliance on M&A to sustain headline growth rates. Profitability Roper delivers industry-leading margins and cash gene...

This is Chapter 6 of my book Mastering Value Investing: Practical Strategies for Real-World Results . Go there for links to the other chapters.   Most investors start in the wrong place. They look at stock prices. They chase forecasts. They argue about valuation multiples. But here is the uncomfortable truth: if you do not understand the business, valuation is just guesswork. In this chapter, I walk through my real-world framework for analysing a company - the same structured approach I have refined over two decades in corporate planning and financial analysis. It starts with one principle: business analysis comes first. Before you think about intrinsic value, you need to answer harder questions: How does this company really make money? Is growth driven by volume, pricing power, or acquisitions? Instead of pretending we can predict the future with precision, I simplify it into three scenarios: performance will be the same as the past, better than the past, or worse th...