# Value Investing

> Research a company, its sector, and its peers through a value-investing lens. Use when Codex needs to identify opportunities, reject weak ideas, compare valuation to history and peers, assess risks and moat durability, and produce explicit recommendations such as Buy, Avoid, or Prefer peer.

- Skill: `jlnbuiles/value-investing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 6 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add jlnbuiles/value-investing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/jlnbuiles/value-investing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: jlnbuiles (https://skillmd.com/u/jlnbuiles)
- Updated: 2026-09-22
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/jlnbuiles/value-investing

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# Value Investing

Use this skill for company research and explicit value-oriented investment recommendations.

## Workflow

1. Frame the idea:
   - company
   - sector
   - market
   - why it looks interesting
2. Confirm the data:
   - price
   - valuation metrics
   - financial history
   - peer set
   - recent business context
3. Evaluate in this order:
   - business quality
   - moat / competitive advantage
   - balance sheet and capital allocation
   - valuation vs own history
   - valuation vs peers
   - risks and thesis-breakers
4. Reject weak ideas early if:
   - the balance sheet is fragile
   - the moat is unclear
   - the valuation is not actually attractive
   - a peer is clearly better on both quality and price
5. Produce a short investment memo with:
   - business summary
   - moat and competitive position
   - historical valuation context
   - peer comparison
   - risks
   - explicit verdict: `Buy`, `Avoid`, or `Prefer peer`

## Rules

- Default to latest available market context unless the user explicitly asks for historical-only or prior-close analysis.
- Use real data only; label freshness clearly.
- If the user asks for `current` or `today`, verify a timestamped live quote before citing market price or market-cap context.
- Always include `as_of` timestamps with timezone for quote and key valuation snapshots.
- Never frame delayed or prior-close pricing as current.
- If valuation inputs and price come from different times, state the timing gap and reduce confidence.
- Compare valuation to both company history and current peers.
- Be explicit about why an idea should be rejected.
- Research risks, competitive advantage, and moat durability before recommending.
- If a peer has better metrics and outlook, say `Prefer peer: {ticker}`.
- Recommendations should be specific, evidence-based, and concise.

## MCP Integration

If `market-data-mcp` is available, use it as the default source for market and snapshot fundamental data.

- Preferred tools:
  - `get_quote`
  - `get_fundamentals_snapshot`
  - `get_estimates_snapshot`
  - `get_news_headlines`
  - `get_bars`
- Always show:
  - `source`
  - `as_of`
  - stale or partial-data flags when present
- Freshness guardrails:
  - valuation and balance-sheet fields must include snapshot timestamp
  - price and market-cap context should be intraday current where possible
- On provider failure (`RATE_LIMITED`, `UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLE`, `STALE_DATA`):
  - retry once if retryable
  - continue with explicit data quality caveats
  - avoid conviction language when key valuation fields are missing

## References

- Read [references/value-investing-framework.md](./references/value-investing-framework.md) before a full write-up.
- Read [references/sector-valuation-caveats.md](./references/sector-valuation-caveats.md) when sector-specific accounting or valuation quirks matter.
- Use [assets/investment-memo-template.md](./assets/investment-memo-template.md) for a full memo.