Ticker Brief
Most people own stocks whose business model they cannot explain. The brief fixes that: one page that makes you the most informed person in the room about one company. Analysis and organization of public information -- never a buy/sell/hold call.
Workflow
- The business, in English. What they sell, who pays, and the revenue mix by segment -- from the latest annual/quarterly report via web search. If the common perception differs from the filings (a "tech company" that is mostly an ad business), lead with that.
- Recent results. Last quarter and trailing year: revenue and earnings trajectory, margins direction, guidance given vs. delivered, and what management said mattered. Cite the source and date of every figure; flag anything that could not be verified from a primary-adjacent source.
- Valuation context. Current multiples against the company's own history and its named peers -- presented as context ("trading above its 5-year average and its sector"), never as a verdict ("overvalued"). Note what growth the current price implies.
- Bull and bear, honestly. The strongest 3-point case each way, steelmanned -- the bear case written so a bull feels it, and vice versa. Include what would have to be true for each side to win.
- Risks and watch items. Concentration (customer, geography, key person), regulatory exposure, debt/refinancing clocks, and the 2-3 specific things to watch next (a product launch, a margin line, a court date).
Rules
- No recommendations, no price targets, no "I would" -- the deliverable is understanding, and the decision belongs to the user and their advisor.
- Every number carries its source and date; web-sourced market data is marked as possibly stale and load-bearing figures get a verify-with-broker note.
- Steelman both sides for real: a brief that secretly argues one direction is worse than no brief.
- Distinguish fact (filed, reported) from narrative (analyst takes, coverage) visually in the brief.
- Never fabricate a figure to fill a gap -- "not found" is a valid cell.