Evaluation
Getting Started -
When the
Equity Evaluator program is first opened, the initial view is the
Data Entry form, the top of which is shown here:
Sources of Data
The first step to evaluate a Stock using Equity Evaluator is
to obtain the data needed for
input. A minimum of four years of fundamental data is required, eleven
years is the maximum that can be entered for the stock prices and
dividends. The Sales, Cash
Flow, and Earnings data entry areas allow as many as fourteen years of data input.
When shipped, Equity Evaluator has the complete historic data and Direct
Purchase contact for thirty-three different Companies (see list on the
'Purchasing' page), additional data is available at most public libraries through the Value Line Survey or
Standard & Poor's Stock Reports, as well as numerous sources on the
internet, (see the 'Resources' link).
Data Entry
-
The stock ticker the company uses for
it's shares is the first piece of Data to be entered. Once entered pressing the tab key
(near the left edge of your keyboard), will either automatically post the
company name, or the user will be given the instructions on how to enter the company
name manually.
Next to be entered is Today's Stock
price, although optional, this value is essential to many of the evaluation
tools in Equity Evaluator Pressing the tab key again, the user is prompted to
enter the first period of the current fiscal year. This entry is optional as
well, but when entered must be a numeric value in the following format: 'Month/Year',
i.e. 3/2003. This date can be found in the 'Quarterly Revenue' table near the lower left
corner of the Value Line report, or on similar tables in the S&P reports. A default date will be entered later if the
user chooses to skip this entry by pressing the tab key again. Next, the last year in
which the Stock price high and low are available, needs to be entered as a four
digit numeric value in the 'Most recent Year . .', text box.
When the tab key is pressed
again, column headers indicating years are added to the fundamental data table,
and the cursor is relocated for entry of the first yearly high Stock price.
Although four years is the minimum requirement of four years of high and
low Stock prices and any other fundamental data that is to be studied, the more
years of data entered, the more relevant the evaluation will be. If either
the Earnings data or the Cash Flow data have any zero or negative values, there
must be a minimum of four positive entries, before the program can make use of
the data.
Use the tab key to move through the entire table entering as much data as
desired. Once Data Entry is complete, the evaluation capabilities of Equity Evaluator
are ready to be utilized using the Data Entry menu, which will be
examined first.
Menu Items
-
Save - Selecting this choice will Save any
changes to the data or settings in the file presently
open.
-
Save As - This menu item is used to either
duplicate the file presently open under a different name, or to create a
new and separate file using the same Company data.
- Delete - This selection may be used if a file is open or if the file name
appears in the 'Select File' box. The file name along with all data and
settings associated with the file will be deleted.
- Exit - Will immediately close Equity Evaluator without saving any changes.
-
Go To -
clicking 'Go To' on the menu reveals the drop down box pictured
below. This navigational menu list all the Studies and views 
that are accessible
directly from the Data Entry page. As the type and amount
of data entered meets Equity Evaluator's minimal requirements, menu items
will turn from light gray to regular
black text, signifying that they have been enabled. To the right
of each of the four Study menu items are 'short cuts' designation F1 through
F4. The function keys, found at the top of any standard
keyboard, have been assigned as short cut keys, allowing the user to completely bypass the menu when going to any
of the Study destinations. These function key are associated with the same Study throughout the program, and can be
used anywhere in the program that the Studies are accessible. Both the
'Historic Analysis' and 'Composite Future Projection' items will be
discussed shortly, while the 'Accounting' destination is discussed on it's
on, in the 'Accounting' section of this web.
-
Tools - pressing
and holding the 'Alt' key, followed by the 'T' key will cause the drop down
box below to appear. Or simply click 'Tools' to reveal the following
file management tools.
- Stock Split - is used after a Stock Split has occurred. This
feature will lead the user through a series of dialog boxes asking for
the split date and the split ratio. Once this
information has been entered, Equity Evaluator will adjust all data
entry items and/or transactions recorded in Accounting, to reflect the
Stock Split. The split will be recorded by date and ratio as a
transaction, and will be inserted chronologically in the transaction
records. All transactions that have been modified due to the Split will
have an asterisk added to the end of the transaction type for future
reference.
- Update Data - This tool is used when an additional
year of data is added to the published record. It will add a column to
the Data Entry view for the next consecutive year of data to be entered
by the user. It will eliminate the earliest year of data if there is no
room to accommodate the shift.
- Manual Entry - This menu item is disabled in the
illustration above, because it is only functional when starting
a new file. If a ticker symbol entered by the user, is not recognized by the program,
the user is prompted to enter the company's name.
-
Help - The
Help menu item includes a tabstrip with written descriptions of the Data
Entry and Composite Future Projection features. Also included is 'About',
which describes Equity Evaluator and it's copyright.
'Alt' and
'F' keys, reveals the drop down box pictured to the right. This menu
displays the
following choices: