📖Joel Greenblatt

Earnings Quality Analysis

🌿 Intermediate★★★★☆

Evaluate earnings quality, not just quantity.

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Not all earnings are equal. Look for recurring, cash-backed earnings rather than accounting profits. High-quality earnings are predictable, sustainable, and convertible to free cash flow.

— The Little Book That Beats the Market,2005

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Valuation is like buying a house: the asking price reflects mood, but true value comes from structure, location, and long-term utility. Good assets still need sensible prices.

📖 Core Interpretation

In Earnings Quality Analysis, Joel Greenblatt focuses on the gap between price and value. Returns come from paying less than what a business is worth, not from guessing short-term market moves.
💎 Key Insight:Cash-backed recurring earnings indicate true business strength.

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❓ Why It Matters

Ignoring valuation turns even good companies into poor investments. Overpaying compresses future returns and leaves little margin when assumptions are wrong.

🎯 How to Practice

Estimate intrinsic value with conservative assumptions, set clear buy ranges, and act only when price offers a meaningful discount with acceptable downside.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Confusing a low price with true cheapness
Using one metric without business context
Overly optimistic assumptions that erase margin of safety

📚 Case Studies

1
Apple Post-Dot-Com Bust (2000)
After the tech bubble burst, Apple traded at a low earnings yield despite strong product pipeline and improving profitability.
✨ Outcome:Investors focusing on high earnings yield and durable business saw significant multiple expansion and outsized returns over the next decade.
2
Best Buy Value Opportunity (2011)
Best Buy’s price fell on fears of Amazon competition, pushing its earnings yield high relative to normalized profits and free cash flow.
✨ Outcome:Investors buying on elevated earnings yield saw strong recovery as buybacks, cost cuts, and stable demand lifted the stock in subsequent years.

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