Value Investing Round Table. Companies in discussion : Facebook v Amazon v Apple

As value investors, each of us has a unique perspective of the market. We see strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in companies that others do not.

The aim of this meetup is for the participants to share their perspective, as well as gain from others, on the investment-worthiness of the following companies:

• Facebook (FB @ US$ 94)

• Amazon (AMZN @ US$ 550)

• Apple (AAPL @ US$ 111)

These companies were chosen because:

• Most of us are familiar with these names, and are possibly their customers

• It is quite easy for us to understand their business model and sources of income

• They are leaders in their respective businesses, they dominate their niches.

• News, analyst reports and other information on them and their managers is abundantly available for analysis

Agenda:

We will spend about 30 minutes on each of the above companies discussing the growth prospects and risk factors facing them. At the end of 90 minutes, each participant can give each company points (0 to 10) on their investment attractiveness. We will tally them up for the group to arrive at the consensus ranking. Optional: figure out the intrinsic value for each of these companies.

To gain the most from this meetup, it is best (though not compulsory) that attending members research the above-mentioned companies before the meeting. You can do this by checking:

• Their sources of revenue - which products/services, customer demographics and locations

• Their biggest expenses - salaries, R&D, interest, taxes

• Their biggest investments, assets, and liabilities

• Their competitors, and how significant are they

Sources of information include:

• Yahoo Finance (I like the Key Statistics page)

• Bloomberg website or terminal

• SEC filings such as annual reports, financial statements

• CEO's letter to shareholders

Level of participants: Beginners are welcome as long you have an understanding of the basic terms used in investing and money management, such as:

• Compound interest

• Balance Sheet

• Income statement

• Price ratios - price to earnings, price to book value

• Types of cash flows

• Return on equity, return on assets

• Debt to capital, current ratio, quick ratio

• Interest coverage ratio

• Gross profit, net profit

• Common stock vs preference shares

The definitions of the above can be easily looked up on http://www.investopedia.com and YouTube.

Above all, we want to share laughs, make new friends, and be excited about ideas you give and receive. So if you consider yourself an intelligent investor, welcome aboard!

This meetup is FREE of charge. Just pay for any food or drinks you order.