The Little Book of Valuation

An accessible, and intuitive, guide to stock valuation Valuation is at the heart of any investment decision, whether that decision is to buy, sell, or hold. In The Little Book of Valuation, expert Aswath Damodaran explains the techniques in language that any investors can understand, so you can make better investment decisions when reviewing stock research reports and engaging in independent efforts to value and pick stocks. Page by page, Damodaran distills the fundamentals of valuation, without glossing over or ignoring key concepts, and develops models that you can easily understand and use. Along the way, he covers various valuation approaches from intrinsic or discounted cash flow valuation and multiples or relative valuation to some elements of real option valuation. * Includes case studies and examples that will help build your valuation skills * Written by Aswath Damodaran, one of today's most respected valuation experts * Includes an accompanying iPhone application (iVal) that makes the lessons of the book immediately useable Written with the individual investor in mind, this reliable guide will not only help you value a company quickly, but will also help you make sense of valuations done by others or found in comprehensive equity research reports.

ASWATH DAMODARAN is Professor of Finance at New York University's Leonard N. Stern School of Business. He has been the recipient of numerous awards for outstanding teaching, including the NYU universitywide Distinguished Teaching Award, and was named one of the nation's top business school teachers by BusinessWeek in 1994. He has written or coedited numerous books, including Damodaran on Valuation, Investment Valuation, Corporate Finance, Investment Management, Investment Philosophies, and Applied Corporate Finance (all published by Wiley), as well as The Dark Side of Valuation, Investment Fables, and Strategic Risk Taking.

Foreword xi Introduction xv Hit the Ground Running--Valuation Basics Chapter One Value--More Than a Number! 3 Chapter Two Power Tools of the Trade 13 Chapter Three Yes, Virginia, Every Asset Has an Intrinsic Value 35 Chapter Four It's All Relative! 59 From Cradle to Grave--Life Cycle and Valuation Chapter Five Promise Aplenty 83 Chapter Six Growing Pains 105 Chapter Seven Valuation Viagra 125 Chapter Eight Doomsday 143 Breaking the Mold--Special Situations in Valuation Chapter Nine Bank on It 163 Chapter Ten Roller-Coaster Investing 185 Chapter Eleven Invisible Value 203 Conclusion Rules for the Road 225