Investing in stocks is a critical strategy in any financial portfolio, whether personal or professional. Yet how do you know whether a stock is a smart buy or not? You don't —until you do the research.

If you're able to understand a company, you are wellon your way to understanding its stock. In this course, you will practice doing the financial analysis work needed to identify profitable stocks worth investing in. You will examine data in online public sources such as SEC 10K and 10Q reports, earnings releases, press releases, and investor conference materials to score fundamental information about the company and stock you have chosen to study. By evaluating a company's position in the marketplace, you can begin forecasting the performance of its stock.Exploring different valuation techniques, you will practice making a target price to compare whether the stock's current market value is high or low relative to the future predicted value of the stock. Along the way, you will incorporate storytelling intoyour research to summarize your findings and curate a compelling investment thesis. With this investment thesis to advance your claims, you will curate a stock pitch and communicate your preliminary recommendation of whether to buy, sell, or hold a chosenstock.