ShareSoc
INVESTOR ACADEMY

Fundamental Data

When considering a potential investment, one of the first things you should do is examine its historic and forecast financial performance. You can either do this from scratch, referring back to historical company reports, and research notes (or your own model) for forecast data, or use digests of that data which are available from a number of sources. The latter approach can save you a lot of time, and make it practical to compare and screen large numbers of potential investments – but do bear in mind the old IT adage: GIGO – Garbage In Garbage Out. The data these sites provide is subject to error and interpretation of financial results, so it is often advisable to do your own checks referring back to the original source before taking a final investment decision.

On this page we catalogue a number of websites and products that provide fundamental data on companies for investors, and help you to analyse that data. Subscription sites with a fee are signified ($$). Discounts on the these fees (listed here) are available to ShareSoc full members in many cases. Please contact our office for details. Click on the logos or titles below to visit the sites described.

Digital Look is a free site that offers a simple digest of financial data concerning companies. It also allows you to set up portfolios, screen for companies meeting selected criteria and offers a range of other features. Some of our members find that this is all they need.

ShareScope/SharePad

($$) These are two similar tools from Ionic Information Ltd. ShareScope offers an installable Windows client, whereas SharePad is browser based and accessible on a range of devices including mobiles and tablets. Again, they are widely used by ShareSoc members. They are excellent for managing portfolios of investments and allow you to segment and group those portfolios. They also offer good fundamental data, generally going back 10 years and good analysis of that data, with numerous important metrics calculated.

In addition, they offer screening tools and, for an additonal fee, real-time price data, including level-2, is also available.

($$) Stockopedia is a very comprehensive site for fundamental data analysis, used by many ShareSoc members. A key strength is its StockReport™, which provides a summary overview of the target company’s fundamental data, with a large range of powerful metrics, exposing financial strength and weaknesses. Stockopedia has also developed a proprietary ranking system (the StockRank™) designed to help you select companies that are most likely to outperform, based on quantitative statistical analysis of financial metrics that have indicated outperformance, historically.

In addition to the StockReport™, Stockopedia offers a powerful range of tools, include stock screeners with a wide range of built in screens and the ability to construct your own screens. It also offers the ability to compare several companies and to set up portfolios for analysis and monitoring.

As well as data on UK companies, for an additional subscription, Stockopedia provides data for a series of other stock markets too, including European and North American markets.

Their site offers good educational materials explaining how its various features work and the academic basis behind the quantitative analysis the site performs.

Morningstar, in a similar manner to DigitalLook, offers a range of free fundamental data. Morningstar is particularly strong in providing data on funds, as well as on trading companies. It is also useful in providing historic trade data on share transactions in a particular stock (useful for checking whether a price you’re being offered by your broker compares favourably with prices paid or achieved by other investors in the recent past).

There is also a premium version ($$) of Morningstar data, which includes more analysis and details of individual broker forecasts for companies.

Group description:	All levels of experience welcome. A typical meeting agenda includes: – Macro Environment – Trades: Members review existing positions and identify securities with promising TA entry patterns or setups and with suitable risk/reward. Any security, long, short, futures, options may be considered. The convener takes actual positions in trades and maintains his own detailed ledger, accurately measuring performance of individual securities and cumulative activity. Members are notified by e-mail prior to the entries or exits that are decided upon. Following each meeting an updated copy of the ledger is circulated together with the next meeting agenda. Members may wish to maintain similar ledgers of their own but there is no obligation to do so. – Technical Analysis: Techniques and systems used in trades. Members can request discussion of particular aspects of TA.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	The first Tuesday of every month from 7 to 9pm

Group description:	Following the launch of the SIGnet Technical Traders groups, it was identified that there were a number of members who use fundamental and other information as their main source of choosing companies to invest in, who would find some understanding of technical analysis helpful to identify good entry and exit points for their investments. This new SIGnet Technical Analysis in Support of Investing group is therefore being launched and we welcome members of all levels of experience to join.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Online via Zoom
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	There will be an initial Zoom meeting on Monday 29th April at 7pm to launch this group, please email info@sharesoc.org if you are interested in joining.

Group description:	A new in person group coming soon! Keep and eye on our Events page to register for the launch meeting.
Meeting Type/Venue:	In person
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	TBC

Group description:	Open to all investors / people with an interest in investing. Typical meeting will involve members talking about recent purchases, successes, failures and possible future purchases. Also with occasional visiting speakers or members making presentations on a topic of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	We aim to meet on the last Tuesday of each month in a private room at a pub in Playhatch. Start time 7pm with members encouraged to meet up around 6pm for a bite to eat / drink before hand, if their diaries allow.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	7pm on the last Tuesday of the month. Meetings likely to last about two hours but with informal ‘overspill’ before / after.

Group description:	This group was set up as a forum to discuss companies in detail, each company is introduced by a member and discussion may last one or two hours. Membership is by invitation only and is for experienced investors.
Meeting Type/Venue:	The group meets at a venue in Waterloo, London.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Meetings are on Tuesday mornings at two month intervals.

Group description:	Our group members have wide ranging investment experience and work backgrounds. Discussion topics include reviewing our recent stock or collective investment buying and selling activity, plus what we are considering buying or selling and the reasons for our decisions. We also have a wider discussion on where we think opportunities might arise in the next few months and what we think needs to be avoided. Members occasionally lead discussions on specific topics such as recent events attended, articles or books of interest and sources of investment ideas and information.
Meeting Type/Venue:	During the pandemic our meetings were held on Zoom, but we have now resumed meeting in person at a location a few miles to the west of Colchester. Most meetings will now be in person, but it is possible that occasional meetings will be held on Zoom in special circumstances.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet midweek every two months. Zoom meetings run for about two hours from 10.30am and in person meetings from 11am until about 3pm, including a break for lunch.

Group description:	Our group is a broad church that contains investors of varying age and experience. We discuss stocks and investment trusts that we have bought, sold or are interested in and the reasons behind our decisions, and try to make sense of the ever changing investment environment. Our members backgrounds are diverse and include corporate banking, engineering, teaching and the leisure industry. Discussions are robust and challenging but tend to be to be informal, and do not generally involve agendas, presentations or detailed preparation. We are a friendly and approachable group who welcome investors of all levels – we just ask that you contribute, at whatever level you can.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Our meetings are held in a very nice pub near to South Ealing tube station (Piccadilly Line), not far from Ealing Broadway (District, Central and Elizabeth Line). Group numbers permitting (and assuming members are happy to purchase food and drink from the bar), we may also have access to a private room in the pub.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	We meet every 2 months, usually on a Wednesday morning at 11am.

Group description:	Group focused on active investing, primarily in small / medium cap UK equities.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Regular Zoom meetings interspersed with occasional face to face meetings and social activities in the North West.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	Monthly on Saturdays at 10am.

Group description:	Our group covers a wide spectrum of mainly stock market investing and trading from equities – which include shares, ETF’s Investment and Unit Trusts. We normally rotate the meeting chairperson (responsible for creating, with member’s help, suitable agendas) and a meeting presenter (members take it in turns to provide a 15 to 45 minute presentation on a subject of their choice). Various investing topics of interest are regularly discussed such as software, brokers, investing categories and markets and any related topics of interest.
Meeting Type/Venue:	Meetings will be returning to in-person in a private room at a West London golf club, close to an underground station. In the meantime monthly video calls and an in-between meeting email group will continue.
Meeting Frequency/Timing:	In-person meetings will be held on the second Wednesday of each month in the afternoons, following a golf club one course lunch.