ROE measures how efficiently a company generates profit from shareholders' equity, making it one of the most important quality metrics in stock analysis. It is a key indicator of management quality and business moat — companies like Apple (AAPL) consistently post high ROE thanks to strong brand and pricing power. This guide covers the DuPont decomposition, which breaks ROE into margin, turnover, and leverage components, giving you deeper insight into what truly drives returns. Apply ROE-based screening with our stock screener to identify compounders favoured by value investors.
The debt-to-equity (D/E) ratio measures a company's financial leverage by comparing total debt to shareholders' equity, providing a quick read on balance sheet risk. Understanding leverage is critical for anyone investing in <a href="/market/stocks">stocks</a>, particularly during periods when <a href="/news/central-banks">central banks</a> are raising interest rates and refinancing costs are climbing. This guide shows you how to assess whether a company's debt load is sustainable, how leverage impacts risk and return, and why industry context matters when interpreting D/E. Use our <a href="/tools/screener">stock screener</a> to filter by debt-to-equity and pair the results with interest coverage analysis for a fuller picture.
Profit margins measure how much of each dollar of revenue a company keeps as profit at different stages of the income statement, making them essential tools for <a href="/market/stocks">stock</a> comparison. Gross margin reveals production efficiency, operating margin shows core business profitability, and net margin captures the bottom-line result after all expenses. Tracking margin trends over time is a key technique in <a href="/strategies/fundamental-analysis/earnings-valuation-analysis">earnings valuation analysis</a>, because expanding margins often foreshadow positive <a href="/news/earnings">earnings</a> surprises. Use our <a href="/tools/screener">stock screener</a> to rank companies by margin metrics and spot expanding-margin compounders before the market catches on.
Liquidity ratios measure a company's ability to meet short-term obligations, and they are often the earliest warning signal of financial distress. The current ratio and quick ratio are the two most important liquidity measures for fundamental analysts evaluating <a href="/market/stocks">stocks</a> across every sector. This guide explains how to calculate, interpret, and benchmark both ratios — skills that underpin sound <a href="/strategies/fundamental-analysis/value-investing">value investing</a> decisions. Explore definitions of these and other financial ratios in our <a href="/glossary">glossary</a>, and use the <a href="/tools/screener">stock screener</a> to filter for companies with healthy liquidity profiles.