3 simple steps I’d take to find the best shares to buy right now

Buying the best shares currently available could prove to be a sound move. They may be better able to withstand a period of weak economic growth. They could also deliver higher returns as the world economy’s performance improves.

Therefore, spending time analysing industry growth prospects, assessing company reports and valuing businesses could be a sound move. It may mean that you purchase the most attractive investment opportunities that can make a major impact on your long-term financial prospects.

Analysing industry prospects to find the best shares

The best shares to buy today may not necessarily have the brightest near-term outlooks. For example, they may face a tough set of trading conditions as a result of downbeat consumer sentiment or disruption caused by lockdown measures implemented due to coronavirus.

However, they could have improving outlooks over the long run that make them attractive investment opportunities. As such, analysing the long-term prospects for a wide range of sectors may help you to deduce where the best buying opportunities are located. This may lead you to focus your efforts on a smaller number of industries where a mix of short-term uncertainty and long-term growth potential may provide a larger number of attractive stocks to buy today.

Using annual reports to assess a company’s prospects

As well as analysing industries to find the best shares, assessing annual reports and recent company updates could be a shrewd move. They provide detailed information on the financial position of a business. This could be very useful in the current economic climate, since slowing sales growth may mean that businesses with solid balance sheets have a higher chance of surviving a difficult set of trading conditions.

Furthermore, annual reports provide information regarding a company’s strategy. This may help you to determine whether it has the right plan to adapt to a fast-changing economic environment, or if its business model is outdated. Through reading management commentary and viewpoints, you can build a picture as to how strong a company’s position may be over the long run. This may have a significant impact on its financial performance and investment gains.

Valuing businesses

Of course, buying the best shares at the wrong price may not lead to impressive returns for investors. Therefore, it is important to try to estimate the value of a company prior to purchase. Should it be trading at a higher price than it is worth, it may be a good idea to look elsewhere or wait until it trades at a lower price.

Fortunately for new investors, many high-quality companies have not yet recovered from the stock market crash. Therefore, good value stocks are likely to be on offer at the present time. They could have a positive impact on your financial prospects in the coming years.

More reading

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• ASX 200 Weekly Wrap: Promises of easy money push ASX 200 to post-crash high
• 3 ASX shares to hold forever
• These are the 10 most shorted shares on the ASX
• Beat the low interest rate with these ASX dividend shares

Motley Fool contributor Peter Stephens has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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