Following the analyst ratings is like driving a car blindfolded. I learned that early enough to avoid big losses..lol.. but amen to TT, that is exactly what I do. I do go a step more and analyze the footnotes to the statements but most of what I do is understand the business model and how it earns its money to make my own theory on why and why not the company would be a better investment for x months. I do look at the technicals but only if the fundamentals are sound to reinforce my original notion. Simple valuation method like PE and Book to Market.. yea of course but not anything more fancy. I can't remember the last time I used a page in Excel to value a security..