Although
current earnings will tell investors where the
company currently stands,
annual earnings tend to
paint a more complete
financial picture. CANSLIM
stock strategists will look back 4-5 years to see if annual earnings have been increasing at a healthy
rate. Most investors using CANSLIM tend to prefer companies with annual earnings increases in the 25-50%
range. Companies with better-than-average returns tend to see their stock prices rise rapidly, which is why CANSLIM investors
target such businesses. However, it is recommended that investors also compare earnings with other companies in the same
industry. If the earnings increases are strong and better than the rest of the
competition, then the company is in a good
position to have a strong
period of
growth, and therefore, be a sound
investment.