YCharts Review

YCharts has been making investment research more easily accessible since 2009. In essence, it is a web-based research platform that can be used for charting, screening, and has data management tools. It is capable of visualizing metrics for a couple of thousands of stocks. 

What’s unique about this tool is that it centers on a stock’s fundamentals rather than just technical analysis. So, it is an all in one platform that shows data for numerous stocks and is an excellent research tool for any investor, both individuals, and seasoned financial managers. 

What Kind of Trader is YCharts Suited for?

This platform is suited mostly for long-term investors who would like to invest in companies they think are relatively undervalues when it comes to their fundamentals. 

This tool namely focuses on fundamentals, which is something a lot of other platforms lack, allowing traders to compare fundamental data. It can be done across various companies in the same sector. The platform also boasts a screener for mutual funds. So, it can be suitable for those who also seek to invest in those.  

Some Features of YCharts

1. The Charts

The Charts are definitely at the heart of YCharts – but a unique aspect of the charts is the fact that this platform offers both fundamental and technical charts. Fundamental charts are great when it comes to visualizing any changes in a stock fundamental over a time frame and comparing companies that happen to be in the same industry. 

Fundamental data can be quite extensive and can include various things such as revenue and profit metrics, information about varying assets, and also any returns over multiple time periods. 

The time scales in which one can view fundamental data is vast, ranging from a day to 10 years. This kind of analysis is fairly unique to YCharts, and it is a great analysis tool.

On the other hand, technical charts are generally a little more similar to the standard candlestick charts that are used for technical analysis; you can only view these in candlestick or line patterns. These are not quite as flexible as they are aimed for long-term technical analysis. 

2. Fundamental Analysis

The extensive data of YCharts is one of the more useful aspects of the tool. You can find it by searching for a stock. 

At first glance, you will e able to see analyst recommendations, key statistics, any upcoming changes or events related to the stock, and an earnings report. The financials and key statistics tabs will allow you to further investigate the stock and the data associated with it. 

The key statistics is essentially a series of tables indicating any statistics related to company income, PE estimates, EPS, and also price performance. 

This fundamental data is generally useful for investors and can be used to evaluate the value of the said company. You could also compare this data to other companies in the same industry, making it a lot easier to decide on what you are going to invest in.  

The financials tab is essentially an overview and digital copy of the company’s balance sheet, cash flow, and income statement. This data can be easily exported and used for analysis.

3. Technical Indicators

The platform also has more than 40-technical indicators, including momentum indicators, such as MACD, RSI, and stochastic.

It also has over 4,000 financial metrics and about 30 years of historical data pertaining to finance, including balance sheets and income statements.

4. Alerts

Alerts can be set up with customized keyword triggers. These can be configured to any watchlists you might have, and you’re notified of any changes via email. 

5. Newsfeed

While there are other, more comprehensive news trading services, YCharts still provides a relatively good real-time newsfeed. 

6. Watchlists

Watchlists can be creased based on various sectors, industries, themes, charts, link news, and alerts.

There are pre-set default ones you can opt for, but you could always customize one based on your own requirements.

7. Screener & Fund Screener

One great thing about YCharts is that it has screeners for both mutual funds and also for stocks. Furthermore, the screeners in YCharts focus mainly on fundamental data rather than technical data and have information on risk factors.  

The screener is one that’s is relatively flexible, and one can filter things by momentum, value, income. Though there are numerous other strategies, one can choose to filter out data. The data is pulled from SEC13-G; this means that the screener features popular investor portfolios; this can include hedge funds.

Essentially, you can get pretty creative when it comes to compiling data. 

8. Exporting Data

The great part of this platform is that basically, almost all financial data can be exported and fed directly into Excel. So, exporting the data is relatively easy, and you can, therefore, analyze the data on the go without having direct access to the platform. 

It is a lot easier to set and position the data as you like and is best interpreted. The only downside to this is that this feature is solely available for professional and institutional plans, and there are data limits for exporting.

9. YRatings

Here’s why YCharts can be used for individual investors and is an excellent option for those who do not have a team of analysts at the go.

The YRating is the rating that YCharts essentially gives to every stock, and this rating is solely based on its fundamental data. This takes into account things like EPS, amount earnings yield, and also revenue. 

The stock is evaluated by comparing it to its performance history. The YRating is generally a good indicator for analysts and investors to decide whether or not to buy, hold, or sell stocks. These metrics are always great for a quick overview of traders and investors.  

Are There Any Negatives?

Charting Indicators are Limited

While there is a lot of fundamental data to go through, and a lot of details that one can delve into, the technical indicators are somewhat basic. These are only really limited to the popular ones, especially when comparing it to other platforms, although those maybe a little more geared for technical analysis.

Lack of Customization

While there are great tools like alerts, watchlists, data exporting, and whatnot, the platform is still a browser one. One cannot save customized searches, and one cannot change the layout as they see fit. So, there’s that issue with the product.