Article at a glance:
Many executives regard investor relations as a way to push share prices as high as possible and approach the task as a public-relations exercise. But the goal should really be to match the share price of a company with its intrinsic value. Excessively high share prices tend to inspire poor managerial decision making intended to prop them up, and their inevitable fall can damage employee morale. Excessively low share prices can leave a company vulnerable to takeover attempts. To avoid the drawbacks of such imbalances, executives must understand any gaps between the share price of a company and its intrinsic value, make its strategy consistent with its message to investors, explain its performance transparently, and identify its most important investors.
The take-away
A systematic approach to investor relations can better align the share price of a company with its intrinsic value and help executives communicate more effectively with investors.
This article includes the following exhibits:
- Exhibit 1: Analyzing a company's value relative to that of its peers
- Exhibit 2: Microsoft's reorganized business unit reporting
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This article is one of three adapted from the new edition of Valuation: Measuring and Managing the Value of Companies, by Tim Koller, Marc Goedhart, and David Wessels. To read the others, click on the links below:
Do fundamentals—or emotions—drive the stock market?
Emotions can drive market behavior in a few short-lived situations. But fundamentals still rule.
Measuring long-term performance
Earnings per share and share prices aren't the whole story—particularly in the medium and long term.
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