Yes, it has been 14 days since you have heard from the likes of me. Days spent walking up to Jeff's desk in the cathedral-like interior of Fool HQ brimming over with white noise, asking him when he would be done with his stint. I can understand Jeff's position, though. With so few other outlets for human contact, it is no wonder he relishes the cozy confines of the daily Drip Portfolio column. After a number of e-mail exchanges with readers throughout the country, I think I may have erred a bit by tossing so much stuff at you all at once with regards to analyzing companies.
Enterprise value is a measure of the actual economic value of a company at any given moment.
Enterprise value measures what it would actually cost to purchase the entire company. Many investors use the current value of all of a company's outstanding shares as a proxy for its economic value. Known as market capitalization, the current market value of all of a company's shares is equal to the current number of outstanding shares multiplied by the current share price. You can find the current share price almost anywhere, thanks to the wonder of 15-minute delayed quotes. In fact, if you are reading this, odds are you either have access to 15-minute delayed quotes or know someone who does.