The financial statements will indicate the company's profitability, liquidity, and debt. All of this information can be pulled straight from the financial statements with the exception of the risk premium. DDM software is readily available on the Web. Volatility will only increase as long as the post information era continues to flourish. Buy stocks when they are on sale.
Many stocks go unnoticed by the market until a new catalyst emerges.
Some catalysts include mergers and acquistions or a new product line. You want to buy good companies that have had recent temporary setbacks like missing their earnings estimate. Earnings estimates are usually determined by Wall Street and the Street punishes companies that miss these targets. Sometimes the Street can have unattainable expections even from the very best companies. This is the time to buy.