Growth vs. Value Investing

Paying up for fast earners versus buying out-of-favor bargains.

What is Growth vs. Value Investing?

Growth investors buy companies with rapid earnings growth, typically high P/E and P/B ratios and low or no dividends. Value investors buy companies trading cheaply relative to earnings, book value, or dividends - often out of favor, with higher dividend yields. Value investing is frequently contrarian.

Growth vs. Value Investing: a worked example

A software firm at 50x earnings is a growth holding; a bank at 9x earnings and 0.9x book is a value holding.

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