Before making a commitment to buy a stock or an option, a trader needs to understand the importance of doing a little company research. The Dedicated Trader has set aside one portion of the Market Research to help students find information about potential stock candidates, giving them a chance to conduct their company research.

The company profile portion of the Market Research page provides all the fundamental information needed to make a wise decision. A complete description of the firm is included here, listing the sector, the industry, the address and phone number, and the number of employees.

This is a good place to find information about upcoming earnings announcement. Company research informs you of the next reporting date and provides the target for the estimated announcement. The information includes the price and volume, including the 52-week high and low, the key ratios, and the per-share data. There's a candlestick chart of the stock at the bottom of the page, allowing the user to get an overview of how the stock has performed over the last six months.

The earnings estimate page recounts the earnings estimates over the past five quarters, allowing for an easy comparison. The consensus earnings trend gives an accurate reading for the last 90 days and projects long-term growth. The earnings surprise chart is important information to know in case a trader is playing a strangle strategy that is based on earnings.

Other important information provided here are ratings by analysts, how a stock compares to others within the industry, and financial ratios. The ratings can give potential buyers a hint about how the stock is viewed by brokerage firms. The industry comparison ranks the stock and others in the same sector by market cap, outstanding share, beta, book value, and the price-to- book ratio. The ratios show how the stock compares against others in its industry, sector and the S&P 500 in terms of valuation ratio, growth rates, and financial strength ratios.

With all the company research in one spot, The Dedicated Trader has removed much of the legwork from the process of fundamental analysis. There's no need to wander from site to site in search of the information. BetterTrades has conveniently placed it in one place.