Have you invested in stock markets? Are you making money? Find out, do this

It has been a busy day for stock markets with both Sensex and Nifty hitting multiple fresh highs before crossing the 40,000 and 12,000 mark respectively on Thursday as Narendra Modi and NDA got clear majority in the Lok Sabha elections 2019. The investment sentiment has been positive ever since the exit polls had predicted a win for NDA on Sunday evening. Market experts believe that a stable government means there would be continuation of policies which will help both Sensex and Nifty in the coming weeks. 

Even on Friday, Sensex opened on a firm note and was trading just over 275 points higher from its Thursday's close. The Nifty was up 76.90 points or 0.66 per cent to 11,733.95. Analysts have said that after the election euphoria is over, markets will start focusing on the US-China trade tension and rising oil prices.

This makes it an interesting time to be an investor - both existing or potential. It also gives you an opportunity to review your stocks and find out if there are financially healthy or not. Sandeep Bhardwaj, Chief Sales Officer, Angel Broking Ltd explains a few things that can help you gauge the financial health of your stocks -

- How is the revenue growth and profit growth of the company shaping up? 
Bhardwaj told Zee Business Online that a long term portfolio must have stocks with stable to rising growth rates in top line and also in bottom line.

-  Are the operating margins under pressure? 
He said that this is a quick gauge of how effectively the company is managing its costs and revenue per unit. "Fluctuations in margin are fine but consistently lower margins are not a good signal," Bhardwaj said.

- Is the company doing something disruptive or something unique so as to create a moat in its business? 
He explained that equity investing is all about long term sustainability and that only comes from an effective moat.

- Is the company adhering to high standards of transparency, disclosure and corporate governance? 
Bhardwaj said that this has assumed a lot of importance and should be a key metrics of valuation of companies.

Meanwhile, the new investors should keep a close eye on the new policies and announcements made by the new government. This can help them identify the sectors that can be bet upon. However, this shouldn't be the only criteria and you should also factor in other things like company's past performance and price at which your buying.