FAQ
Answers to the most common questions about MiniValuator, DCF valuation, and how the tool works.
What Is MiniValuator?
MiniValuator is a free online stock valuation tool that uses the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) method to estimate the intrinsic value of publicly traded stocks. You enter a stock ticker, review and adjust the financial inputs pulled from real-time data sources, and receive an intrinsic value estimate alongside a sensitivity heatmap that shows how your result changes under different assumptions.
MiniValuator is designed for individual investors who want to apply fundamental valuation principles without building complex spreadsheet models from scratch.
Is MiniValuator Free?
MiniValuator is free to get started. Every new account receives a set of free credits upon signup — no credit card required. Each valuation consumes one credit, so your free credits let you run several valuations and explore the full feature set before deciding whether to purchase more.
Once your free credits are used, you can purchase additional credit packages at low cost. See the Credits and Pricing page for details on available tiers.
How Accurate Is the DCF Valuation?
DCF valuation is a model, not a prediction. The accuracy of any intrinsic value estimate depends entirely on the quality of the assumptions that go into it — growth rates, margins, and discount rate. As experienced investors often put it: garbage in, garbage out.
MiniValuator populates inputs automatically using real financial data to give you a reasonable starting point, but no model can predict the future with certainty. This is precisely why MiniValuator includes a sensitivity heatmap: rather than anchoring on a single number, you can see how the intrinsic value estimate shifts across a range of plausible assumptions. A stock that looks attractive under many different scenarios is generally a more compelling opportunity than one that only looks cheap under the single most optimistic case.
Use the DCF output as one analytical input among several, not as a definitive answer.
What Stocks Can I Value?
MiniValuator supports US-listed stocks with publicly available financial data. This includes companies listed on the NYSE, NASDAQ, and other major US exchanges that file financial reports with the SEC.
Companies with insufficient public financial history — such as very recently listed companies, SPACs before a business combination, or firms with irregular financials — may return incomplete data or limited results. MiniValuator works best with established companies that have at least a few years of reported financials.
Where Does the Financial Data Come From?
MiniValuator sources financial data from public financial data APIs and SEC filings. This includes income statement data, balance sheet items, cash flow figures, share counts, and market price information.
Data is retrieved at the time of your valuation to reflect the most current available figures. Because the data comes from public regulatory filings and established financial data providers, it reflects the same underlying information used by professional analysts.
What Is Intrinsic Value?
Intrinsic value is an estimate of what a business is actually worth, based on the cash flows it is expected to generate over time, discounted back to the present. It is distinct from market price, which reflects what buyers and sellers are currently willing to pay — a figure driven by sentiment, momentum, and short-term factors as much as fundamentals.
The gap between intrinsic value and market price is the opportunity that value investors seek. For a deeper explanation, see the MiniValuator blog.
What Is Margin of Safety?
Margin of safety is the difference between a stock's estimated intrinsic value and its current market price, expressed as a percentage. If MiniValuator estimates a stock's intrinsic value at $100 and it is trading at $75, the margin of safety is 25%.
The concept, popularized by Benjamin Graham and central to Warren Buffett's approach, reflects the idea that even the best valuation model contains uncertainty. Buying at a meaningful discount to intrinsic value gives you a buffer against errors in your assumptions and unexpected business developments.
For a full explanation of how margin of safety is applied in MiniValuator, see the MiniValuator blog.
How Is the Discount Rate (WACC) Calculated?
The discount rate used in MiniValuator's DCF model is based on the Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) — a blended rate that reflects the cost of both equity and debt financing for the company, weighted by their proportions in the capital structure.
MiniValuator pre-populates a WACC estimate using publicly available data on the company's debt cost, equity beta, and capital structure. You can review and adjust this figure on the DCF Inputs page before running your valuation. Because WACC has a significant impact on the intrinsic value output, the sensitivity heatmap rows are specifically designed to show how your result changes as the discount rate varies.
Can I Export My Valuation Results?
Yes. MiniValuator allows you to export your valuation results for offline review and record-keeping. Export options include a summary of your DCF inputs, the intrinsic value estimate, and the sensitivity heatmap data. Check the valuation results page for available export formats, which may include PDF and CSV depending on your account tier.
How Do I Contact Support?
If you have a question that is not answered here, encounter a technical issue, or need help with your account, you can reach the MiniValuator support team by email. The support email address is available on the Contact page within the app.
For credit-related issues — such as a valuation that failed to complete but still consumed a credit — include your account email and the ticker and date of the affected valuation in your message so the team can review your case efficiently.