The Market-to-Book Effect. Another common financial ratio used by stock-pickers is market-to-book: That is, divide the stock price by the per-share value that the company’s accountants report in the financial reports, or “book.” Surprise: Companies with low ratios—that is, those that the stock market values less than does the company’s accountant—perform better over time than companies with high ratios. Of course, this is nothing more than the old Wall Street mantra, buy low, sell high. And
