When financial advisors explain the reasons to invest in, or not invest in, particular stocks, they often refer to the "fundamentals" of the companies in question. Media pundits also may cite "fundamentals" in their stock prognostications. And corporate officers may brag about their companies' "fundamentals."

But what does it all mean? They're generally referring to fundamental analysis, a traditional school of thought in looking at companies' basic numbers as a way to evaluate profitability.

Unlike technical analysis of a company, which focuses on the recent trading and pricing history of the company's stock, fundamental analysis paints a broad picture of a company. This process identifies the fundamental value of the shares and leads to decisions to buy or sell the stock.