The following are today’s upgrades for Validea’s Price/Sales Investor model based on the published strategy of Kenneth Fisher. This value strategy rewards stocks with low P/S ratios, long-term profit growth, strong free cash flow and consistent profit margins.
MALIBU BOATS INC (MBUU) is a small-cap value stock in the Recreational Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 68% to 90% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Malibu Boats, Inc. is a designer, manufacturer, and marketer of a range of recreational powerboats. The Company operates through three segments: Malibu, Saltwater Fishing and Cobalt. The Malibu segment includes manufacturing, distributing, marketing and sale of Malibu and Axis performance sports boats throughout the world. The Saltwater Fishing segment includes manufacturing, distributing, marketing and sales throughout the world of Pursuit boats and the Maverick Boat Group boats (Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder and Hewes). The Cobalt segment includes manufacturing, distributing, marketing, and sale of Cobalt boats throughout the world. The Company’s boats are used for a range of recreational boating activities including, among others, water sports such as water skiing, wakeboarding, and wake surfing, as well as general recreational boating and fishing. It sells its boats under the Malibu, Axis, Pursuit, Maverick, Cobia, Pathfinder, Hewes, and Cobalt brand names.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of MALIBU BOATS INC
GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL CO (GIC) is a small-cap growth stock in the Misc. Capital Goods industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 58% to 80% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Global Industrial Company, formerly Systemax Inc., is an industrial distributor. The Company offers its products primarily under the names Global Industrial in the United States and Global Industrial CA / Avenue in Canada. The Company distributes a range of industrial and maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) products to customers across North America. It MRO products includes storage and shelving, material handling, janitorial and maintenance, safety and security, furniture and office, heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration (HVAC/R) and fans, workbenches and shop desks, outdoor and grounds maintenance, plumbing and pumps, and packaging and supplies. The Company serves to manufacturing, retail / wholesale trade, construction, health care, educational organizations, and government entities.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | FAIL |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of GLOBAL INDUSTRIAL CO
ITRON INC (ITRI) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Electronic Instr. & Controls industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 50% to 70% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Itron, Inc. is a technology and service company. The Company is also engaged in the industrial Internet of things (IIoT). It operates through three segments: Device Solutions, Networked Solutions, and Outcomes. Device Solutions segment primarily includes hardware products used for measurement, control, or sensing that do not have communications capability embedded for use with its Itron systems, i.e., hardware-based products not part of a complete end-to-end solution. Networked Solutions segment primarily includes a combination of communicating devices, network infrastructure, and associated application software designed and sold as a complete solution for acquiring and transporting robust application-specific data. Outcomes segment primarily includes its value-added software and services in which the Company manage, organize, analyze, and interpret data to improve decision making and deliver results for consumers, utilities, and smart cities.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of ITRON INC
MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD (MRTN) is a small-cap growth stock in the Trucking industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 58% to 80% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Marten Transport, Ltd. is a temperature-sensitive truckload carrier. The Company focuses on transporting and distributing food and other consumer-packaged goods that require a temperature-controlled or insulated environment. The Company operates through four segments: Truckload, Dedicated, Intermodal and Brokerage. It operates throughout the United States and in parts of Canada and Mexico. The Company’s medium-to-long-haul traffic lanes are between the Midwest and the West Coast, Southwest, Southeast, and the East Coast, as well as from California to the Pacific Northwest. It provides regional truckload carrier services in the Southeast, West Coast, Midwest, South Central and Northeast regions. It also offers fuel surcharges, loading and unloading activities, equipment detention and other accessorial services. The Company’s Truckload segment provides a combination of regional short-haul and medium-to-long-haul full-load transportation services.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | FAIL |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of MARTEN TRANSPORT, LTD
SIERRA WIRELESS, INC. (USA) (SWIR) is a small-cap growth stock in the Communications Equipment industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 48% to 60% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Sierra Wireless, Inc. provides solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) comprised of its recurring connectivity services, cloud platform, gateways and embedded cellular modules. The Company operates through two segments: IoT Solutions and Enterprise Solutions. The IoT Solutions segment includes its cellular wireless IoT module solutions, IoT connectivity services, embedded broadband solutions, and Octave edge-to-cloud solution. The Enterprise Solutions segment includes its range of Sierra Wireless AirLink routers, IoT gateways, IoT applications and advanced network management, managed connectivity services, and mobility applications. The Enterprises, industrial companies, public safety agencies and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) around the world use its services to digitize their assets by connecting their equipment and products from the edge of the cellular network to the cloud. The Company sells its certain products through resellers, OEMs and wireless service providers.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | FAIL |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of SIERRA WIRELESS, INC. (USA)
ITERIS INC (ITI) is a small-cap growth stock in the Security Systems & Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher changed from 58% to 70% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Iteris, Inc. is a provider of smart mobility infrastructure management solutions. The Company operates through two segments: Roadway Sensors (RWS) and Transportation Systems (SYS). The RWS segment provides detection sensors and systems for traffic management that comprise of family of vantage sensors and BlueTOAD line of products, as well as communication systems and roadway traffic data collection applications that complement sensor products. The Vantage product line uses image processing technology, radar technology and other techniques to analyze sensor data through algorithms, enabling vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian detection, as well as the transmission of both video images and multiple data sets using various communication technologies. The SYS segment provides traffic engineering and consulting services, cloud-enabled managed services, transportation performance measurement and traffic analytics solutions. Its RWS products include Vantage, Vantage Next and VantagePegasus.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy’s tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy’s criteria.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of ITERIS INC
More details on Validea’s Kenneth Fisher strategy
About Kenneth Fisher: The son of Philip Fisher, who is considered the “Father of Growth Investing”, Kenneth Fisher is a money manager, bestselling author, and longtime Forbes columnist. The younger Fisher wowed Wall Street in the mid-1980s when his book Super Stocks first popularized the idea of using the price/sales ratio (PSR) as a means of identifying attractive stocks. According to his alma mater, Humboldt State University, Fisher is also one of the world’s foremost experts on 19th century logging. Appropriately, Fisher’s firm, Fisher Investments, is located in a lush forest preserve in Woodside, California, where the contrarian-minded Fisher says he and his employees can get away from Wall Street groupthink.
About Validea: Validea is an investment research service that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
