The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Low PE Investor model based on the published strategy of John Neff. This strategy looks for firms with persistent earnings growth that trade at a discount relative to their earnings growth and dividend yield.
OAKTREE SPECIALTY LENDING CORP (OCSL) is a small-cap value stock in the Misc. Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on John Neff changed from 40% to 79% 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: Oaktree Specialty Lending Corporation is a specialty finance company. The Company provide customized, one-stop credit solutions to companies with limited access to public or syndicated capital markets. The Company's investment objective is to generate current income and capital appreciation by providing companies with flexible and financing solutions, including first and second lien loans, unsecured and mezzanine loans, bonds, preferred equity and certain equity co-investments. The Company may also seek to generate capital appreciation and income through secondary investments at discounts to par in either private or syndicated transactions. Its portfolio of investments includes application software, multi-sector holdings, data processing and outsourced services, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, health care services, specialized finance, personal products, and more. The Company is externally managed by Oaktree Fund Advisors, LLC (Oaktree).
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.
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| FUTURE EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| SALES GROWTH: | PASS |
| TOTAL RETURN/PE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | FAIL |
| EPS PERSISTENCE: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of OAKTREE SPECIALTY LENDING CORP
BERRY GLOBAL GROUP INC (BERY) is a mid-cap value stock in the Fabricated Plastic & Rubber industry. The rating according to our strategy based on John Neff changed from 60% to 79% 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: Berry Global Group, Inc. creates packaging and engineered products. The Company operates through four segments: Consumer Packaging International, Consumer Packaging North America, Health, Hygiene and Specialties, and Engineered Materials. The Consumer Packaging International segment primarily consists of closures and dispensing systems, pharmaceutical devices and packaging, bottles and canisters, and containers. The Consumer Packaging North America segment primarily consists of containers and pails, foodservice, closures, bottles, prescription vials, and tubes. The Health, Hygiene & Specialties segment primarily consists of healthcare, hygiene, specialties, and tapes. The Engineered Materials segment primarily consists of stretch and shrink films, converter films, institutional can liners, food and consumer films, retail bags, and agriculture films. The Company partners with customers to develop, design, and manufacture products with a focus on the circular economy.
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.
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| FUTURE EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| SALES GROWTH: | PASS |
| TOTAL RETURN/PE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | PASS |
| EPS PERSISTENCE: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of BERRY GLOBAL GROUP INC
About John Neff: While known as the manager with whom many top managers entrusted their own money, Neff was far from the smooth-talking, high-profile Wall Streeter you might expect. He was mild-mannered and low-key, and the same might be said of the Windsor Fund that he managed for more than three decades. In fact, Neff himself described the fund as "relatively prosaic, dull, [and] conservative." There was nothing dull about his results, however. From 1964 to 1995, Neff guided Windsor to a 13.7 percent average annual return, easily outpacing the S&P 500's 10.6 percent return during that time. That 3.1 percentage point difference is huge over time -- a $10,000 investment in Windsor (with dividends reinvested) at the start of Neff's tenure would have ended up as more than $564,000 by the time he retired, more than twice what the same investment in the S&P would have yielded (about $233,000). Considering the length of his tenure, that track record may be the best ever for a manager of such a large fund.
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice 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.
