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.
NATIONAL GRID PLC (ADR) (NGG) is a large-cap value stock in the Electric Utilities industry. The rating according to our strategy based on John Neff changed from 58% to 77% 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: National Grid plc is an energy company. The Company's businesses supply gas and electricity to various customers and communities. Its segments include UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, UK Electricity System Operator, New England, and New York. The UK Electricity Transmission segment includes the high-voltage electricity transmission networks in England and Wales. The UK Electricity Distribution segment includes the electricity distribution networks of Western Power Distribution in East Midlands, West Midlands, and Southwest of England and South Wales. The UK Electricity System Operator segment is the Great Britain system operator. The New England segment is engaged in gas distribution networks, electricity distribution networks, and high-voltage electricity transmission networks in New England. The New York segment is engaged in gas distribution networks, electricity distribution networks, and high-voltage electricity transmission networks in New York.
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: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of NATIONAL GRID PLC (ADR)
GUARANTY BANCSHARES, INC. (GNTY) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks 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: Guaranty Bancshares, Inc. is a bank holding company. The Company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Guaranty Bank & Trust (the Bank), offers a range of commercial and consumer banking, as well as trust and wealth management, products and services that meet the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses, professionals and individuals. Its lending activities provide a range of loans, including commercial lines of credit, working capital loans, commercial real estate-backed loans, term loans, equipment financing, acquisition, expansion and development loans, and borrowing base loans. It also offers various consumer loans to individuals and professionals, including residential real estate loans, home equity loans, installment loans, unsecured and secured personal lines of credit, and standby letters of credit. The Bank operates approximately 32 full-service banking locations in East Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and Central Texas regions of the state.
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 GUARANTY BANCSHARES, INC.
COLUMBIA BANKING SYSTEM INC (COLB) is a mid-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks 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: Columbia Banking System, Inc. is the bank holding company for Umpqua Bank (the Bank). The Bank offers a combination of robust commercial, small business and consumer capabilities, expertise, local decision-making, and a personalized approach to customer service. The Bank supports consumers and businesses through a full suite of services, including retail and commercial banking; small business administration lending; institutional and corporate banking, and equipment leasing. The Bank primarily operates in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington State. In addition to the Bank, the Company consists of other subsidiaries and divisions including Columbia Trust Company, Columbia Wealth Advisors and Columbia Private Bank, which operates under the banner of Columbia Wealth Management, as well as Financial Pacific Leasing, Inc.
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 COLUMBIA BANKING SYSTEM 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.
