The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Book/Market Investor model based on the published strategy of Joseph Piotroski. This value-quant strategy screens for high book-to-market stocks, and then separates out financially sound firms by looking at a host of improving financial criteria.
BOYD GAMING CORPORATION (BYD) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Casinos & Gaming industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% 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: Boyd Gaming Corporation is a multi-jurisdictional gaming company. The Company operated 25 wholly owned gaming entertainment properties in Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Pennsylvania, as of September 18, 2018. It operates through three segments: Las Vegas Locals, Downtown Las Vegas, and Midwest and South. It owns and operates a travel agency and a captive insurance company that underwrites travel-related insurance, each located in Hawaii. Its Las Vegas Locals segment includes properties, such as Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, The Orleans Hotel and Casino, and Sam's Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. The Downtown Las Vegas segment includes three properties, such as California Hotel and Casino Fremont Hotel and Casino and Main Street Station Casino, Brewery and Hotel Street Station. Its Midwest and South segment's properties include Par-A-Dice Hotel Casino, Diamond Jo Dubuque, Diamond Jo Worth, Kansas Star Casino, Amelia Belle Casino and Evangeline Downs.
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.
| BOOK/MARKET RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS: | PASS |
| CASH COMPARED TO NET INCOME: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN LONG TERM DEBT/ASSETS | PASS |
| CHANGE IN CURRENT RATIO: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN SHARES OUTSTANDING: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of BOYD GAMING CORPORATION
SIMPLY GOOD FOODS CO (SMPL) is a small-cap growth stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% 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: Simply Good Foods Co is a developer, marketer and seller of nutritional foods and snacking products. The Company's product portfolio consists primarily of nutrition bars, ready-to-drink (RTD) shakes, snacks and confectionery products. It offers its products under various brands, such as Atkins, SimplyProtein, and Atkins Endulge brand. It offers two types of nutrition bars: Atkins Meal Bars and Atkins Snack Bars. Atkins Meal Bars contain 13 to 17 grams of protein and are available in 11 different flavors. With 2 to 4 grams of net carbs, Atkins Snack Bars contain 7 to 13 grams of protein. Atkins offers 15 varieties of Atkins Snack Bars. Its Atkins RTD shakes contain 10 to 15 grams of protein. Its shakes are available in a variety of flavors, including cookies and creme, cafe caramel and creamy chocolate. Its Plus RTD shakes contain 30 grams of protein. Its Atkins Endulge line consists of desserts without added sugar.
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.
| BOOK/MARKET RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS: | PASS |
| CASH COMPARED TO NET INCOME: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN LONG TERM DEBT/ASSETS | PASS |
| CHANGE IN CURRENT RATIO: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN SHARES OUTSTANDING: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of SIMPLY GOOD FOODS CO
SOLAR SENIOR CAPITAL LTD (SUNS) is a small-cap growth stock in the Misc. Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% 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: Solar Senior Capital Ltd. is a closed-end non-diversified management investment company. The Company directly and indirectly investing in senior loans, including first lien, unitranche, and second lien debt instruments, made to private middle-market companies whose debt is rated below investment grade, which it refers to collectively as senior loans. It may also invest in debt of public companies that are thinly traded or in equity securities. Under normal market conditions, at least 80% of the value of its net assets (including the amount of any borrowings for investment purposes) will be invested in senior loans. It invests in privately held the United States middle-market companies. Its investment activities are managed by Solar Capital Partners, LLC.
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.
| BOOK/MARKET RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS: | PASS |
| CASH COMPARED TO NET INCOME: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN LONG TERM DEBT/ASSETS | PASS |
| CHANGE IN CURRENT RATIO: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN SHARES OUTSTANDING: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of SOLAR SENIOR CAPITAL LTD
More details on Validea's Joseph Piotroski strategy
About Joseph Piotroski: Piotroski isn't your typical Wall Street big shot. In fact, he's not even a professional investor. He's a good old numbers-crunching accountant and college professor. But in 2000, shortly after he started teaching at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, Piotroski published a groundbreaking paper in the Journal of Accounting Research entitled "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers". In it, Piotroski laid out an accounting-based stock-selection/shorting method that produced a 23 percent average annual back-tested return from 1976 through 1996 -- more than double the S&P 500's gain during that time. Piotroski's findings were reported in major financial publiations like SmartMoney. Today, he teaches accounting at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
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.
