The following are today's upgrades for Validea's P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.
WESTAMERICA BANCORP (WABC) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 72% 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: Westamerica Bancorporation is a bank holding company. The Company provides a full range of banking services to individual and commercial customers in Northern and Central California through its subsidiary bank, Westamerica Bank (the Bank). The Bank is a California-chartered commercial bank whose deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (the FDIC) up to applicable limits. The principal communities served are located in Northern and Central California, from Mendocino, Lake and Nevada Counties in the north to Kern County in the south. In addition, the Bank owns Community Banker Services Corporation, a company engaged in providing the Company and its subsidiaries with data processing services and other support functions. The Bank is engaged in the banking business through 77 branch offices in 20 counties in Northern and Central California. It owns 28 banking office locations and one centralized administrative service center facility and leases 55 facilities.
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.
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E TO GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PER SHARE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EQUITY/ASSETS RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | BONUS PASS |
Detailed Analysis of WESTAMERICA BANCORP
ROYAL GOLD INC (USA) (RGLD) is a large-cap growth stock in the Gold & Silver industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 0% to 87% 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: Royal Gold, Inc. is a precious metals stream and royalty company engaged in the acquisition and management of precious metal streams, royalties and similar production-based interests. The Company's segments include Acquisition and Management of Stream Interests, and Acquisition and Management of Royalty Interests. The Acquisition and Management of Stream Interests segment includes a metal stream, which is a purchase agreement that provides the right to purchase all or a portion of one or more metals produced from a mine, at a price determined for the life of the transaction by the purchase agreement. The Acquisition and Management of Royalty Interests segment includes non-operating interests in mining projects that provide the right to revenue or metals produced from the project after deducting specified costs, if any. The Company owns interests on approximately 178 properties on five continents, including interests on 37 producing mines and 22 development stage projects.
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/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of ROYAL GOLD INC (USA)
NOVA LTD (USA) (NVMI) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Semiconductors industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 69% to 87% 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: Nova Ltd, former Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd,is an Israel based company which provides metrology solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The Company offers in-line Optical and x-ray stand-alone metrology systems, as well as integrated optical metrology systems, which are attached directly to wafer fabrication process equipment. Its metrology systems measure various film thickness and composition properties, as well as critical-dimension (CD) variables during various front-end and back-end of line steps in the semiconductor wafer fabrication process. Its product portfolio includes a set of in-situ, integrated and stand-alone metrology platforms suited for dimensional, films and material metrology measurements for process control across multiple semiconductor manufacturing process steps. Its products include NovaScan 2040, NovaScan 3090Next, Nova i500, Nova T500, Nova T600, Nova V2600 TSV metrology system among others.
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/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of NOVA LTD (USA)
About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.
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.
