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.
CINCINNATI FINANCIAL CORPORATION (CINF) is a large-cap growth stock in the Insurance (Prop. & Casualty) 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: Cincinnati Financial Corporation is an insurance holding company. It operates through five segments: Commercial lines insurance, Personal lines insurance, Excess and surplus lines insurance, and Life insurance and Investments. Its Commercial Lines Insurance Segment provides five commercial business lines: commercial casualty, commercial property, commercial auto, workers' compensation and other commercial lines. Its personal lines property insurance segment writes personal lines coverage in accounts that include both auto and homeowner coverages, as well as coverages that are part of its other personal business line. The excess and surplus lines Insurance segment covers business risks with characteristics, such as the nature of the business or its claim history that are difficult to profitably insure in the standard commercial lines market. The life insurance business lines include term life insurance, universal life insurance, worksite products and whole life insurance.
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: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EQUITY/ASSETS RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of CINCINNATI FINANCIAL CORPORATION
PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC (PNC) is a large-cap growth stock in the Regional Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 0% to 91% 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: PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. is a diversified financial services company. The Company has businesses engaged in retail banking, including residential mortgage, corporate and institutional banking and asset management. The Company's segments include Retail Banking, Corporate & Institutional Banking and Asset Management Group. Retail Banking provides deposit, lending, brokerage, investment management and cash management products and services. Corporate & Institutional Banking provides lending, treasury management and capital markets-related products and services. Asset Management Group includes personal wealth management for high net worth and ultra-high net worth clients and institutional asset management.
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: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES GROUP INC
SARATOGA INVESTMENT CORP (SAR) is a small-cap value stock in the Investment Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 74% to 93% 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: Saratoga Investment Corp. is a specialty finance company. It provides customized financing solutions to the United States' middle-market businesses. The Company primarily invests in senior and unitranche leveraged loans and mezzanine debt and, to a lesser extent, equity issued by private United States middle-market companies. The Company's investment objective is to create attractive risk-adjusted returns by generating current income and long-term capital appreciation from its investments. Its investments generally provide financing for change of ownership transactions. The Company's portfolio is comprised primarily of investments in leveraged loans issued by middle-market companies. The Company also invests in mezzanine debt and make equity investments in middle-market companies. Mezzanine debt is typically unsecured and subordinated to senior debt of the portfolio company. The Company's investment activities are externally managed and advised by Saratoga Investment Advisors, 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.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EQUITY/ASSETS RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of SARATOGA INVESTMENT CORP
More details on Validea's Peter Lynch strategy
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.
