The following are the top rated Consumer Staples stocks according to Validea's Value Investor model based on the published strategy of Benjamin Graham. This deep value methodology screens for stocks that have low P/B and P/E ratios, along with low debt and solid long-term earnings growth.
UNIVERSAL CORP (UVV) is a small-cap value stock in the Crops industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham is 86% 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: Universal Corporation is a global business-to-business agriproducts company. The Company is a global leaf tobacco supplier and provides plant-based ingredients to food and beverage end markets. The Company operates through two segments: Tobacco Operations and Ingredients Operations. The Tobacco Operations segment activities involve contracting, procuring, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to, or for the account of, manufacturers of consumer tobacco products throughout the world. Through its Ingredients Operations segment, the Company procures raw materials globally and processes the raw materials through a variety of value-added manufacturing processes to produce specialty plant-based ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, botanical extracts, and flavorings for consumer-packaged goods manufacturers, retailers, and food and beverage companies. The Company has operations in over 30 countries on five continents.
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.
| SECTOR: | PASS |
| SALES: | PASS |
| CURRENT RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM DEBT IN RELATION TO NET CURRENT ASSETS: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/BOOK RATIO: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of UNIVERSAL CORP
USANA HEALTH SCIENCES, INC. (USNA) is a small-cap value stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham is 86% 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: USANA Health Sciences, Inc. is a global direct-selling, personal health and wellness company that develops and manufactures science-based nutritional and personal care products. The Company operates through one segment: Direct-selling. Its two geographic regions include Asia Pacific, and Americas and Europe. The Company's product lines include USANA Nutritionals Optimizers, Essentials/CellSentials, foods, personal care, skin care, and all others. The USANA Nutritionals Optimizers consist of supplements designed to meet individual health and nutritional needs. The Essentials/CellSentials product line includes vitamin and mineral supplements that provide total body nutrition. Its food product line includes meal replacement shakes, snack bars, and other related products. It also offers products designed for prenatal, infant, and young-child age groups in China. It distributes products internationally through direct selling, which entails person-to-person marketing and selling of products.
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.
| SECTOR: | PASS |
| SALES: | FAIL |
| CURRENT RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM DEBT IN RELATION TO NET CURRENT ASSETS: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/BOOK RATIO: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of USANA HEALTH SCIENCES, INC.
CAL-MAINE FOODS INC (CALM) is a mid-cap value stock in the Fish/Livestock industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham is 86% 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: Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. is primarily engaged in the production, grading, packaging, marketing and distribution of fresh shell eggs, including conventional, cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs. The Company's integrated operations consist of hatching chicks, growing and maintaining flocks of pullets, layers and breeders, manufacturing feed, and producing, processing, packaging, and distributing shell eggs. The Company provides specialty and conventional eggs. Specialty eggs encompass a broad range of products, such as cage-free, organic, brown, free-range, pasture-raised and nutritionally enhanced eggs. Its Farmhouse Eggs brand eggs are produced at its facilities by hens that are provided with a vegetarian diet. It markets organic, vegetarian and omega-3 eggs under its 4-Grain brand, which consists of conventional and cage-free eggs. Its Sunups and Sunny Meadow brands are sold as conventional eggs.
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.
| SECTOR: | PASS |
| SALES: | PASS |
| CURRENT RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM DEBT IN RELATION TO NET CURRENT ASSETS: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/BOOK RATIO: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of CAL-MAINE FOODS INC
ANDERSONS INC (ANDE) is a small-cap growth stock in the Crops industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham is 71% 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: The Andersons, Inc. is a diversified company, which is engaged in the operations of agricultural supply chain. The Company operates through three segments: Trade, Renewables, and Nutrient and Industrial. The Trade segment is a diversified business focusing on capturing profits through merchandising and managing logistics across a wide range of commodities. The segment specializes in the movement of physical commodities, such as whole grains, grain products, feed ingredients and domestic fuel products among other agricultural commodities. The Renewables segment produces, purchases, and sells ethanol and co-products, offers facility operations, and provides risk management and marketing services to the ethanol plants it invests and operates. The Nutrient & Industrial segment is a manufacturer, distributor and retailer of agricultural and related plant nutrients, liquid industrial products, corncob-based products, pelleted lime and gypsum products, pesticide, and 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.
| SECTOR: | PASS |
| SALES: | PASS |
| CURRENT RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM DEBT IN RELATION TO NET CURRENT ASSETS: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| P/E RATIO: | FAIL |
| PRICE/BOOK RATIO: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of ANDERSONS INC
About Benjamin Graham: The late Benjamin Graham may be the oldest of the gurus we follow, but his impact on the investing world has lasted for decades after his death in 1976. Known as both the "Father of Value Investing" and the founder of the entire field of security analysis, Graham mentored several of history's greatest investors -- including Warren Buffett -- and inspired a slew of others, including John Templeton, Mario Gabelli, and another of Validea's gurus, John Neff. Graham built his fortune and reputation after living through some extremely difficult times, including both the Great Depression and his own family's financial woes following his father's death when Benjamin was a young man. His investment firm posted per annum returns of about 20 percent from 1936 to 1956, far outpacing the 12.2 percent average return for the market during that time.
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.
