The following are the top rated Basic Materials stocks according to 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.
CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION (CRS) is a small-cap value stock in the Iron & Steel industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski is 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: Carpenter Technology Corporation is engaged in the manufacturing, fabrication and distribution of specialty metals. The Company develops, manufactures and distributes specialty alloys, including titanium, nickel and cobalt, as well as alloys specifically engineered for additive manufacturing processes and soft magnetics applications. The Company's segments include Specialty Alloys Operations (SAO) and Performance Engineered Products (PEP). Its SAO segment consists of alloy and stainless steel manufacturing operations. Its PEP segment includes the Dynamet titanium business, the Carpenter Powder Products business, the Amega West business, the Specialty Steel Supply business and the Latrobe and Mexico distribution businesses. It provides specialty alloy-based materials and process solutions for applications in the aerospace and defense, energy, transportation, medical and industrial and consumer industries.
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: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of CARPENTER TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION
ELDORADO GOLD CORP (USA) (EGO) is a small-cap value stock in the Gold & Silver industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski is 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: Eldorado Gold Corp is a Canada-based gold exploration, development and mining company. The Company's operations are classified into geographical segments that include Turkey, Canada, Brazil, Greece and Romania. The Company operates two gold mines in Turkey Kisladag and Efemcukuru, and two polymetallic mines in Greece Olympias and Stratoni. Its Stratoni mine is a silver-lead-zinc mine and the Olympias is a gold-silver-lead-zinc mine. The Company operates the Lamaque gold mine in Canada. The Brazil segment is engaged in operating Vila Nova, which is an iron ore mine, and is engaged in the exploration activties of Tocantinzinho project in Brazil. The Company is also developing Skouries and Perama Hill projects in Greece, and is developing Certej project in Romania.
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: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of ELDORADO GOLD CORP (USA)
MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC (MTX) is a small-cap value stock in the Chemical Manufacturing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski is 70% 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: Minerals Technologies Inc. is a resource- and technology-based company that develops, produces and markets a range of specialty mineral, mineral-based and synthetic mineral products and related systems and services around the world. It operates through four segments. The Specialty Minerals segment produces and sells the synthetic mineral product precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), mines mineral ores, and processes and sells natural mineral products, primarily limestone and talc. The Performance Materials segment is a supplier of bentonite and bentonite-related products to industrial and consumer markets globally. The Refractories segment produces and markets monolithic and shaped refractory materials and specialty products, services and application and measurement equipment. The Energy Services segment offers a range of services to improve the production, costs, compliance and environmental impact of activities performed in the oil and gas industry.
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: | FAIL |
| 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: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN GROSS MARGIN: | FAIL |
| CHANGE IN ASSET TURNOVER: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of MINERALS TECHNOLOGIES INC
ALLEGHENY TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED (ATI) is a small-cap value stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski is 60% 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: Allegheny Technologies Incorporated is a manufacturer of specialty materials and complex components. The Company operates through two business segments: High Performance Materials & Components (HPMC), and Flat Rolled Products (FRP). The HPMC segment produces, converts and distributes a range of materials, including titanium and titanium-based alloys, nickel- and cobalt-based alloys and superalloys, zirconium and related alloys, including hafnium and niobium, advanced powder alloys and other specialty materials, in long product forms, such as ingot, billet, bar, rod, wire, shapes and rectangles, and seamless tubes, plus precision forgings, components and machined parts. The FRP segment produces, converts and distributes stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, specialty alloys, and titanium and titanium-based alloys, in a range of product forms, including plate, sheet, engineered strip, and Precision Rolled Strip 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.
| BOOK/MARKET RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CHANGE IN RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS: | PASS |
| CASH COMPARED TO NET INCOME: | FAIL |
| 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: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of ALLEGHENY TECHNOLOGIES INCORPORATED
KRATON CORP (KRA) is a small-cap value stock in the Chemicals - Plastics & Rubber industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski is 60% 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: Kraton Corporation, formerly Kraton Performance Polymers, Inc., is a specialty chemicals company. The Company manufactures styrenic block copolymers (SBCs) and other engineered polymers. The Company also produces specialty products primarily derived from pine wood pulping co-products. The Company operates through two segments: Polymer Segment, which comprises SBCs and other engineered polymers business, and Chemical Segment, which comprises pine-based specialty products business. Its SBCs are used in a range of applications, including adhesives, coatings, consumer and personal care products, sealants, lubricants, medical, packaging, automotive, paving, roofing and footwear products. The Company also sells isoprene rubber (IR) and isoprene rubber latex (IRL), which are non-SBC products primarily used in applications, such as medical products, personal care, adhesives, tackifiers, paints and coatings. It offers crude tall oil (CTO) and crude sulfate turpentine (CST).
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: | FAIL |
| 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: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of KRATON CORP
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.
