The following are the top rated Basic Materials stocks according to Validea's Price/Sales Investor model based on the published strategy of Kenneth Fisher. This value strategy rewards stocks with low P/S ratios, long-term profit growth, strong free cash flow and consistent profit margins.
RELIANCE STEEL & ALUMINUM CO (RS) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Misc. Fabricated Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher is 100% 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: Reliance Steel & Aluminum Co. is a metals service center company in North America (the United States and Canada). As of December 31, 2018, the Company's network of metals service centers operated over 300 locations in 39 states in the United States and in 12 other countries (Australia, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom). As of December 31, 2018, it provided metals processing services and distributes a range of more than 100,000 metal products, including alloy, aluminum, brass, copper, carbon steel, stainless steel, titanium and specialty steel products in a range of industries. Its various metals service centers process and distribute only specialty metals. It delivers a range of products from facilities located across the United States and Canada. It provides a range of processing services for its customers' and delivers products to fabricators, manufacturers and other end users.
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.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of RELIANCE STEEL & ALUMINUM CO
RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP INC (REGI) is a small-cap value stock in the Chemical Manufacturing industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher is 90% 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: Renewable Energy Group, Inc. is focused on providing cleaner, lower carbon intensity products and services. The Company is a producer of biomass-based diesel in North America. Its segments include Biomass-based diesel, Services, Renewable Chemicals and Corporate and other activities. It is involved in various activities related to biomass-based diesel production, from acquiring feedstock, managing construction and operating biomass-based diesel production facilities to marketing, selling and distributing biomass-based diesel and its co-products. As of December 31, 2016, it owned and operated a network of 14 biorefineries. As of December 31, 2016, 12 biorefineries were located in the United States and two in Germany, and 13 of which produce biodiesel or renewable hydrocarbon diesel and had an aggregate nameplate production capacity of 502 million gallons per year (mmgy). As of December 31, 2016, it also operated one microbial fermentation facility and one feedstock processing facility.
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.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | FAIL |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of RENEWABLE ENERGY GROUP INC
TERNIUM SA (ADR) (TX) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Iron & Steel industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher is 90% 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: Ternium S.A. is a producer of steel products. The Company produces finished and semi-finished steel products and iron ore, which are sold either directly to steel manufacturers, steel processors or end users. The Company operates through two segments: Steel and Mining. The Steel segment includes the sales of steel products and the Mining segment includes the sales of iron ore products, which are primarily inter-company. The Steel segment comprises three operating segments: Mexico, the Southern Region and Other Markets. In the steel segment, steel products include slabs, billets and round bars (steel in its basic, semi-finished state), hot-rolled coils and sheets, bars and stirrups, wire rods, cold-rolled coils and sheets, tin plate, hot dipped galvanized and electrogalvanized sheets and pre-painted sheets, steel pipes and tubular products, beams, roll-formed products, and other products. In the mining segment, iron ore is sold as concentrates (fines) and pellets.
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.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of TERNIUM SA (ADR)
UFP INDUSTRIES INC (UFPI) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Forestry & Wood Products industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher is 90% 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: UFP Industries, Inc., formerly Universal Forest Products, Inc., is a holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, supplies wood, wood composite and other products to three primary markets, such as retail, construction and industrial. Its segments include North, South, West, Alternative Materials, International, idX Holdings, Inc. (idX) and Corporate divisions. idX is a designer, manufacturer and installer of in-store environments. It designs, manufactures and markets wood and wood-alternative products for national home centers and other retailers; structural lumber and other products for the manufactured housing industry; engineered wood components for residential and commercial construction; specialty wood packaging, components and packing materials for various industries, and customized interior fixtures used in a range of retail stores, commercial and other structures.
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.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of UFP INDUSTRIES INC
VERSO CORP (VRS) is a small-cap value stock in the Containers & Packaging industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Kenneth Fisher 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: Verso Corporation is a producer of coated papers, which are used in magazines, catalogs, advertising brochures and annual reports, among other media and marketing publications. The Company operates through two segments: paper and pulp. The Paper segment includes paper products, which are used in media and marketing applications, including catalogs, magazines, and commercial printing applications, such as advertising brochures, annual reports and direct-mail advertising. The Pulp segment includes pulp products, which are used to manufacture printing, writing, and specialty paper grades and tissue products. The Company produces a range of products, ranging from coated freesheet and coated groundwood, to inkjet and digital paper, supercalendered papers and uncoated freesheet. It also produces and sells market kraft pulp, which is used to manufacture printing and writing paper grades and tissue products. The Company also produces and sells Northern Bleached Hardwood Kraft (NBHK) pulp.
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.
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/RESEARCH RATIO: | PASS |
| PRICE/SALES RATIO: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| FREE CASH PER SHARE: | PASS |
| THREE YEAR AVERAGE NET PROFIT MARGIN: | FAIL |
Detailed Analysis of VERSO CORP
More details on Validea's Kenneth Fisher strategy
About Kenneth Fisher: The son of Philip Fisher, who is considered the "Father of Growth Investing", Kenneth Fisher is a money manager, bestselling author, and longtime Forbes columnist. The younger Fisher wowed Wall Street in the mid-1980s when his book Super Stocks first popularized the idea of using the price/sales ratio (PSR) as a means of identifying attractive stocks. According to his alma mater, Humboldt State University, Fisher is also one of the world's foremost experts on 19th century logging. Appropriately, Fisher's firm, Fisher Investments, is located in a lush forest preserve in Woodside, California, where the contrarian-minded Fisher says he and his employees can get away from Wall Street groupthink.
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.
