The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.
HORIZON BANCORP INC (HBNC) is a small-cap value stock in the Regional Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig changed from 85% to 92% 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: Horizon Bancorp Inc, formerly Horizon Bancorp, is a bank holding company. The Company provides a range of banking services in Northern and Central Indiana and Southwestern and Central Michigan through its bank subsidiary, Horizon Bank, N.A. (the Bank) and other affiliated entities and Horizon Risk Management, Inc. The Company operates through commercial banking segment. The Bank is a full-service commercial bank offering commercial and retail banking services, corporate and individual trust and agency services and other services incident to banking. Horizon Risk Management, Inc. is a captive insurance company. LSB Risk Management, Inc. is a captive insurance company. As of September 1, 2017, the Bank operated through 60 offices throughout northern and central Indiana and southern Michigan and Ohio. The Bank's loan portfolio consists of commercial loans, real estate loans, mortgage warehouse loans and consumer loans.
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 RATIO: | PASS |
| REVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| SALES GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| CURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS: | PASS |
| QUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO: | PASS |
| POSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER: | PASS |
| EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS: | FAIL |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PERSISTENCE: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| INSIDER TRANSACTIONS: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of HORIZON BANCORP INC
ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING LP (AB) is a mid-cap value stock in the Investment Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig changed from 77% to 85% 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: AllianceBernstein Holding L.P. is engaged in providing research, investment management and related services to a range of clients through its three buy-side distribution channels: Institutions, Retail and Private Wealth Management, and its sell-side business, Bernstein Research Services. The Company offers a range of investment services, including equity strategies, with global and regional portfolios across capitalization ranges and investment strategies, including value, growth and equities; traditional and unconstrained fixed income strategies, including taxable and tax-exempt strategies; passive management, including index and enhanced index strategies; alternative investments, including hedge funds, fund of funds and private equity, and multi-asset solutions and services, including dynamic asset allocation, customized target-date funds and target-risk funds. The Company's services span various investment disciplines, including market capitalization, term and geographic locations.
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 RATIO: | PASS |
| REVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| SALES GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| CURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS: | PASS |
| QUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO: | PASS |
| POSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER: | PASS |
| EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PERSISTENCE: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| INSIDER TRANSACTIONS: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of ALLIANCEBERNSTEIN HOLDING LP
More details on Validea's Martin Zweig strategy
About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.
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.
