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.
BARRETT BUSINESS SERVICES, INC. (BBSI) is a small-cap value stock in the Business Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 72% to 74% 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: Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI) is a provider of business management solutions for small and mid-sized companies. The Company has developed a management platform that integrates a knowledge-based approach from the management consulting industry with tools from the human resource outsourcing industry. BBSI's purpose is to advocate for business owners, particularly in the small and mid-sized business segment. The Company offers two categories of services: Professional Employer Services (PEO) and Staffing. Its staffing services include on-demand or short-term staffing assignments, contract staffing, direct placement, and long-term or indefinite-term on-site management. As of December 31, 2016, the Company operated in 20 states and the District of Columbia through a network of 57 branch locations in California, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, North Carolina, Delaware, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
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: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of BARRETT BUSINESS SERVICES, INC.
NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD. (NVMI) is a small-cap growth stock in the Semiconductors industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 87% 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: Nova Measuring Instruments Ltd. provides metrology solutions for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. The Company offers in-line Optical and x-ray stand-alone metrology systems, as well as integrated optical metrology systems, which are attached directly to wafer fabrication process equipment. Its metrology systems measure various film thickness and composition properties, as well as critical-dimension (CD) variables during various front-end and back-end of line steps in the semiconductor wafer fabrication process. Its product portfolio includes a set of in-situ, integrated and stand-alone metrology platforms suited for dimensional, films and material metrology measurements for process control across multiple semiconductor manufacturing process steps. Its products include NovaScan 2040, NovaScan 3090Next, Nova i500, Nova T500, Nova T600, Nova V2600 TSV metrology system, NovaMars, Nova Hybrid Metrology solution, Nova Fleet Management, VeraFlex II, VeraFlex III XF and QED.
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 |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of NOVA MEASURING INSTRUMENTS LTD.
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.
