4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

GuruFocus.com
·3 min read

- By James Li

In light of the Federal Reserve's announcement that it will pause interest rate hikes through 2023, investors may want to have a look at these four good companies that have strong Piotroski F-scores according to the All-in-One Screener, a Premium feature of GuruFocus: The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:HD), IDEXX Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ:IDXX), Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO) and Usana Health Sciences Inc. (NYSE:USNA).


Dow surges on Fed keeping rates constant and upgrading economic outlook

On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee said in a post-meeting statement that economic activity and employment indicators "have turned up recently" and that inflation remains near 2%. The committee also voted to keep short-term borrowing rates near zero.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

The U.S. stock market received a St. Patrick's Day boost on the heels of the Fed's upbeat economic outlook and announcement it will pause interest rate hikes to at least 2023. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed at 33,015.37, topping 33,000 for the first time in history and up 189.42 points from Tuesday's close of 32,825.95.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

As such, investors may find opportunities in companies that have shown profitability over the past 10 years and have a Piotroski F-score of at least 7 out of 9. Piotroski developed a nine-point criterion that grades a company's business operations. The accounting professor's research suggests that companies with high F-scores have high return potential than companies with low F-scores.

Home Depot

Home Depot (NYSE:HD) scores a Piotroski F-score of 7, driven by good quality of earnings, a lower leverage ratio this year compared to last year and a higher current ratio this year compared to last year.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

GuruFocus ranks the Atlanta-based home furnishings retailer's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank and an operating margin that has increased approximately 0.7% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming over 90% of global competitors.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

Gurus with large holdings in Home Depot include Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio), Pioneer Investments (Trades, Portfolio) and Spiros Segalas (Trades, Portfolio).

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

IDEXX Laboratories

Westbrook, Maine-based IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ:IDXX) develops, manufactures and distributes diagnostic products, equipment and services for pets and livestock. GuruFocus ranks the company's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a high Piotroski F-score of 7, a five-star business predictability rank and an operating margin that has increased approximately 5.7% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming approximately 85% of global competitors.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

Moody's Corporation

Moody's Corporation (NYSE:MCO), a New York-based credit rating provider, scored a perfect Piotroski F-score of 9.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

GuruFocus ranks the company's profitability 10 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank, an operating margin near a 10-year high of 45.56% and a return on assets that outperforms over 91% of global competitors.

4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores
4 Good Companies With High Piotroski F-Scores

Usana Health Services

Usana Health Services (NYSE:USNA) develops, manufactures and sells science-based nutritional and personal-care products. GuruFocus ranks the company's financial strength and profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a high Piotroski F-score of 8, an operating margin that has increased approximately 0.8% per year on average over the past 10 years and interest coverage and debt ratios that outperform over 91% of global competitors.

Disclosure: No positions.

Read more here:

  • 4 Stocks With High Insider Cluster Buys During February and March

  • 5 Global Transportation Stocks With Good Business Quality

  • 4 Profitable and Predictable Companies With High Free Cash Flow Growth



Not a Premium Member of GuruFocus? Sign up for a free 7-day trial here.

This article first appeared on GuruFocus.

Recommended Stories

  • MasterCard (MA) Stock Sinks As Market Gains: What You Should Know

    In the latest trading session, MasterCard (MA) closed at $378.68, marking a -0.97% move from the previous day.

  • Is Home Depot Stock A Buy Right Now After Q4 Earnings? Here's What Earnings, Charts Show

    Home Depot is one of the biggest companies in the United States and a stock leader on the Dow Jones industrials, but is Home Depot stock a buy right now?

  • Top Stock Reports for Alphabet, Facebook & The Home Depot

    Top Stock Reports for Alphabet, Facebook & The Home Depot

  • Asia Stocks Set to Gain on Dovish Fed; Dollar Dips: Markets Wrap

    (Bloomberg) -- Most Asian stocks looked poised to climb Thursday after U.S. equities and bonds rallied on the Federal Reserve’s projections for rates to remain near-zero through 2023.U.S. equity futures edged up, following a fresh record close for the S&P 500 Index as Fed Chairman Jerome Powell reiterated the central bank’s tolerant stance on inflation and the recent rise in bond yields. Consumer discretionary and industrial sectors led the benchmark index’s gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average also closed at an all-time high. Futures climbed in Japan and Hong Kong, and were little changed in Australia.Yields on shorter-dated Treasuries eased as the central bank pushed back on the market’s more aggressive rate-hike projections. The 10- and 30-year benchmarks also subsided from intraday peaks that marked their highest levels in over a year. The dollar weakened versus most major peers.Markets were braced for a more hawkish tone from the Fed, given the substantial improvement in the economic outlook since its last set of projections in December. Heightened concerns about inflation risks had driven bond yields sharply higher and spurred a rotation from growth stocks to value shares. While the central bank raised its economic outlook, the renewed emphasis on continued policy support has reassured investors.“The Fed was optimistic on the economic outlook and dovish on policy -- risky asset nirvana,” said Subadra Rajappa, head of U.S. rates strategy at Societe Generale.Read: Fed Keeps Zero-Rate Outlook, Sees Inflation Bump Short-LivedElsewhere, WTI oil was steady after U.S. crude stockpiles topped half a billion barrels and the International Energy Agency said global supplies are plentiful. Bitcoin climbed past $58,000.These are some key events this week:Bank of England rate decision Thursday. BOE is expected to leave monetary policy unchanged.Bank of Japan monetary policy decision and Governor Haruhiko Kuroda briefing Friday.StocksS&P 500 futures edged up 0.1% as of 7:03 a.m. in Tokyo. The S&P 500 Index rose 0.3%.Nikkei 225 futures rose 0.4%.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 Index futures fell 0.5%.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index futures rose 0.7%.CurrenciesThe yen traded at 108.83 per dollar.The offshore yuan was at 6.4857 per dollar.The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index decreased 0.5%.The euro was at $1.1983.BondsThe yield on 10-year Treasuries gained 2 basis points to 1.64%.Australia’s 10-year bond yield added three basis points to 1.75%.CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude was at $64.64 a barrel.Gold rose 0.2% to $1,748.86 an ounce.(The 10-year yield was corrected in an earlier version of this story.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

  • Is Home Depot (HD) Stock A Buy or Sell?

    At Insider Monkey, we pore over the filings of nearly 887 top investment firms every quarter, a process we have now completed for the latest reporting period. The data we’ve gathered as a result gives us access to a wealth of collective knowledge based on these firms’ portfolio holdings as of December 31st. In this […]

  • Apple Nears Launch of New iPads After Stay-At-Home Sales Boost

    (Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. plans to announce new iPads as early as April, adding to a product line that has performed particularly well as people work and study from home, according to people with knowledge of the matter.The company is planning a refresh to its iPad Pro line, adding a better processor and improved cameras, the people said. The new models will look similar to the current iPad Pros and come in the same 11-inch and 12.9-inch screen sizes.The devices will have an updated processor that is on par with the faster M1 chip in the latest MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini. Apple designs these processors itself and typically has them made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Apple is also looking to include a Mini-LED screen with at least the larger model, which would be brighter and have improved contrast ratios.In testing, the new iPad Pros have used a Thunderbolt connector, the same port on the latest Macs with custom Apple processors. The port doesn’t require new chargers, but it would enable connectivity with additional external monitors, hard drives and other peripherals. It’s also faster at syncing data than the USB-C technology used in the current models.An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment. The company has yet to announce its first product launch event of the year, so its plans could change.The iPad generated $8.4 billion in revenue for Apple during the key holiday quarter of 2020, the most since 2014. Sales jumped on demand from people working and studying from home during the pandemic. As employees and students begin returning to offices and schools in coming months, Apple will be betting on the new iPad models to maintain interest in the tablet line.The iPad Pro was last updated in March 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic, adding a tweaked processor, support for the Magic Keyboard with Trackpad case, and a lidar scanner alongside the camera.Apple plans to refresh its cheapest iPad aimed at students with a thinner and lighter design later this year, Bloomberg News has reported. It’s also preparing to launch a new iPad mini with a larger screen as early as this year, an increase from the 7.9-inch display used since the first model. The iPad mini was last upgraded in 2019 with support for the Apple Pencil stylus and a faster processor.Apple has several other product updates planned for this year. The company is working on new iPhones and Apple Watches, an accessory for tracking the location of physical objects, and major updates to the MacBook Pro laptop and iMac desktop.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.

  • This legendary Marine sniper made the Corps' longest known kill shot more than 50 years ago with a machine gun

    Gunnery Sgt. Carlos Hathcock spent his life demonstrating and teaching "that the deadliest thing on the battlefield is one well-aimed shot."

  • North Korea says U.S. attempt to initiate contact is 'cheap trick': KCNA

    A top North Korean diplomat acknowledged on Thursday that the United States had recently tried to initiate contact, but blasted the attempts as a "cheap trick" that would never be answered until Washington dropped hostile policies. The statement by Choe Son Hui, first vice minister of foreign affairs for North Korea, is the first formal rejection of tentative approaches by the new U.S. administration under President Joe Biden, who took office in January. It came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting South Korea alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a first overseas trip by top-level members of Biden's administration.

  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott decries immigration under President Biden during Dallas visit

    A Dallas convention center is preparing to house up to 3,000 migrant teenagers.

  • President Biden notes Asian American concerns about Atlanta shootings but not yet assigning racial motive

    President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he will have more to say when the investigation of the shootings at three massage parlors is further along.

  • Tanzania's President John Magufuli dead at 61

    Tanzania's President John Magufuli, one of Africa's most prominent coronavirus sceptics, has died aged 61, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Wednesday after a more than two-week absence from public life that led to speculation about his health. She said he died from the heart disease that had plagued him for a decade. Officials denied on March 12 that he had fallen ill and on Monday the vice president urged Tanzanians not to listen to rumours from outside the country and said it was normal for a human being to be checked for the flu or fever..

  • Rare ‘severe’ storm warning issued as tornadoes forecast in southern US

    National Weather Service warns people to prepare saying: ‘Your family’s life might depend on it’

  • Britain's health minister rebuffs EU criticism on AstraZeneca vaccine exports

    Britain has a legal right to AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, which it helped to fund and develop, health minister Matt Hancock on Wednesday, in a sharp rebuke to criticism from the European Union that Britain has not been exporting the shots. European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen earlier threatened to ban exports of COVID-19 vaccines to Britain to safeguard scarce doses for its own citizens, airing frustration over a lack of deliveries from AstraZeneca in Britain.

  • William and Kate, plus world leaders, wish Ireland a COVID-safe St. Patrick's Day

    The duke and duchess of Cambridge and President Biden are among the prominent world figures celebrating Ireland on St. Patrick's Day.

  • Florida COVID update for Wednesday: 59 total deaths, almost 2.5 million fully vaccinated

    The state of Florida’s COVID-19 dashboard reported 4,599 new cases and 59 total deaths Wednesday, 55 of which were residents. South Florida counties accounted for 32 of the 59 deaths.

  • 2 jurors dropped from Chauvin trial following $27M settlement

    A judge on Wednesday dismissed two jurors who had been seated for the trial of a former Minneapolis police officer accused in George Floyd’s death over concerns they had been tainted by the city’s announcement of a $27 million settlement with Floyd’s family.

  • Gun-toting Lauren Boebert applauded by GOP as says she wants to be called ‘congressman’ in rant against trans rights

    Comments come as Senate committee hold hearing on Equality Act

  • ‘Autocratic. Anti-Democratic. Anti-American’: Schumer launches blistering attack on GOP bills targeting voting rights

    Senate Democrats will introduce their version of the For The People Act, a sweeping voting rights proposal and single-largest election legislation since the passage of the landmark Voting Rights Act. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said lawmakers will revive the bill from Mitch McConnell’s “legislative graveyard” after the Republican Senator sidelined the bill along with other Democratic-backed measures. The bill is an antidote to “despicable” acts of voter suppression across the US, Mr Schumer said, pointing to the more than 250 GOP-sponsored bills aimed at restricting ballot access in at least 43 state legislatures in the wake of the 2020 election, compelled by Donald Trump’s persistent lie that the election was tainted by “irregularities” and “stolen” from his supporters.

  • Vertigo star Kim Novak claims she woke up naked after drink spiked by Tony Curtis

    One of Hollywood's brightest stars of the 1950s has accused Tony Curtis of spiking her drink at a party in his Beverly Hills home during the height of her fame, leaving her dazed and naked. Actress Kim Novak, who played a leading role as Madeleine in Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, described what may be one of the oldest #MeToo allegations as she recalled a 1958 soiree where she passed out. "Tony Curtis had brought me a drink," Novak, now 89, told The Hollywood Reporter. "I don't know, I only had, I think, one drink there. But that's the last thing I knew. I do not know anything afterward, cross my heart, hope to die. Don't know what happened after that or how my car got back in front of my apartment." Curtis was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the Fifties, appearing alongside Marilyn Monroe in Some Like it Hot and later Operation Petticoat with Cary Grant. He was married to actress Janet Leigh at the time, while Novak was linked to singer Sammy Davis Jr, whom she met on the set of Vertigo. Curtis and Novak would go on to star together in The Third Girl from the Left in 1973. "I think Tony Curtis did it, I don't want to think Sammy did that,” Novak goes on to say later in the interview.

  • 11 errors and plot holes you never noticed on 'Gilmore Girls'

    From glaring plot holes to minor inconsistencies, here are a few interesting storylines and details fans may have missed on "Gilmore Girls."