Stock Focus: QI Valuation Update on Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202), Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX)

The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be. Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) currently has a Q.i. Value of 24.00000.

Traders often prefer to focus on stocks that are higher in volatility. Higher volatility brings more opportunity for quick profits, but it can also bring quick losses. Traders will typically try to understand recent stock activity in order to make the most out of the price action. Seeing how a certain stock has traded previously may allow traders to project which way shares will move in the near future. It is highly important for active traders to know the risk involved with trying to capitalize on shorter-term price movements. Adept traders are generally able to focus on the bigger picture and not let one or two bad trades get them down. Developing confidence to trade in the stock market may take substantial time and effort. Defining long term and short term goals to help keep the focus intact may help traders secure profits.

We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.12811. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period.

Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 0.94533, the 24 month is 1.04967, and the 36 month is 0.94158. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 0.86928, the 3 month is 0.83199, and the 1 month is currently 0.91916.

Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) has a current ERP5 Rank of 5229. The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.

Checking in on some valuation rankings, Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) has a Value Composite score of 3. Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 3.

Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 41.600100. The 6 month volatility is 35.803300, and the 3 month is spotted at 43.173000. Following volatility data can help measure how much the stock price has fluctuated over the specified time period. Although past volatility action may help project future stock volatility, it may also be vastly different when taking into account other factors that may be driving price action during the measured time period.

Current Ratio

The Current Ratio of Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) is 1.29. The Current Ratio is used by investors to determine whether a company can pay short term and long term debts. The current ratio looks at all the liquid and non-liquid assets compared to the company’s total current liabilities. A high current ratio indicates that the company might have trouble managing their working capital. A low current ratio (when the current liabilities are higher than the current assets) indicates that the company may have trouble paying their short term obligations.

Gross Margin Score

The Gross Margin Score is calculated by looking at the Gross Margin and the overall stability of the company over the course of 8 years. The score is a number between one and one hundred (1 being best and 100 being the worst). The Gross Margin Score of Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) is 17.00000. The more stable the company, the lower the score. If a company is less stable over the course of time, they will have a higher score.

M-Score (Beneish)

The M-Score, conceived by accounting professor Messod Beneish, is a model for detecting whether a company has manipulated their earnings numbers or not. Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) has an M-Score of -2.693675. The M-Score is based on 8 different variables: Days’ sales in receivables index, Gross Margin Index, Asset Quality Index, Sales Growth Index, Depreciation Index, Sales, General and Administrative expenses Index, Leverage Index and Total Accruals to Total Assets. A score higher than -1.78 is an indicator that the company might be manipulating their numbers.

Piotroski F-Score

The Piotroski F-Score is a scoring system between 1-9 that determines a firm’s financial strength. The score helps determine if a company’s stock is valuable or not. The Piotroski F-Score of Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited (TSE:5202) is 7. A score of nine indicates a high value stock, while a score of one indicates a low value stock. The score is calculated by the return on assets (ROA), Cash flow return on assets (CFROA), change in return of assets, and quality of earnings. It is also calculated by a change in gearing or leverage, liquidity, and change in shares in issue. The score is also determined by change in gross margin and change in asset turnover.

Investors may be watching the ebb and flow of the current market environment and be wondering what the next few months have in store. They may be deciding whether now is a good time to sell off some first half winners or hold on for further gains. This can be one of the toughest decisions that an investor has to make. Just because a stock has been steadily heading higher for an extended period of time doesn’t necessarily mean that it will continue to do so. Building the confidence to make the tough portfolio decisions may take some time and a few good trades under the belt. New investors may be prone to get discouraged after a few sour trades in a row. Anyone who wants to succeed in the stock market knows that there is no substitute for research and hard work. Being able to bounce back and learn from mistakes may help the investor stay in the game and get back on the road to healthy profits.

Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) has a Q.i. Value of 29.00000. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be. The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield. 

Stock market investing can sometimes be a wild ride. High volatility stocks may seem to constantly going haywire. Finding a comfortable balance between stomach turning stocks and low volatility stable stocks may be the way to go. Building confidence in the stock portfolio may come with some trial and error for the individual investor. Many people will rely on others to actively manage their money, but there are always those who prefer to have a hand in every aspect of their hard earned cash. Staying on top of the markets may seem impossible sometimes. There is always something happening, and keeping the pulse on market movements may be quite a struggle. Applying the proper amount of time to dedicate for stock research might just be the difference between buying that next big winner or getting stuck with a big loser. 

Checking in on some valuation rankings, Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) has a Value Composite score of 31. Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales.

The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 28.

Following volatility data can help measure how much the stock price has fluctuated over the specified time period. Although past volatility action may help project future stock volatility, it may also be vastly different when taking into account other factors that may be driving price action during the measured time period.

We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.08253. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period.

Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) has a current ERP5 Rank of 864. The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.

Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 0.97849, the 24 month is 0.60778, and the 36 month is 1.24854. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 1.03055, the 3 month is 1.00024, and the 1 month is currently 0.94108.

Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 40.789600. The 6 month volatility is 40.598900, and the 3 month is spotted at 30.542900.

Key Ratios

Turning to some key ratios, Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX)’s Leverage Ratio was recently noted as 0.000000. This ratio is calculated by dividing total debt by total assets plus total assets previous year, divided by two. The leverage of a company is relative to the amount of debt on the balance sheet. This ratio is often viewed as one measure of the financial health of a firm.

Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) presently has a current ratio of 4.40. The current ratio, also known as the working capital ratio, is a liquidity ratio that displays the proportion of current assets of a business relative to the current liabilities. The ratio is simply calculated by dividing current liabilities by current assets. The ratio may be used to provide an idea of the ability of a certain company to pay back its liabilities with assets. Typically, the higher the current ratio the better, as the company may be more capable of paying back its obligations.

The price to book ratio or market to book ratio for Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) currently stands at 1.636882.  The ratio is calculated by dividing the stock price per share by the book value per share.  This ratio is used to determine how the market values the equity.  A ratio of under 1 typically indicates that the shares are undervalued.  A ratio over 1 indicates that the market is willing to pay more for the shares.  There are often many underlying factors that come into play with the Price to Book ratio so all additional metrics should be considered as well. 

Ever wonder how investors predict positive share price momentum?  The Cross SMA 50/200, also known as the “Golden Cross” is the fifty day moving average divided by the two hundred day moving average.  The SMA 50/200 for Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) is currently 1.06987.  If the Golden Cross is greater than 1, then the 50 day moving average is above the 200 day moving average – indicating a positive share price momentum.  If the Golden Cross is less than 1, then the 50 day moving average is below the 200 day moving average, indicating that the price might drop.

C Score (Montier)

The C-Score is a system developed by James Montier that helps determine whether a company is involved in falsifying their financial statements. The C-Score is calculated by a variety of items, including a growing difference in net income verse cash flow, increasing days outstanding, growing days sales of inventory, increasing assets to sales, declines in depreciation, and high total asset growth. The C-Score of Argan, Inc. (NYSE:AGX) is -1.00000. The score ranges on a scale of -1 to 6. If the score is -1, then there is not enough information to determine the C-Score. If the number is at zero (0) then there is no evidence of fraudulent book cooking, whereas a number of 6 indicates a high likelihood of fraudulent activity. The C-Score assists investors in assessing the likelihood of a company cheating in the books.

Investors may be trying to decide if stocks will make new highs before the year is out, and whether or not the bull market will celebrate its 9th anniversary next year. The tricky part is prognosticating the short term picture. Investors may not be comfortable enough to go all in, but they may not want to get bearish given the solid economic backdrop. Will there be a big breakout given the strength of earnings and economic growth? Will investors just become numb to the headlines and decide to focus on the positive economic picture? It is always wise to remember that the market can have a correction at any time for any reason. If the political landscape gets even more dysfunctional, then it may be enough of a driver to spur a correction.