Archives for July 3, 2019

Stocks to Watch: Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO), Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG): Are Shares Undervalued?

Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) has a current MF Rank of 14365. Developed by hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt, the intention of the formula is to spot high quality companies that are trading at an attractive price. The formula uses ROIC and earnings yield ratios to find quality, undervalued stocks. In general, companies with the lowest combined rank may be the higher quality picks.

Investing in the stock market has traditionally offered higher returns than other types of investments. With the higher potential for returns, there is also a higher risk factor. Investors typically need to address their own personal risk situation before jumping into the market. Figuring out risk appetite can help when choosing which types of stocks to buy. Some investors will decide that they want to take a chance on certain stocks that have the potential to outperform in the future. Other investors may opt to play it safe and build a portfolio with low risk, staple stocks.   

Free Cash Flow Growth (FCF Growth) is the free cash flow of the current year minus the free cash flow from the previous year, divided by last year’s free cash flow.  The FCF Growth of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is .  Free cash flow (FCF) is the cash produced by the company minus capital expenditure.  This cash is what a company uses to meet its financial obligations, such as making payments on debt or to pay out dividends.  

The Free Cash Flow Score (FCF Score) is a helpful tool in calculating the free cash flow growth with free cash flow stability – this gives investors the overall quality of the free cash flow.  The FCF Score of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is .  Experts say the higher the value, the better, as it means that the free cash flow is high, or the variability of free cash flow is low or both.

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is -0.485540.  The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not.  It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits.  The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital.  The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets.  Similarly, the Return on Invested Capital Quality ratio is a tool in evaluating the quality of a company’s ROIC over the course of five years.  The ROIC Quality of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is .  This is calculated by dividing the five year average ROIC by the Standard Deviation of the 5 year ROIC.  The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets).  The ROIC 5 year average of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is .

Shareholder Yield

The Shareholder Yield is a way that investors can see how much money shareholders are receiving from a company through a combination of dividends, share repurchases and debt reduction.  The Shareholder Yield of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is -0.043135.  This percentage is calculated by adding the dividend yield plus the percentage of shares repurchased.  Dividends are a common way that companies distribute cash to their shareholders.  Similarly, cash repurchases and a reduction of debt can increase the shareholder value, too.  Another way to determine the effectiveness of a company’s distributions is by looking at the Shareholder yield (Mebane Faber).  The Shareholder Yield (Mebane Faber) of Zuora, Inc. NYSE:ZUO is -0.03209.  This number is calculated by looking at the sum of the dividend yield plus percentage of sales repurchased and net debt repaid yield.

The Value Composite One (VC1) is a method that investors use to determine a company’s value.  The VC1 of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is 84.  A company with a value of 0 is thought to be an undervalued company, while a company with a value of 100 is considered an overvalued company.  The VC1 is calculated using the price to book value, price to sales, EBITDA to EV, price to cash flow, and price to earnings.  Similarly, the Value Composite Two (VC2) is calculated with the same ratios, but adds the Shareholder Yield.  The Value Composite Two of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is 84.

Investors may be interested in viewing the Gross Margin score on shares of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO). The name currently has a score of 50.00000. This score is derived from the Gross Margin (Marx) stability and growth over the previous eight years. The Gross Margin score lands on a scale from 1 to 100 where a score of 1 would be considered positive, and a score of 100 would be seen as negative.

ERP5 Rank

The ERP5 Rank is an investment tool that analysts use to discover undervalued companies. The ERP5 looks at the Price to Book ratio, Earnings Yield, ROIC and 5 year average ROIC. The ERP5 of Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) is 18710. The lower the ERP5 rank, the more undervalued a company is thought to be.

C-Score – Montier

Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) currently has a Montier C-score of 1.00000. This indicator was developed by James Montier in an attempt to identify firms that were cooking the books in order to appear better on paper. The score ranges from zero to six where a 0 would indicate no evidence of book cooking, and a 6 would indicate a high likelihood. A C-score of -1 would indicate that there is not enough information available to calculate the score. Montier used six inputs in the calculation. These inputs included a growing difference between net income and cash flow from operations, increasing receivable days, growing day’s sales of inventory, increasing other current assets, decrease in depreciation relative to gross property plant and equipment, and high total asset growth.

F Score

At the time of writing, Zuora, Inc. (NYSE:ZUO) has a Piotroski F-Score of 1. The F-Score may help discover companies with strengthening balance sheets. The score may also be used to spot the weak performers. Joseph Piotroski developed the F-Score which employs nine different variables based on the company financial statement. A single point is assigned to each test that a stock passes. Typically, a stock scoring an 8 or 9 would be seen as strong. On the other end, a stock with a score from 0-2 would be viewed as weak.

Investors who are new to picking stocks may find themselves tempted to buy shares that have been recently rising the most. Although the traditional advice is to buy low and sell high, novice investors often do just the opposite. Buying a particular stock just because it has been rising recently may end up leaving the investor shaking their head down the road. Expecting that a stock will continue to ride the wave higher can lead to disappointment when momentum suddenly shifts. Studying the fundamentals of a certain company can help the investor gauge if the stock is a worthy buy at current levels.

The MF Rank developed by hedge fund manager Joel Greenblatt, is intended spot high quality companies that are trading at an attractive price. The formula uses ROIC and earnings yield ratios to find quality, undervalued stocks. In general, companies with the lowest combined rank may be the higher quality picks. Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) has a current MF Rank of 6452.

High yielding stocks can be very tempting for investors. Trying to maximize the return on every dollar invested is a goal of many individuals. What investors have to remember is that the stocks that promise the highest return potential may also be some of the riskiest to own. Because past performance can’t guarantee future results, investors may need to do some extra research when adding high risk stocks to the portfolio. Most investors are always on the lookout to spot that next big stock winner before everyone else. Making sure that they are not adding too much extra risk when doing this may be the key to keeping the portfolio balanced.       
Free Cash Flow Growth (FCF Growth) is the free cash flow of the current year minus the free cash flow from the previous year, divided by last year’s free cash flow.  The FCF Growth of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is -1.000000.  Free cash flow (FCF) is the cash produced by the company minus capital expenditure.  This cash is what a company uses to meet its financial obligations, such as making payments on debt or to pay out dividends.  The Free Cash Flow Score (FCF Score) is a helpful tool in calculating the free cash flow growth with free cash flow stability – this gives investors the overall quality of the free cash flow.  The FCF Score of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is -0.288529.  Experts say the higher the value, the better, as it means that the free cash flow is high, or the variability of free cash flow is low or both.

Investors may be interested in viewing the Gross Margin score on shares of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG). The name currently has a score of 13.00000. This score is derived from the Gross Margin (Marx) stability and growth over the previous eight years. The Gross Margin score lands on a scale from 1 to 100 where a score of 1 would be considered positive, and a score of 100 would be seen as negative.

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 0.196347.  The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not.  It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits.  The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital.  The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets.  Similarly, the Return on Invested Capital Quality ratio is a tool in evaluating the quality of a company’s ROIC over the course of five years.  The ROIC Quality of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 5.965243.  This is calculated by dividing the five year average ROIC by the Standard Deviation of the 5 year ROIC.  The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets).  The ROIC 5 year average of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 0.238263.

Shareholder Yield

The Shareholder Yield is a way that investors can see how much money shareholders are receiving from a company through a combination of dividends, share repurchases and debt reduction.  The Shareholder Yield of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is -0.006660.  This percentage is calculated by adding the dividend yield plus the percentage of shares repurchased.  Dividends are a common way that companies distribute cash to their shareholders.  Similarly, cash repurchases and a reduction of debt can increase the shareholder value, too.  Another way to determine the effectiveness of a company’s distributions is by looking at the Shareholder yield (Mebane Faber).  The Shareholder Yield (Mebane Faber) of Rogers Corporation NYSE:ROG is -0.03627.  This number is calculated by looking at the sum of the dividend yield plus percentage of sales repurchased and net debt repaid yield.

The Value Composite One (VC1) is a method that investors use to determine a company’s value.  The VC1 of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 62.  A company with a value of 0 is thought to be an undervalued company, while a company with a value of 100 is considered an overvalued company.  The VC1 is calculated using the price to book value, price to sales, EBITDA to EV, price to cash flow, and price to earnings.  Similarly, the Value Composite Two (VC2) is calculated with the same ratios, but adds the Shareholder Yield.  The Value Composite Two of Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 65.

Key Ratios

Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) presently has a current ratio of 4.65. 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.

Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG)’s Leverage Ratio was recently noted as 0.182768. 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.

The Price to book ratio is the current share price of a company divided by the book value per share.  The Price to Book ratio for Rogers Corporation NYSE:ROG is 3.748578.  A lower price to book ratio indicates that the stock might be undervalued.  Similarly, Price to cash flow ratio is another helpful ratio in determining a company’s value.  The Price to Cash Flow for Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is .  This ratio is calculated by dividing the market value of a company by cash from operating activities.  Additionally, the price to earnings ratio is another popular way for analysts and investors to determine a company’s profitability.  The price to earnings ratio for Rogers Corporation (NYSE:ROG) is 36.200957. This ratio is found by taking the current share price and dividing by earnings per share.

Individual investors have the tendency to migrate towards certain stock strategies that have been successful in the past. While following previous strategies may be profitable, investors have to be ready for sudden market changes. Most investors will rejoice when stocks in the portfolio catch a hot streak. On the opposite side, investors may become highly dejected when they experience a prolonged losing streak. Sometimes, previously successful strategies run their course and they no longer work. Investors may benefit greatly from being able to make adjustments when the market takes a turn for the worse. 

FuelCell Energy (FCEL) Gains by Over 10% in Pre-market Trading

FuelCell [NASDAQ: FCEL] might be one of the most exciting stocks to watch today. It is up by 11.575% in pre-market trading. This is a follow up to yesterday’s trading when it gained by 37.19%, making it one of the biggest gainers in the week. This stock has been bullish since it struck a deal with Drax Power Station in the U.K.

Through this deal, FuelCell will help Drax cut on carbon emissions by enabling it conduct a front end engineering design study on carbonate fuel cells. This is in line with Drax’s goal to become be emissions negative in the next decade. This deal goes to show that FuelCell’s customer numbers in the carbon capture market are growing. One of its big partners is energy giant, Exxon Mobile, which has been their partner for the last 4-years. The growing demand for clean energy in Europe could further support clean energy companies such as FuelCell.

It could turn the tide for a company that has lost roughly 98% of its value in the last 12-months. From a look at the charts, FuelCell has been in a bearish trend for quite sometime. This could be an indicator that bears are in control, with the next short-term support level at $0.177. However, if its pre-market momentum pushes it above yesterday’s high of $0.308 and or if it can close green on the day above $0.242, it would be an indicator to a possible bullish reversal.

Failure to break this resistance could see a continuation of the bearish trend. There are several factors that could play a role in reinforcing the bearish trend. The biggest one is the selloff in global markets after data on factory activity showed weakness. It is an indicator that the global economy is weakening following the sustained trade war, and other uncertainties. This uncertainty is also reflected in the declining U.S bond yields, and could impact on stock markets performance in the day.

Cap airport fees, says Flair

The Canadian government should pass a law to cap the amount of money that the country’s airport authorities can charge in airport improvement fees, Flair Air’s executive chairman David Tait says.

Tait’s airline in June 2018 converted to an ultra-low-cost carrier from being a charter airline, and it aims to keep base fares for passengers as low as possible.

The fees lure many B.C. travellers across the U.S. border to Bellingham, Tait says.

Tait’s data shows the following fees for out-of-province departures within Canada at airports at which Flair flies:

  • Abbotsford International Airport: $0
  • Vancouver International Airport: $20
  • Kelowna International Airport: $20
  • Toronto Pearson International Airport: $25
  • Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport: $25
  • Halifax Stanfield International Airport: $28
  • Edmonton International Airport: $30
  • Calgary International Airport: $30

He then compared those rates to ones that are about half as steep in the U.S.

“The U.S. equivalent to AIFs is Passenger Facility Charges, however these are federally limited to US$4.50 per segment, and can, if desired, be charged by both the point of departure and point of arrival airports for a maximum of US$9 per one-way segment – US$18 per round trip,” he said.

Vancouver Airport Authority corporate communications manager Brock Penner explained that Canadian airports operate differently than airports in the U.S.

“Vancouver Airport Authority is a community-based, not-for-profit organization, and we receive no money from the government to operate the airport,” he told BIV. “The AIF is an important part of the Canadian airport business model. It is collected to support capital infrastructure projects like runways and terminals to ensure we have a safe and efficient airport.”

Penner added that his airport has the lowest AIF of any major airport in Canada, at $5 for people travelling within B.C. and the Yukon, and $20 for passengers travelling outside of B.C.

“In 2018, the [Vancouver] Airport Authority collected $172.1 million in AIF revenue and invested $351.1 million in capital projects,” he said.

Canada’s image top 10

Canada recently ranked in the top 10 in the 2019 FutureBrand Country Index global report, which measures the perception of a country’s image.

Specifically, the index “measures the strength of perception of countries around the world in the same way we study consumer or corporate brands.” It uses factors such as a country’s values system, quality of life, heritage and culture to determine its rank.

Japan placed first on the list, with report authors attributing its success to everything from natural beauty, culture, gastronomy to its international exports.

“Japan’s rich culture, which encompasses a favourable quality of life, natural beauty, and heritage beckons visitors from around the globe,” reads the report.

The report also mentions how the West’s consumerist culture creates “analysis paralysis in the toothpaste aisle.” In contrast, Japanese culture offers, “Simplicity. Clarity. Mental space.”

Norway placed second, and the report notes that beyond its rugged natural beauty, it is, “probably best known globally for the success of its model of social democracy.” Switzerland followed in third, with Sweden fourth.

Canada placed eighth in the ranking, followed by Austria in ninth. Luxembourg placed tenth.

This year, the U.S. fell five spots to 12th place and the U.K. fell seven spots to 19th place from the last report published in 2014.

Here are the top 10 countries on the FutureBrand Country Index report:

  1. Japan
  2. Norway
  3. Switzerland
  4. Sweden
  5. Finland
  6. Germany
  7. Denmark
  8. Canada
  9. Austria
  10. Luxembourg

Forest workers on strike

About 3,000 forestry workers are on strike in coastal British Columbia after negotiations between Western Forest Products Inc. and the United Steelworkers failed to produce a new contract.

Western Forest Products say about 1,500 of the company’s hourly employees and 1,500 employees working for its timberland contractors and operators walked off the job Monday.

United Steelworkers Local 1-1937 says members, who voted 98.8 per cent in favour of striking, have started the job action because the company has not seriously addressed union proposals and continues to keep “massive concessions” on the bargaining table.

Western Forest Products CEO Don Demens says it is “extremely disappointing” that the union has take strike action after cancelling bargaining sessions and refusing mediation.

Demens says in a release that it’s clear the union is intent on inflicting damage to the coastal forest industry as it faces significant market challenges.

The union says it believes an agreement can be reached quickly once talks resume.

Grain moves at record pace

Canadian National Railway says it is on track to move record quantities of western Canadian grain after a strong June.

The country’s largest railway says it transported more than 2.3 million tonnes of grain last month.

The total was up nearly 16 per cent from the 1.99 million tonnes moved last year and above the three-year average of 1.8 million tonnes.

Allen Foster, CN’s vice-president of bulk goods, says it is optimistic that the strong pace of shipments in June will continue through to the end of the crop year and the railway can build on its record pace.

After 11 months of the 2018-19 crop year, the Montreal-based railway is on record pace at 25.5 million tonnes shipped.

CN chief executive JJ Ruest says the railway is investing $210 million in rail capacity in North Vancouver to support expanding coal and grain export terminals.