Astute investors always opt for plans that are likely to yield high returns irrespective of market conditions. Efficiency level, which measures a company’s capability to transform available input into output, is often considered an important parameter used to gauge a company’s potential to rake in handsome returns.
A company with a favorable efficiency level is expected to provide stellar returns as it is believed to be positively correlated with price performance.
How to Measure Efficiency?
We have considered four popular ratios in order to find efficient companies that have the potential to provide impressive returns.
Inventory Turnover
Inventory level is one of the key indicators of a company’s business health. While a high inventory level may indicate that the company is going through a rough patch in terms of sales, a dwindling level may indicate that it will run out of stock in a favorable sales condition. This is where inventory turnover comes into play. It is the ratio of 12-month cost of goods sold (COGS) to a 4-quarter average inventory. Thus, a high value of the ratio indicates a low level of inventory relative to COGS, while a low ratio signals that the company has excess inventory.
Receivables Turnover
This ratio is used to measure a company’s capability to extend its credit and collect debts on the basis of that credit. Receivables turnover ratio or the “accounts receivable turnover ratio” or the “debtor’s turnover ratio” is calculated by dividing 12-month sales by four-quarter average receivables. While a high ratio indicates that the company efficiently collects its accounts receivables or has quality customers, a low ratio signals that the company has an inefficient collection procedure or has low-quality customers or an inefficient credit policy.
Asset Utilization
This is a widely used measure of a company’s efficiency. Asset utilization indicates a company’s potential to utilize its assets. It is a ratio of total sales over the past 12 months to the last 4-quarter average of total assets. So, higher the ratio, the greater is the chance that the company is utilizing its assets efficiently. On the contrary, a low value of the ratio signals that it is failing to use its assets effectively.
Operating Margin
Another popular efficiency ratio is operating margin. Operating profit margin, which is simply operating income over the past 12 months divided by sales over the same period, indicates how well a company is controlling its operating expenses. If a company has a high operating profit margin in relation to its competitors, it is doing a better job at controlling operating expenses.
All these ratios can be considered as effective measures if one compares different companies within a particular sector or industry. This is the reason why we have considered only those companies that have higher ratios than their respective industry averages.
Screening Parameters
In addition to the above-mentioned ratios, we have added a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) to the screen with an objective to make this strategy more profitable.
Inventory Turnover, Receivables Turnover, Asset Utilization and Operating Margin greater than industry average
(Values of these ratios higher than industry averages may indicate that the efficiency level of the company is higher than its peers.)
The use of these few criteria has narrowed down the universe of over 7,906 stocks to only 21.
Here are five stocks from the 13 that made it through the screen:
Marine Products Corporation MPX designs, manufactures, and sells recreational fiberglass powerboats for the sportboat, deckboat, cruiser, jet boat, and sport fishing markets worldwide. The company has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 15.3%.The stock has a Zacks Rank #2.
Illumina, Inc. ILMN provides sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic analysis. The company has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 23.2%. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Chemed Corporation CHE provides hospice and palliative care services in the United States. The company has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 9.6%. The stock holds a Zacks Rank #2.
Surmodics, Inc. SRDX provides medical devices and in vitro diagnostic technologies to the healthcare industry in the United States and Ireland. The company has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of more than 100%. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2.
MAM Software Group, Inc. MAMS provides software, information, and e-commerce and related services to businesses engaged in the automotive aftermarket in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. The company has an average four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 94.8%. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2.
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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance
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