News

The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Value Investor model based on the published strategy of Benjamin Graham. This deep value methodology screens for stocks that have low P/B and P/E ratios, along with low debt and solid long-term earnings growth.

AUTONATION INC (AN) is a mid-cap value stock in the Retail (Specialty) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham changed from 57% to 86% 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: AutoNation, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is an automotive retailer in the United States. The Company operates through three segments: Domestic, Import and Premium Luxury. Its Domestic segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by General Motors, Ford, and Stellantis. Its Import segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, Subaru, and Nissan. Its Premium Luxury segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured primarily by Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Audi, Lexus, Jaguar, Bentley, and Land Rover. The franchises in each segment also sell used vehicles, parts and automotive repair and maintenance services, and automotive finance and insurance products. It owns and operates approximately 349 new vehicle franchises from 252 stores located in the United States, primarily in metropolitan markets in the Sunbelt region.

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.

Detailed Analysis of AUTONATION INC

AN Guru Analysis

AXCELIS TECHNOLOGIES INC (ACLS) is a small-cap value stock in the Semiconductors industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Benjamin Graham changed from 57% to 86% 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: Axcelis Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures and services ion implantation and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. The Company offers a complete line of high energy, high current and medium current implanters for all application requirements. In addition to equipment, the Company provides extensive aftermarket lifecycle products and services, including used tools, spare parts, equipment upgrades, maintenance services and customer training. Its Purion flagship systems are all based on a common platform, which enables a combination of implant purity, precision and productivity. Combining a single wafer end station, with advanced spot beam architectures (that ensures all points across the wafer see the same beam condition at the same beam angle), Purion products enable process control to optimize device performance and yield, at high productivity. The Company sells its products to semiconductor chip manufacturers around the world.

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.

Detailed Analysis of AXCELIS TECHNOLOGIES INC

ACLS Guru Analysis

ACLS Fundamental Analysis

Benjamin Graham Portfolio

Top Benjamin Graham Stocks

About Benjamin Graham: The late Benjamin Graham may be the oldest of the gurus we follow, but his impact on the investing world has lasted for decades after his death in 1976. Known as both the "Father of Value Investing" and the founder of the entire field of security analysis, Graham mentored several of history's greatest investors -- including Warren Buffett -- and inspired a slew of others, including John Templeton, Mario Gabelli, and another of Validea's gurus, John Neff. Graham built his fortune and reputation after living through some extremely difficult times, including both the Great Depression and his own family's financial woes following his father's death when Benjamin was a young man. His investment firm posted per annum returns of about 20 percent from 1936 to 1956, far outpacing the 12.2 percent average return for the market during that time.

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.