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The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Book/Market Investor model based on the published strategy of Joseph Piotroski. This value-quant strategy screens for high book-to-market stocks, and then separates out financially sound firms by looking at a host of improving financial criteria.

CALIFORNIA FIRST LEASING CORP (CFNB) is a small-cap value stock in the Consumer Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: California First Leasing Corp is a non-diversified closed-end investment company. The Company is engaged in leasing and financing capital assets to businesses and other commercial or non-profit organizations. Its portfolio includes leases and loans, such as commercial leases, education, government and non-profit (EGNP) leases, commercial and industrial loans and commercial real estate loans. It provides commercial finance, UniversityLease, K-12, healthcare and government. Its UniversityLease business focuses on the needs of colleges and universities. It provides services to meet the needs of all types of healthcare organizations, including senior and assisted-living facilities, hospitals and related clinics and others. Its K-12 offers lease financing dedicated to serving the needs of K-12 school districts throughout the United States. It specializes in municipal lease financing for state and local municipalities. The Company finances various types of equipment used by cities.

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 CALIFORNIA FIRST LEASING CORP

CFNB Guru Analysis

CFNB Fundamental Analysis

ZUMIEZ INC (ZUMZ) is a small-cap value stock in the Retail (Apparel) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: Zumiez Inc., including its wholly owned subsidiaries, is a specialty retailer of apparel, footwear, accessories and hardgoods for young men and women through the fashion, music, art and culture of action sports, streetwear and other lifestyles. It operates under the names Zumiez, Blue Tomato and Fast Times. It operates ecommerce websites at zumiez.com, zumiez.ca, blue-tomato.com and fasttimes.com.au. It operates approximately 729 stores, including 569 in the United States, 46 in Canada, 87 in Europe and 27 in Australia. Its women's clothing includes t-shirts, jeans, pants, sweatshirts, shorts, and swimmers. Its accessories include backpacks, hats, bags, watches and jewelry, socks, underwear, beanies, and belts. It also offers skateboards and skate parts, including decks, completes, longboards, cruisers, trucks, wheels, and helmets and pads. It provides snowboarding gear and snowboard equipment, such as bindings, snowboards, boots, jackets, pants, goggles, and gloves and mittens.

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 ZUMIEZ INC

ZUMZ Guru Analysis

ZUMZ Fundamental Analysis

HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP INC (HLX) is a small-cap growth stock in the Oil Well Services & Equipment industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 100% 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: Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy services company that provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention, robotics and full-field decommissioning operations. Its segments include Well Intervention, Robotics, Shallow Water Abandonment and Production Facilities. Well Intervention segment provides services that enable its customers to safely access subsea offshore wells for the purpose of performing production enhancement or decommissioning operations. Robotics segment provides trenching, seabed clearance, offshore construction and inspection, repair and maintenance services to both the offshore oil and gas and renewable energy markets globally. Shallow Water Abandonment segment provides services in support of the upstream and midstream sectors on the Gulf of Mexico shelf.

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 HELIX ENERGY SOLUTIONS GROUP INC

HLX Guru Analysis

HLX Fundamental Analysis

WORLD KINECT CORP (WKC) is a small-cap growth stock in the Oil & Gas Operations industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: World Kinect Corporation is a global energy management company. The Company is engaged in offering fulfillment and related services to customers across the aviation, marine, and land-based transportation sectors. It also supplies natural gas and power in the United States and Europe along with a growing suite of other sustainability-related products and services. Its segments include Aviation, Land and Marine. Its Aviation segment provides aviation-related service offerings, including fuel management, ground handling, 24/7 global dispatch services, and trip planning services, including flight planning and scheduling. Its Land segment offers fuel, lubricants, heating oil, and related products and services to commercial, industrial, residential and government customers, as well as retail petroleum operators. Marine segment markets fuel, lubricants, and related products and services to a base of marine customers, including international container, dry bulk and tanker fleets, and others.

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 WORLD KINECT CORP

WKC Guru Analysis

WKC Fundamental Analysis

CHINA YUCHAI INTERNATIONAL LTD (CYD) is a small-cap value stock in the Misc. Capital Goods industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: China Yuchai International Limited is a holding company. The Company operates through two segments: Guangxi Yuchai Machinery Company Limited (Yuchai) and HL Global Enterprises Limited (HLGE). The Yuchai segment primarily conducts manufacturing for on- and off-road powertrain solutions and applications which are mainly distributed in the Republic of China (PRC) market. Yuchai engages in the manufacture, assembly and sale of a wide variety of light, medium and heavy-duty engines for trucks, buses, passenger vehicles, construction equipment, marine, and agriculture applications. Yuchai also produces engines for diesel-powered generators. The HLGE segment is engaged in hospitality and property development activities conducted mainly in the PRC and Malaysia. The HLGE also operates Copthorne Hotel Cameron Highlands, a hotel in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia.

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 CHINA YUCHAI INTERNATIONAL LTD

CYD Guru Analysis

CYD Fundamental Analysis

GRIFOLS SA - ADR (GRFS) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 90% 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: Grifols SA is a Spain-based global specialty pharmaceutical company developing, manufacturing and distributing a broad range of biological medicines based on plasma derived proteins. The Company organizes its business into five divisions: Bioscience, Diagnostic, Hospital, Bio Supplies and Others. Bioscience includes manufacturing activities of plasma derivatives for therapeutic use and the sale and distribution of end products. Its diagnostic focuses on researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing in vitro diagnostics products, such as analytical instruments, reagents and software, among others, for laboratories. Hospital offers technology and services for hospitals, clinics and specialized centers for the manufacture of medicines, as well as physiological saline solution, enteral nutritional fluids and medical devices for interventional therapy. Its bio Supplies provides, mostly, biological products for non-therapeutic use.

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 GRIFOLS SA - ADR

GRFS Guru Analysis

GRFS Fundamental Analysis

NAVIGATOR HOLDINGS LTD (NVGS) is a small-cap value stock in the Water Transportation industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 90% 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: Navigator Holdings Ltd. is a United Kingdom-based owner and operator of liquefied gas carriers. The Company provides international and regional seaborne transportation services of petrochemical gases, liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and ammonia for energy companies, industrial users, and commodity traders. The Company also owns a 50% share in an ethylene export marine terminal at MorganGs Point, Texas on the Houston Ship Channel, United States. The Company owns and operates 59 semi- or fully refrigerated liquefied gas carriers each having a cargo capacity of between 3,770 cubic meters (cbm) and 38,000 cbm, of which 28 were ethylene and ethane-capable vessels. These gases are transported in liquefied form, by applying cooling and/or pressure, to reduce volume by up to 900 times depending on the cargo, making their transportation more efficient and economical. Its services include Maritime Logistics, and Ship Shore Infrastructure, among others.

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 NAVIGATOR HOLDINGS LTD

NVGS Guru Analysis

NVGS Fundamental Analysis

ASPEN AEROGELS INC (ASPN) is a small-cap growth stock in the Containers & Packaging industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: Aspen Aerogels, Inc. is an aerogel technology company, which provides sustainability and electrification solutions. Its aerogel technology enables its customers and partners to achieve their own objectives around the global megatrends of resource efficiency, e-mobility and clean energy. Its segments include Energy Industrial and Thermal Barrier. Under the Energy Industrial, it designs, develops and manufactures aerogel insulation used in the energy industrial and sustainable insulation markets. It offers two aerogel insulation product lines for the energy industrial market, Pyrogel and Cryogel. Under the Thermal Barrier, it offers PyroThin product, is an ultra-thin, lightweight and flexible thermal barrier designed with other functional layers to impede the propagation of thermal runaway across multiple lithium-ion battery system architectures. Its thermal barrier technology is designed to offer a combination of thermal management, mechanical performance and fire protection properties.

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 ASPEN AEROGELS INC

ASPN Guru Analysis

ASPN Fundamental Analysis

GOLDEN OCEAN GROUP LTD (GOGL) is a small-cap value stock in the Water Transportation industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 90% 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: Golden Ocean Group Limited is a Bermuda-based international dry bulk shipping company. The Company owns and operates a fleet of dry bulk vessels, comprising Newcastlemax, Capesize, Panamax, and Ultramax vessels. Its vessels transport a range of bulk commodities, including ores, coal, grains, and fertilizers, along worldwide shipping routes. Its vessels operate in the spot and time charter markets. It owns approximately 83 dry bulk vessels and has construction contracts for three new buildings. In addition, it has eight vessels chartered-in from SFL Corporation Ltd. (SFL) (of which seven are chartered in on finance leases and one is chartered on an operating lease). Approximately 12 of its vessels are chartered-out on fixed rate time charters, 36 of its vessels are chartered out on index-linked-rate time charters and 43 vessels operate in the spot market.

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 GOLDEN OCEAN GROUP LTD

GOGL Guru Analysis

GOGL Fundamental Analysis

TRIPLEPOINT VENTURE GROWTH BDC CORP (TPVG) is a small-cap value stock in the Investment Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: TriplePoint Venture Growth BDC Corp. is an externally managed, closed-end, non-diversified management investment company that operates as a business development company. It is focused on providing customized debt financing with warrants and direct equity investments to venture growth stage companies in technology and other high-growth industries backed by a select group of venture capital firms. Its investment objective is to maximize its total return to stockholders primarily in the form of current income and, to a lesser extent, capital appreciation by lending, typically with warrants, primarily to venture growth stage companies focused on technology and other high-growth industries backed by TriplePoint Capital LLC (TPC) a select group of venture capital investors. TPC is a Sand Hill Road-based global investment platform, which provides customized debt financing, leasing, direct equity investments and other complementary solutions. Its investment adviser is TriplePoint Advisers LLC.

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 TRIPLEPOINT VENTURE GROWTH BDC CORP

TPVG Guru Analysis

TPVG Fundamental Analysis

ADAPTHEALTH CORP (AHCO) is a small-cap value stock in the Medical Equipment & Supplies industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 90% 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: Adapthealth Corp. is a provider of patient-centered, healthcare-at-home solutions, including home medical equipment, medical supplies, and related services. The Company's Sleep Health segment provides sleep therapy equipment, supplies and related services (including CPAP and BiLevel services) to individuals for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Its Respiratory Health segment provides oxygen and home mechanical ventilation equipment and supplies and related chronic therapy services to individuals for the treatment of respiratory diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic respiratory failure. Its Diabetes Health segment provides medical devices, including continuous glucose monitors and insulin pumps, and related services to patients for the treatment of diabetes. Its Wellness at Home segment provides home medical equipment and services to patients in their homes, including those who have been discharged from acute care and other facilities.

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 ADAPTHEALTH CORP

AHCO Guru Analysis

AHCO Fundamental Analysis

CONCENTRIX CORP (CNXC) is a mid-cap value stock in the Computer Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: Concentrix Corporation is a global technology and services company. The Company provides end-to-end capabilities, including customer experience (CX) process optimization, technology innovation, front- and back-office automation, analytics and business transformation. Its customer lifecycle management solutions include services such as customer care, sales support and digital marketing. It also provides complementary services, including CX/user experience (UX) strategy and design, digital transformation, and voice of the customer (VOC) and analytics. Its CX/UX strategy and design solutions, including CX strategy, data-driven user design, journey mapping, and multi-platform engineering. Its digital transformation solutions include services such as robotic process automation and cognitive automation and mobile app development. ConcentrixCX, its VOC solutions platform, helps turn customer feedback into actionable insights. It operates under the trade name Concentrix + Webhelp.

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 CONCENTRIX CORP

CNXC Guru Analysis

CNXC Fundamental Analysis

NOV INC (NOV) is a mid-cap value stock in the Oil Well Services & Equipment industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: NOV Inc. is an independent provider of equipment and technology to the upstream oil and gas industry. The Company's proprietary technology portfolio supports the industryGs drilling, completion, and production needs. It operates under two segments: Energy Products and Services, and Energy Equipment. The CompanyGs Energy Products and Services segment primarily designs, manufactures, rents, and sells products and equipment used in drilling, intervention, completion, and production activities. Its products include drill bits, downhole tools, premium drill pipe, drilling fluids, managed pressure drilling, integral and weld-on connectors for conductor strings and surface casing, completion tools, and artificial lift systems. Its Energy Equipment segment manufactures and supports the capital equipment and integrated systems needed for oil and gas exploration and production, both onshore and offshore, as well as for other marine-based, industrial and renewable energy markets.

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 NOV INC

NOV Guru Analysis

NOV Fundamental Analysis

ZIFF DAVIS INC (ZD) is a small-cap growth stock in the Business Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Joseph Piotroski changed from 0% to 80% 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: Ziff Davis, Inc. is a vertically focused digital media and Internet company. Its Technology & Shopping segment includes advertising on publishing platforms and commerce sites and publishing of specialized technology-based content and provision of authoritative content relating to products, services, shopping and savings. Its Gaming & Entertainment segment provides authoritative content relating to video games and entertainment Website. Health & Wellness segment includes a collection of interactive tools and mobile applications that are designed to enable consumers to manage a broad array of health and wellness needs on a daily basis. Connectivity segment includes several data and services businesses that sit at the center of the broadband economy and are sources of information on Internet connectivity and network performance. Cybersecurity & Martech segment offers cloud-based Software-as-a-Service offerings for various communication, customer marketing, and other needs of end-users.

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 ZIFF DAVIS INC

ZD Guru Analysis

Joseph Piotroski Portfolio

About Joseph Piotroski: Piotroski isn't your typical Wall Street big shot. In fact, he's not even a professional investor. He's a good old numbers-crunching accountant and college professor. But in 2000, shortly after he started teaching at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, Piotroski published a groundbreaking paper in the Journal of Accounting Research entitled "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers". In it, Piotroski laid out an accounting-based stock-selection/shorting method that produced a 23 percent average annual back-tested return from 1976 through 1996 -- more than double the S&P 500's gain during that time. Piotroski's findings were reported in major financial publiations like SmartMoney. Today, he teaches accounting at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

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.