Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS), Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) Piotroski F-Score In Focus

Posted by Carlos Wienstein on August 8, 2018 at 12:40 pm

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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 4.  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 digging through all of the most recent earnings report trying to locate a few names that are poised to make a run. Investors often take notice when a company beats or misses analyst projections by a wide margin. Once identifying these stocks, investors may want to look back at earnings history over the past few quarters. While one or two sub-par quarters may not be a legitimate cause for alarm, a long string of underperformance may be worth looking into. On the flip side, one or two great quarters may not be telling the complete picture either. Going behind the curtain and investigating the numbers may help the investor locate the next batch of stocks to add to the portfolio.

Current Ratio

The Current Ratio of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 0.44. 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.

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is -0.537707.  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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is -0.345849.  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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is -0.855706.

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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 60. 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.

MF Rank

The MF Rank (aka the Magic Formula) is a formula that pinpoints a valuable company trading at a good price. The formula is calculated by looking at companies that have a high earnings yield as well as a high return on invested capital. The MF Rank of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 14601. A company with a low rank is considered a good company to invest in. The Magic Formula was introduced in a book written by Joel Greenblatt, entitled, “The Little Book that Beats the Market”.

The Q.i. Value of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 66.  The Q.i. Value is a helpful tool in determining if a company is undervalued or not.  The Q.i. Value is calculated using the following ratios: EBITDA Yield, Earnings Yield, FCF Yield, and Liquidity.  The lower the Q.i. value, the more undervalued the company is thought to be.

Turning to Free Cash Flow Growth (FCF Growth), this 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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 1.  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.  

Value Composite
The Value Composite One (VC1) is a method that investors use to determine a company’s value.  The VC1 of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 88.  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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 93.

Volatility
Stock volatility is a percentage that indicates whether a stock is a desirable purchase.  Investors look at the Volatility 12m to determine if a company has a low volatility percentage or not over the course of a year.  The Volatility 12m of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 65.7616.  This is calculated by taking weekly log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over one year annualized.  

The lower the number, a company is thought to have low volatility.  The Volatility 3m is a similar percentage determined by the daily log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over 3 months.  The Volatility 3m of Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 48.6137.  The Volatility 6m is the same, except measured over the course of six months.  The Volatility 6m is 49.0327.

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 Amyris, Inc. (NasdaqGS:AMRS) is 16107. The lower the ERP5 rank, the more undervalued a company is thought to be.

At the time of writing, Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) has a Piotroski F-Score of 5. 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.

Many active investors will use technical analysis when conducting stock research. Technical analysis involves studying trends and trying to predict which trends will continue into the future. Many technical traders will rely on charts to help provide the information they desire. Some technicians will use one or two technical indicators while others will combine many different ones. There are plenty of indicators out there that can be studied. Figuring out which indicators are the most reliable can be a tricky endeavor. Traders may want to try out various combinations in order to identify the ones that seem to provide the best advantage, even if it is a small one.

Return on Invested Capital (ROIC), ROIC Quality, ROIC 5 Year Average

The Return on Invested Capital (aka ROIC) for Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is -0.931758. 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 Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is -2.881162. 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 Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is -0.691292.

Leverage Ratio

The Leverage Ratio of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 0.620135. Leverage ratio is the total debt of a company divided by total assets of the current and past year divided by two. Companies take on debt to finance their day to day operations. The leverage ratio can measure how much of a company’s capital comes from debt. With this ratio, investors can better estimate how well a company will be able to pay their long and short term financial obligations.

Return on Assets

There are many different tools to determine whether a company is profitable or not. One of the most popular ratios is the “Return on Assets” (aka ROA). This score indicates how profitable a company is relative to its total assets. The Return on Assets for Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is -0.200528. This number is calculated by dividing net income after tax by the company’s total assets. A company that manages their assets well will have a higher return, while a company that manages their assets poorly will have a lower return.

Turning to Free Cash Flow Growth (FCF Growth), this 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 Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 0.416782.  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.  

Stock volatility is a percentage that indicates whether a stock is a desirable purchase.  Investors look at the Volatility 12m to determine if a company has a low volatility percentage or not over the course of a year.  The Volatility 12m of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 57.1249.  This is calculated by taking weekly log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over one year annualized.  

The lower the number, a company is thought to have low volatility.  The Volatility 3m is a similar percentage determined by the daily log normal returns and standard deviation of the share price over 3 months.  The Volatility 3m of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 48.2263.  The Volatility 6m is the same, except measured over the course of six months.  The Volatility 6m is 57.2768.

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 Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 15961. The lower the ERP5 rank, the more undervalued a company is thought to be.

MF Rank

The MF Rank (aka the Magic Formula) is a formula that pinpoints a valuable company trading at a good price. The formula is calculated by looking at companies that have a high earnings yield as well as a high return on invested capital. The MF Rank of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 16017. A company with a low rank is considered a good company to invest in. The Magic Formula was introduced in a book written by Joel Greenblatt, entitled, “The Little Book that Beats the Market”.

The Q.i. Value of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 78.  The Q.i. Value is a helpful tool in determining if a company is undervalued or not.  The Q.i. Value is calculated using the following ratios: EBITDA Yield, Earnings Yield, FCF Yield, and Liquidity.  The lower the Q.i. value, the more undervalued the company is thought to be.

The Value Composite One (VC1) is a method that investors use to determine a company’s value.  The VC1 of Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 89.  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 Fluidigm Corporation (NasdaqGS:FLDM) is 92.