Can Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) Go The Extra Mile as VC2 Hits 82?

Developed by James O’Shaughnessy, the Value Composite score uses six valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, price to sales and shareholder yield.  Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) has a Value Composite score of 82. The VC score is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Removing the sixth ratio (shareholder yield) we can view the Value Composite 1 score which is currently sitting at 79.

Investors may be searching high and low in the market to find some bargain stocks to add to the portfolio. Finding those great stocks at cheap prices may take a lot of research and dedication. Many investors will opt to compare stocks in the same industry. This may be a good way to help determine which ones are poised to stand out above the rest. As we move into the second half of the year, all eyes will be watching the major economic reports. If the data continues to impress, the stock market may continue to cruise along without many hiccups. Careful investors will no doubt be combing through specific company data to make sure the fundamentals are in line as well. Following company fundamentals and stock technicals may help create a wider frame of reference to work with.

We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.06294. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period. Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 1.09090, the 24 month is 1.26443, and the 36 month is 1.53682. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 0.79681, the 3 month is 0.78843, and the 1 month is currently 0.91100.

Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 27.889700. The 6 month volatility is 31.708200, and the 3 month is spotted at 35.872900. Following volatility data can help measure how much the stock price has fluctuated over the specified time period. Although past volatility action may help project future stock volatility, it may also be vastly different when taking into account other factors that may be driving price action during the measured time period. 

Valuation Scores

Shifting gears, we can see that Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) has a Q.i. Value of 57.00000. The Q.i. Value ranks companies using four ratios. These ratios consist of EBITDA Yield, FCF Yield, Liquidity, and Earnings Yield. The purpose of the Q.i. Value is to help identify companies that are the most undervalued. Typically, the lower the value, the more undervalued the company tends to be.

At the time of writing, Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) 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.

Proofpoint, Inc. has an M-score Beneish of -2.281657. This M-score model was developed by Messod Beneish in order to detect manipulation of financial statements. The score uses a combination of eight different variables. The specifics of the variables and formula can be found in the Beneish paper “The Detection of Earnings Manipulation”.

Investors may be interested in viewing the Gross Margin score on shares of Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT). The name currently has a score of 46.00000. 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.

Proofpoint, Inc. (NasdaqGM:PFPT) has a current MF Rank of 14146. 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. Proofpoint, Inc. has a current ERP5 Rank of 16239. The ERP5 Rank may assist investors with spotting companies that are undervalued. This ranking uses four ratios. These ratios are Earnings Yield, ROIC, Price to Book, and 5 year average ROIC. When looking at the ERP5 ranking, it is generally considered the lower the value, the better.

There are many factors that may influence stock price action. One of the most influential factors is company earnings. Company earnings reports can be extremely important for investors. Earnings reports have the ability to let investors know how well or poorly a company has been performing. Investors may try to capitalize on trading around earnings announcements. This can be a very tricky venture and may be quite risky. Studying stock price movements around earnings reports can sometimes be confusing. Often times a company will post better than expected numbers but the stock will drop in price. On the other side, shares may see a bounce even after disappointing results. Analysts try to project what numbers the company will post, but they may not be accurate for a variety of reasons. Following analyst estimates around earnings reports may be helpful, but it may be wise to proceed with caution if only going on what the analysts are saying.