Category: Stock & ETF Research

This week I had a look at Weis Markets, Inc., which trades under the ticker $WMK.

Weis Markets, Inc WMK Stock Fundamentals

At the close of trading on 5/1/2020 it traded for $50.39/share, with a P/E (ttm) of 19.9 & a P/B of 1.28

WMK offers a 2.46% Dividend Yield for it’s investors, with a 44% Payout Ratio, making it able to continue to be competitive with other players who also raise their yields annually, and they provide some defense during market downturns & times of uncertainty.

Their -0.15 Beta means they don’t tend to move with the market, making them especially appealing in troubled times like we are entering.

With an Estimated Market Cap of $1.36B, WMK currently recently reported having Total Cash (mrq) of $149.344M, with Total Debt (mrq) of $218.77M, & a Debt/Equity (ttm) of 19.71.

Their % Institutional Ownership is 38.8%.

Weis Markets, Inc. WMK’s Stock Fundamentals Vs. The Consumer Staples Sector

WMK costs 16% more than the average consumer staples stock, however they do offer attractive value metrics compared to the sector averages.

WMK’s P/E (ttm) is 30.6% less than the sector average, and their P/B is 98% lower.

Their Dividend Yield is 34% less than the sector average, with an equal Payout Ratio. The Average Market Cap of the Consumer Staples sector is 91% larger than WMK, at $15.45B, leading to WMK having 80% less on hand than the average stock in the sector.

WMK’s Total Debt/Equity (ttm) is 57% better than the sector average, which when combined with their favorable value metrics & their ability to accumulate Total Cash better than competitors gives them an edge in a turbulent market.

WMK Stock Vs The Food & Staples Retailing Industry Averages

WMK also has similar advantages over the other stocks in it’s industry. It is a smaller player with a 93% smaller market cap than average, that has a more faily valued shareprice, and responsible debt compared to its peers.

WMK’s P/E (ttm) is almost 42% better than the Food & Staples Retailing Industry Average, and their P/B is 50% better.

Pair that with their 120% cooler Beta, and their 84.7% lower Total Debt/Equity (ttm) than average, and you’ll notice that this small company offers a lot of standout strengths vs. it’s peers.

Breaking Down Weis Markets, Inc.’s Technicals

Over the last year, WMK has traded relatively flat, until the COVID-19 virus impact stunned markets. This strength should continue while we remain in these uncertain times.

WMK’s current price of $50.39 is above its 10-Day M/A: 48.75, it’s 50-Day M/A: 41.44 & its 200-Day M/A: 39.31, with an RSI of 71.

This strength should continue to climb as investors seek yield from companies with lower levels of debt.

Weis Markets, Inc WMK’s Stock Growth Story

Weis Markets, Inc was under $5 when it first began trading in the 1980’s, and is now 10x that amount. They have also offered a stable dividend that has increased just about annually since 1985.

While the broader indexes are filled with faster growing names, this is still nothing to be ignored. Buying one share of their stock when it opened at ~$4.80 would’ve resulted in over $36 in dividend yield collection alone 35 years later.

It is difficult to compare WMK against the S&P 500 or the NASDAQ given the nature of their negative Beta, but one thing is for certain, consistent income via the dividend & growth.

Tying It All Together

All-in-all, WMK is worth further investigation. As a means of collecting yield from a safer stock, as well as having a negative Beta, it makes it more advantageous in a time where markets are in turmoil. There is always a need for groceries & food, and those businesses continue to operate throughout this pandemic.

Factor in the fact that it is a much smaller player than most of it’s competitors, and it appears even more defensive for times like these.

Right now the price is a little high as it just hit a new high last week, but if it looks to continue climbing it may be more appealing if it re-checks out the ~$48 range depending on how the charts look at that point.

As always, please do your own research & due diligence before making any decisions.

*** I Do Not Own Any Shares Of Weis Markets, Inc, WMK***

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This week I took a look at United Guardian Inc., a micro-cap stock whose ticker is $UG. UG closed for trading on 4/24/20 at $14.70/share, with a Price/Earnings (ttm) of 14.1.

United Guardian Inc. UG’s Stock Fundamentals

UG’s P/B (ttm) is 6.35, and they offer an attractive 7.48% Dividend Yield. Their Beta is low, at 0.09, which is to be expected as their Market Cap is ~$67.53M, so they most likely move on their own news, with some sector momentum included.

An interesting observation I made here is that they have little-to-no debt, and while they only have $7.92M Total Cash (mrq), their higher-than-average Dividend Payout Ratio of 106% may have more options than other companies who face similarly high Payout Ratios.

They have 26.47% Institutional Ownership, which also makes sense given their small size does not enable larger investors to make as large of a profit based on their limited lot size.

Comparing United Guardian Inc. UG’s Stock With The Consumer Staples Sector

United Guardian Inc.’s Stock Fundamentals are very attractive when compared to the Consumer Staples Sector averages.

UG’s Price/Share is 66% less than the sector average, with a 49.8% lower P/E (ttm) & 92.6% lower P/B than the average for the sector.

Their Dividend Yield is 99.5% higher than the sector average, and although their Payout Ratio is 573% above average, it’s limited debt offer more flexibility in how they can approach fixing this should the problem persist long-term.

As a very small micro-cap stock, their Estimated Market Cap is 99.6% lower than average, and their Total Cash (mrq) is 98.9% lower than the averages.

As a result, UG’s stock % Institutional Ownership is 42% lower than the Consumer Staples Sector average, and their Beta is 87.5% lower than average.

United Guardian Inc. UG’s Stock Fundamentals Compared To The Personal Products Industry

United Guardian Inc. offers many advantageous fundamentals when compared to the Personal Products Industry averages.

Their Price/Share is 15.8% lower than average, with a 20.2% lower P/E (ttm) & 59.2% P/B.

An interesting stat I came across while looking at these numbers was that UG’s EPS Growth for last quarter is +138.46% Y-o-Y, while the rest of the sector declined 26.2%.

UG’s Dividend Yield is 7.94% higher than the Industry average, with their % Institutional Ownership 24.6% lower.

Much like when compared to their sector averages, UG’s Dividend Payout Ratio is 920% higher than the Personal Products Industry average, and their Market Cap is 99% less than average, with a 98% less than average Total Cash amount.

United Guardian Inc. UG’s Technicals & Chart

UG’s stock 10-Day Moving Average is 13.99, with their 50-Day MA at 14.70 & their 200-Day MA at 17.96.

While I’m not involved in the stock, it may become interesting once it gets between $12-12.50/share.

United Guardian Inc.’s Stock Growth Story

Since they became publicly traded on 3/17/1980, UG has grown by 163.77% including dividends collected, but not including the value of their three historic stock splits.

They do not explicitly outperform the S&P 500 or NASDAQ Indexes as they are a much smaller company than most, however, they do offer positive growth & a good return for a small sized position.

They also continue to return value to their shareholders by paying out their dividend twice per year.

Tying It All Together

UG’s stock offers a lot of interesting fundamental growth opportunities. When compared to their sector & industry they are below almost all of the averages that we examined.

Another excellent point that is becoming even more important in economic times like these is their low-level/lack of debt.

This is increasingly rare, and if they’re able to provide a 7%+ cushion via yield, they are strategically ready to weather more storms than most other companies.

As mentioned before, I am not in this name, but would consider building a position once they re-enter the $12-12.50/share range.

United Guardian Inc. Stock may be worth looking at pending additional research.

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*** I Do not own any shares of UG Stock ***

This week I had a look into Advanced Emissions Solutions Stock, which trades under the ticker $ADES. ADES is a micro-cap stock that offers strong fundamentals & an excellent, safe dividend yield. I conducted my research over the weekend on 4/20/20, when the price was at $6.66, and all numbers in this article are reflective of that date.

ADES Stock Offers Strong Fundamentals

ADES trades at a P/E (ttm) of 3.5 & a P/B of 1.13, with a Beta of 0.9. These are very attractive levels, especially when compared to the averages of their Sector, Industry & Sub-Industry (below).

Their lower than average Beta ensure less volatility, with steady growth coming mostly from company performance, given that it is a Micro-Cap with an Estimated Market Cap of $122.3M.

Given the market fallout from COVID-19, there has been a noticeable shift into stocks that have great fundamentals, good, sustainable dividends & low-levels of debt in comparisson to their cash levels.

ADES’s Total Cash (mrq) is $12.08M, with a Total Debt (mrq) of $49.56M & a Debt/Equity (ttm) of 45.76.

Despite their small size limiting the potential for larger investors, ADES still has a 68.82% Institutional Ownership.

Examining ADES’s Stock Dividend

One of their most appealing fundamentals is their generous 15.01% Dividend Yield, which is paid out quarterly. What is especially appealing about it is that their Payout Rate is 49.99%, showing that they should be able to maintain that high level of interest payments to holders of their stock. In turbulent times this is especially helpful, as it provides a performance cushion if you intend to hold it for the entire year.

How ADES Stock Compared To Other Materials Sector Stocks

ADES stock costs 51% less than the average Materials Sector stock, trading at an 85% lower Price-To-Earnings Ratio (ttm), and 56% less than their Price To Book Value.

Their Dividend Yield is 230%+ better than the average Materials Sector stock, with a 4.15% better Debt/Equity (ttm) Ratio & a 57% higher than average % Institutional Ownership, all very strong metrics.

Their Payout Ratio is higher than the average, but still is maintable, which shouldn’t worry investors, and as mentioned earlier, as they are a Micro-Cap stock their Market Cap is 96% less than average, as is their Total Cash.

How Advanced Emissions Solution Stock Compares To Other Chemical Industry Stocks

When compared to the Chemical Industry average metrics, ADES has a 80% lower price/share, with an 81% lower P/E (ttm), a 48% lower P/B, and a fantastic 193% higher Dividend Yield, paying out 37% higher than average.

Their Beta is 28% less than average, partially because they are 97% smaller by Market Cap than the average Chemical Industry stock.

Despite this, as their Debt/Equity is 37% partnered with the above advantages, they have 21% more Institutional Ownership than the average Chemicals industry stock.

ADES Stock Vs. Specialty Chemicals Sub-Industry Stock Fundamentals

ADES is also a much stronger player than the average Specialty Chemicals Sub-Industry stock. Price/Share is 86% less, with an 83% less P/E(ttm) & a 59% less P/B.

Their Dividend is 362% higher than the average Specialty Chemicals stock, with 14% higher Institutional Ownership & 59% better Debt/Equity (ttm).

Their 31% lower Beta makes these numbers especially appealing in these tough times for the market.

ADES Stock’s Historic Performance Vs. The S&P 500 & NASDAQ

ADES Stock has grown 56.41% since it first started trading on 1/23/04, and for 3 years (12 quarterly payouts) it has yielded a dividend of ~15%, totaling 101.5% in growth.

The S&P 500 has grown 150% over that same period, however when you compare the charts and consider the fundamentals & company type, there is a lot of opportunity to outperform.

The NASDAQ has grown 307% in that time.

Examining ADES Stock’s Technical Metrics & Chart

ADES’s 10-Day Moving Average is $6.42, with its 50-day Moving Average at $8.21 & it’s 200-Day Moving Average of $11.24.

This is weaker than the average across its Sector & Industries, which is why it is a good time to begin looking at an entry-point while it establishes it’s bottom in weakness.

Overall Assessment Of ADES

I like the fundamentals of ADES, especially when compared to it’s peers. While it’s technicals aren’t looking too great, neither are the rest of the markets’, and it appears that this is an opportunity to buy a fundamentally strong company at a great discount.

After finishing my research I placed a Buy order to fill at $6/share, which filled yesterday morning around 11:30 AM.

I plan to hold onto this for a while, as it’s 15%+ dividend yield is a great safety cushion given these volatile times if I hold onto it for the year.

Plus, a micro-cap name like this just needs a couple of big headlines to takeoff running, as typically these companies are lesser known to most traders/investors, which provides extra strength once they make the news for good reason and everyone comes piling in.

*** Please note that as mentioned above I have a long position in this stock, and always conduct your own due-diligence before marking investments & trades ***

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