100 Sizzling U.S. small cap stocks
These companies aren't household names—but they could be someday.
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The stock market can be a scary place.
It’s why some investors gravitate to the biggest, strongest and most well-known companies when building their portfolios. Sticking with big stocks can be reassuring, but the approach is not without its flaws.
Giant companies tend to be more stable than smaller firms, but they also have very little room to grow. It’s hard to imagine a colossus like Walmart growing to 10 times its size any time soon. On the other hand, a few small firms will mushroom to become the giants of tomorrow.
The propensity for small stocks to grow quickly is reflected in their long-term returns. Dartmouth College professor Kenneth French investigates the inner workings of the markets. In one study, he sorted U.S. stocks into three groups by market capitalization (a stock’s price times its share count). The groups were tracked for a year, then the process was repeated. As a result, he was able to figure out how small, medium and large stocks fared over the long term.
The smallest 30% of stocks did the best, with average annual gains of 12.3% from 1960 through to the end of 2013. The middle group did nearly as well with returns of 12.1% per year. However, the largest 30% of stocks lagged behind and advanced only 9.8% annually. You can see the return history of each group in this chart.
The bargain bin is often stuffed to the brim with small stocks, which brings us to a bit of a confession. While working on the annual MoneySense Top 500 ranking of large U.S. stocks (from our December/January 2014 issue), we usually take a peek to see which small stocks pass the test. Doing so often yields a slew of good ideas.
It’s one reason why we’re pleased to present you with our first-ever “Sizzling Small Stocks” ranking. It evaluates 1,000 stocks for their appeal as value investments and growth investments, using the same methodology as the annual Top 500 ranking. But this time the focus is on smaller firms with market capitalizations ranging from roughly $200 million to just over $2 billion. (All figures in U.S. dollars.)
We decided to focus on U.S. stocks for several reasons. The Canadian small-cap market has relatively few names and is dominated by energy and mining companies, which can be highly speculative. The U.S. offers far more variety and sector diversification. But never fear, we expect to highlight a few Canadian small caps in the future.
Once again we take a hard-nosed approach when searching for the best prospects and consider only the numbers. Our intuitions or opinions about a particular firm or industry don’t enter into it.
While we like small stocks, the very tiniest firms can cause problems. For instance, many of them trade infrequently and they can suffer from a host of other peculiarities. It’s why we start with stocks that have market capitalizations and revenues of at least $200 million. That might sound like a great deal of money, but it’s quite small compared to a big company like Microsoft, which earns about $200 million every three days.
We then grade the 1,000 companies above our lower limit using data from Bloomberg. The smallest stock we consider is Ampco-Pittsburgh (AP), which has a market capitalization just over $200 million. The largest is PrivateBancorp (PVTB), with a market capitalization of a little more than $2.2 billion. If our suspicions are correct, most investors haven’t heard of either one.
Making the grade
Every stock is first evaluated for its growth potential. Those with the best records are awarded As, the next best get Bs, and so on, all the way down to Fs for those in need of improvement. Then every stock is graded based on its appeal as a value investment. The best bargains get As while pricey firms that trade at lofty prices take home Fs.
To get top marks each stock must pass a series of strict tests. On the growth side, we favour firms that have increased their sales and earnings per share at a good clip. We also like strong returns on equity, healthy market performance over the last year, and low-to-moderate price-to-sales ratios. On the value front, we appreciate stocks selling at modest price-to-book-value ratios compared to their peers and to the markets overall. We view high debt loads negatively and give extra points to profitable ventures that pay dividends. To get to the very top of the class stocks ideally should possess all these qualities.
The very top prospects get a coveted double-A rating, which makes them outstanding growth and value candidates. Alas, none of the small stocks picked up the double-A prize this first time around. However, we believe the 50 All-Star stocks that managed to get at least one A and one B are well worth your consideration.
Before you load up on small stocks, keep in mind they can be risky. While we think our top stocks have what it takes to be successful, the future is far from certain. That’s why it’s best to build a broadly diversified portfolio that balances small stocks with other holdings, like international stocks and a reasonable amount of fixed income.
But we believe that our guide is a great place to start your search for interesting candidates and it contains a wealth of information to help you on your way. The 100 stocks with the highest grades are displayed in the tables on the following pages, which contain detailed data on each one. In addition, because of its huge size, we have posted the 1,000-stock table for use by subscribers.
Small wonders
While there are scores of interesting stocks in the tables, a few stand out for different reasons. We were interested to see Fred’s (FRED) make an appearance. The company was spotted, not that long ago, on a screen for defensive investors inspired by famed value investor Benjamin Graham. The Memphis-based firm operates more than 700 discount stores mostly in the southern U.S. and got an A for value and B for growth.
Home builder M.D.C. Holdings (MDC) survived the crash of 2008, which was hard on businesses tied to U.S. real estate. These days the economy is perking up and there are signs real estate is starting to recover stateside. The numbers say M.D.C. is worth a second look because it got an A for value and B for growth.
Biglari Holdings (BH) is a small conglomerate run by value-oriented hedge fund manager Sardar Biglari. The firm was mainly in the restaurant business but its recent purchase of MAXIM indicates it is branching out. However, investors would be wise to think carefully about Mr. Biglari because the size of his compensation package is a little worrisome.
Those are just a few of the stocks that can be found in the following table.
Remember that stock screens have their limitations. So, before you invest, make sure a company’s situation hasn’t changed in some important way. This can include reading the latest press releases and regulatory filings, and scanning newspaper stories to get up to speed on all the most recent developments.
As always, we try to put you on the path to a profitable future. But be sure to go to the market only after you’ve done your homework.
The upper middle class
Many investors like the familiarity of large-cap names, while others prefer the promise of a big payoff with small caps. Meanwhile, mid-cap stocks—generally those with a market capitalization between $2 billion and $10 billion—are often overlooked. 
The 10 U.S. stocks in the table below were too large to make our Top 100 list, but they may offer similar potential. These mid-caps managed to get one A and one B according to the value and growth screens we used for our small-cap stocks.
CNO Financial, Jones Lang LaSalle and Legg Mason are in the financial services industry, which is more diversified in the U.S. than in Canada. The others are in the energy, industrial and technology sectors and have more potential for growth.
It pays to think small
Though they carry added risk, the reward offered by small-cap stocks make them worth a second look. From 1960 through 2013, small-cap U.S. stocks returned 12.3% annually, compared with 12.1% for mid-caps and 9.8% for the largest stocks.
See the 100 Sizzling U.S. small cap stocks below. Subscribers can also download the Excel file featuring all 100 picks as well as the top 1,000 overall using their subscriber number.
| Name | Ticker | Industry Group | Industry Subgroup | Price (Feb 19, 2014) | Revenues ($M) | Market Capitalization ($M) | Price/Book | Price/TangibleBook | P/E (Last 12 Months) | Forward P/E | Dividend Yield | Leverage (Assets/Equity) | Value Grade | 1Yr Total Return (%) | 3 Yr EPS Growth (%) | 3 Yr SPS Growth (%) | 1 Yr Total Asset Growth (%) | Return on Equity (%) | Price/Sales | Growth Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aceto | ACET | Chemicals | Chemicals-Diversified | $18.24 | $520 | $518 | 2.37 | 3.56 | 16.1 | 14.1 | 1.3% | 1.56 | B | 76.9% | 43.8% | 8.1% | 7.7% | 15.7% | 0.96 | A |
| AH Belo | AHC | Media | Publishing-Newspapers | $9.82 | $392 | $215 | 1.13 | 1.38 | 13.6 | 29.0 | 3.3% | 1.65 | A | 92.0% | 28.5% | -8.1% | -4.4% | 11.9% | 0.55 | B |
| American Railcar Industries | ARII | Miscellaneous Manufacturer | Miscellaneous Manufacturer | $49.97 | $751 | $1,067 | 2.57 | 2.62 | 12.3 | 11.6 | 2.0% | 1.97 | B | 22.6% | 73.3% | 39.9% | 21.4% | 22.8% | 1.42 | A |
| Arctic Cat | ACAT | Leisure Time | Recreational Vehicles | $46.02 | $698 | $605 | 2.91 | - | 17.2 | 13.8 | 0.9% | 1.61 | B | 28.3% | 55.0% | 26.2% | 10.5% | 18.3% | 0.88 | A |
| Arkansas Best | ABFS | Transportation | Transport-Truck | $31.63 | $2,300 | $817 | 1.57 | 2.22 | 56.5 | 15.1 | 0.4% | 1.95 | A | 176.8% | 34.5% | 10.7% | -1.7% | 3.2% | 0.35 | B |
| Atlantic Tele-Network | ATNI | Telecommunications | Telephone-Integrated | $60.11 | $612 | $947 | 1.51 | 1.75 | 3.1 | - | 1.8% | 1.55 | A | 37.3% | 95.0% | 7.3% | 20.2% | 64.7% | 1.54 | B |
| Baldwin & Lyons | BWINB | Insurance | Property/Casualty Ins | $23.75 | $291 | $350 | 0.93 | - | 9.7 | - | 4.2% | 2.81 | A | 4.0% | 13.4% | 5.0% | 9.2% | 10.1% | 1.22 | B |
| Bel Fuse | BELFA | Electronics | Electronic Components-Misc | $19.32 | $349 | $222 | 1.00 | 1.28 | 13.3 | - | 1.2% | 1.44 | A | 22.9% | 7.5% | 5.7% | 11.7% | 3.2% | 0.63 | B |
| Benchmark Electronics | BHE | Electronics | Electronic Components-Misc | $23.60 | $2,506 | $1,275 | 1.04 | 1.15 | 11.4 | 15.8 | 0.0% | 1.35 | B | 30.7% | 17.4% | 6.2% | 10.4% | 9.4% | 0.51 | A |
| Biglari Holdings | BH | Retail | Retail-Restaurants | $423.01 | $758 | $728 | 1.15 | 1.22 | 4.1 | 34.3 | 0.0% | 1.71 | B | 20.9% | 67.5% | 2.9% | 29.4% | 32.7% | 0.85 | A |
| Carriage Services | CSV | Commercial Services | Funeral Services&Rel Items | $20.98 | $215 | $383 | 2.52 | - | 20.2 | 16.6 | 0.5% | 4.77 | B | 29.6% | 33.2% | 4.6% | 1.2% | 13.4% | 1.76 | A |
| Cash America International | CSH | Retail | Retail-Pawn Shops | $40.97 | $1,797 | $1,151 | 1.14 | 3.82 | 8.2 | 9.4 | 0.3% | 1.92 | A | -19.6% | 8.4% | 12.9% | 14.5% | 13.7% | 0.65 | B |
| CBIZ Inc | CBZ | Commercial Services | Commercial Services-Finance | $8.90 | $726 | $422 | 1.16 | - | 5.1 | 15.0 | 0.0% | 2.40 | B | 37.3% | 63.6% | 7.0% | -7.5% | 25.6% | 0.60 | A |
| Chase | CCF | Miscellaneous Manufacturer | Diversified Manufacturer | $31.04 | $217 | $282 | 2.36 | 3.87 | 12.6 | - | 1.4% | 1.95 | B | 67.5% | 18.2% | 19.1% | 7.1% | 20.6% | 1.28 | A |
| Comfort Systems USA | FIX | Building Materials | Bldg Prod-Air&Heating | $16.08 | $1,343 | $601 | 2.08 | 4.46 | 22.6 | 18.5 | 1.4% | 1.94 | B | 27.1% | 18.2% | 9.0% | 0.5% | 9.4% | 0.44 | A |
| CONMED | CNMD | Healthcare-Products | Medical Instruments | $48.54 | $763 | $1,340 | 2.21 | 34.86 | 37.3 | 24.4 | 1.6% | 1.80 | B | 60.9% | 7.0% | 3.4% | 0.6% | 5.9% | 1.76 | A |
| Cooper Tire & Rubber | CTB | Auto Parts&Equipment | Rubber-Tires | $23.94 | $3,904 | $1,563 | 1.76 | 2.23 | 6.3 | - | 1.8% | 2.85 | A | -7.1% | 17.3% | 6.1% | 6.8% | 31.5% | 0.39 | B |
| Dawson Geophysical | DWSN | Oil&Gas Services | Seismic Data Collection | $29.61 | $297 | $239 | 1.13 | 1.13 | 51.9 | 19.2 | 1.1% | 1.36 | A | -8.7% | 38.5% | 6.6% | 1.2% | 2.2% | 0.79 | B |
| Delek US Holdings | DK | Oil&Gas | Oil Refining&Marketing | $28.99 | $9,133 | $1,744 | 1.79 | 1.97 | 9.2 | 10.8 | 2.1% | 2.41 | A | -23.3% | 97.5% | 32.1% | 20.6% | 20.7% | 0.19 | B |
| Dynamic Materials | BOOM | Metal Fabricate/Hardware | Metal Processors&Fabricators | $22.50 | $211 | $310 | 1.81 | 3.23 | 30.4 | 15.6 | 0.7% | 1.34 | A | 29.0% | 24.9% | 9.5% | -2.7% | 6.2% | 1.44 | B |
| EMC Insurance Group | EMCI | Insurance | Property/Casualty Ins | $27.54 | $563 | $363 | 0.89 | 0.89 | 8.3 | 11.2 | 3.3% | 3.28 | A | 5.2% | 11.5% | 8.2% | 3.6% | 10.2% | 0.64 | B |
| Encore Wire | WIRE | Electrical Components&Equip | Wire&Cable Products | $50.61 | $1,158 | $1,047 | 2.35 | 2.35 | 22.3 | 16.0 | 0.2% | 1.18 | B | 47.7% | 50.9% | 12.6% | 10.5% | 9.6% | 0.90 | A |
| FBR & Co | FBRC | Diversified Financial Services | Finance-Invest Banker/Broker | $25.75 | $260 | $292 | 0.96 | 0.95 | 3.2 | - | 0.0% | 1.41 | B | 48.0% | 75.3% | 11.5% | 23.1% | 36.5% | 1.20 | A |
| Finish Line | FINL | Retail | Retail-Apparel/Shoe | $25.03 | $1,594 | $1,230 | 2.22 | 2.32 | 18.1 | 13.3 | 1.3% | 1.41 | B | 34.1% | 5.1% | 13.0% | 9.0% | 12.9% | 0.76 | A |
| Fred's | FRED | Retail | Retail-Discount | $17.25 | $1,978 | $635 | 1.41 | 1.57 | 22.1 | 19.2 | 1.4% | 1.55 | A | 27.7% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 1.6% | 6.5% | 0.32 | B |
| Haverty Furniture | HVT | Retail | Retail-Home Furnishings | $25.97 | $732 | $575 | 2.08 | 2.08 | 19.7 | 16.4 | 1.2% | 1.46 | B | 48.2% | 33.1% | 4.4% | 1.0% | 10.6% | 0.79 | A |
| Independence Holding | IHC | Insurance | Life/Health Insurance | $12.18 | $544 | $215 | 0.79 | 1.03 | 10.7 | - | 0.6% | 4.41 | A | 24.2% | 32.4% | 6.7% | 3.0% | 7.3% | 0.40 | B |
| Inter Parfums | IPAR | Cosmetics/Personal Care | Cosmetics&Toiletries | $32.00 | $635 | $986 | 2.33 | 3.19 | 6.9 | 28.5 | 1.5% | 1.21 | B | 37.4% | 75.6% | 10.8% | 33.9% | 40.8% | 1.55 | A |
| Kadant | KAI | Machinery-Diversified | Machinery-General Industry | $36.55 | $344 | $408 | 1.55 | 2.66 | 17.4 | 14.0 | 1.4% | 1.51 | A | 34.8% | 12.1% | 12.2% | 10.1% | 10.7% | 1.18 | B |
| Kaiser Aluminum | KALU | Mining | Metal-Aluminum | $68.33 | $1,298 | $1,231 | 1.14 | 1.23 | 12.2 | 17.7 | 2.0% | 1.63 | A | 7.2% | 98.0% | 7.3% | 1.0% | 9.7% | 0.98 | B |
| Kansas City Life Insurance | KCLI | Insurance | Life/Health Insurance | $47.26 | $449 | $519 | 0.72 | 0.72 | 16.8 | - | 2.3% | 6.24 | A | 25.9% | 22.5% | 3.2% | -0.2% | 4.2% | 1.16 | B |
| Marcus | MCS | Lodging | Hotels&Motels | $13.75 | $424 | $372 | 1.16 | 1.35 | 19.4 | 16.7 | 2.5% | 2.29 | A | 9.2% | 4.1% | 6.3% | -1.0% | 5.7% | 0.88 | B |
| Marten Transport | MRTN | Transportation | Transport-Truck | $18.93 | $659 | $630 | 1.76 | 1.76 | 20.8 | 17.1 | 0.5% | 1.46 | A | 36.1% | 14.5% | 8.1% | 7.2% | 8.8% | 0.95 | B |
| MDC Holdings | MDC | Home Builders | Bldg-Residential/Commercial | $28.41 | $1,680 | $1,386 | 1.14 | - | 4.4 | 15.3 | 3.5% | 2.14 | A | -27.8% | 87.4% | 18.9% | 33.4% | 29.8% | 0.82 | B |
| Multi-Color | LABL | Commercial Services | Printing-Commercial | $33.52 | $681 | $550 | 1.87 | - | 15.9 | 14.3 | 0.6% | 3.01 | B | 40.2% | 12.3% | 18.9% | 5.8% | 12.2% | 0.80 | A |
| Myers Industries | MYE | Miscellaneous Manufacturer | Rubber/Plastic Products | $19.40 | $825 | $657 | 2.72 | 4.18 | 24.9 | 15.4 | 1.9% | 2.00 | B | 42.9% | 38.3% | 5.5% | -0.6% | 13.3% | 0.79 | A |
| National Healthcare | NHC | Healthcare-Services | Medical-Nursing Homes | $49.84 | $776 | $701 | 1.38 | 1.43 | 12.8 | - | 2.6% | 1.44 | A | 7.1% | 14.0% | 3.3% | 7.7% | 10.9% | 0.89 | B |
| National Western Life Insurance | NWLI | Insurance | Life/Health Insurance | $207.01 | $751 | $752 | 0.53 | - | 7.9 | - | 0.2% | 7.50 | A | 25.7% | 12.1% | 10.1% | 4.9% | 6.9% | 0.97 | B |
| Newpark Resources | NR | Oil&Gas Services | Oil-Field Services | $11.11 | $1,107 | $971 | 1.67 | 2.12 | 14.2 | 14.4 | 0.0% | 1.67 | B | 24.6% | 19.2% | 17.8% | -2.6% | 11.9% | 0.85 | A |
| Oil-Dri Corp of America | ODC | Chemicals | Chemicals-Specialty | $33.91 | $253 | $239 | 2.28 | 2.41 | 17.9 | - | 2.2% | 1.70 | B | 24.4% | 9.6% | 5.2% | 2.1% | 13.4% | 0.93 | A |
| Primoris Services | PRIM | Pipelines | Pipelines | $32.45 | $1,887 | $1,673 | 4.44 | 7.97 | 26.2 | 19.9 | 0.4% | 2.70 | B | 64.2% | 24.7% | 25.1% | 25.9% | 18.6% | 0.89 | A |
| Renewable Energy Group | REGI | Energy-Alternate Sources | Energy-Alternate Sources | $11.40 | $1,414 | $441 | 0.74 | 0.87 | 2.9 | 8.4 | 0.0% | 1.21 | B | 46.7% | 52.7% | 35.1% | 27.4% | 31.0% | 0.26 | A |
| Standard Motor Products | SMP | Auto Parts&Equipment | Auto/Truck Parts-Replacement | $31.33 | $957 | $720 | 2.08 | 2.65 | 14.8 | 12.3 | 1.7% | 1.83 | B | 32.7% | 50.4% | 5.2% | 2.8% | 14.9% | 0.75 | A |
| Strattec Security | STRT | Auto Parts&Equipment | Auto/Truck Parts-Original | $62.64 | $316 | $218 | 1.87 | - | 19.0 | 13.8 | 0.7% | 1.49 | B | 106.4% | 36.1% | 9.3% | 6.5% | 11.5% | 0.67 | A |
| Tesco | TESO | Oil&Gas Services | Oil-Field Services | $21.00 | $526 | $821 | 1.63 | 1.76 | 18.6 | 15.7 | 0.0% | 1.20 | B | 60.2% | 152.6% | 13.3% | 5.5% | 9.2% | 1.55 | A |
| Titan International | TWI | Auto Parts&Equipment | Auto/Truck Parts-Original | $17.26 | $2,164 | $924 | 1.34 | 1.43 | 25.8 | 15.4 | 0.1% | 2.74 | A | -35.9% | 83.6% | 17.4% | 68.2% | 8.0% | 0.42 | B |
| Unifi | UFI | Apparel | Textile-Apparel | $23.24 | $698 | $442 | 1.56 | 1.60 | 16.5 | 21.5 | 0.0% | 1.56 | B | 55.6% | 9.3% | 2.3% | -3.2% | 9.4% | 0.65 | A |
| UniFirst | UNF | Textiles | Linen Supply&Rel Items | $104.48 | $1,370 | $2,093 | 1.99 | 2.99 | 17.3 | 17.1 | 0.1% | 1.27 | B | 22.8% | 15.8% | 9.0% | 2.3% | 12.2% | 1.50 | A |
| Universal Forest Products | UFPI | Building Materials | Bldg Prod-Wood | $54.59 | $2,470 | $1,086 | 1.71 | 2.34 | 25.3 | 16.4 | 0.8% | 1.45 | A | 35.6% | 33.9% | 8.3% | 12.0% | 5.4% | 0.44 | B |
| Weyco Group | WEYS | Apparel | Footwear&Related Apparel | $25.51 | $300 | $276 | 1.53 | 2.04 | 14.9 | - | 2.8% | 1.42 | A | 12.2% | 13.5% | 11.7% | -5.8% | 10.5% | 0.92 | B |
| 1st Source | SRCE | Banks | Commercial Banks-Central US | $29.52 | $257 | $718 | 1.23 | 1.44 | 13.3 | 12.9 | 2.3% | 8.07 | A | 30.9% | 22.1% | -3.8% | 5.8% | 9.6% | 2.80 | C |
| Adams Resources & Energy | AE | Oil&Gas | Oil Refining&Marketing | $66.90 | $3,857 | $282 | 1.81 | - | 9.7 | - | 1.3% | 3.05 | C | 75.3% | 78.1% | 22.6% | 22.1% | 20.3% | 0.07 | A |
| American Equity Investment Life | AEL | Insurance | Life/Health Insurance | $20.90 | $2,483 | $1,443 | 1.08 | - | 5.4 | 9.6 | 0.9% | 28.61 | C | 51.9% | 74.4% | 24.2% | 12.8% | 16.3% | 0.55 | A |
| American Vanguard | AVD | Chemicals | Chemicals-Other | $23.29 | $409 | $667 | 2.58 | 4.45 | 14.6 | 15.1 | 0.9% | 1.79 | B | -28.8% | 206.1% | 22.0% | 16.5% | 19.2% | 1.61 | B |
| Barnes Group | B | Miscellaneous Manufacturer | Diversified Manufacturer | $37.40 | $1,128 | $1,973 | 1.94 | 10.03 | 7.4 | 15.8 | 1.2% | 1.75 | B | 51.6% | 80.8% | 1.4% | -5.3% | 30.4% | 1.79 | B |
| Bridgepoint Education | BPI | Commercial Services | Schools | $18.04 | $815 | $985 | 1.78 | 1.82 | 15.3 | 26.3 | 0.0% | 1.39 | B | 63.1% | - | 7.6% | 2.4% | 12.4% | 1.20 | B |
| Clearwater Paper | CLW | Forest Products&Paper | Paper&Related Products | $66.52 | $1,890 | $1,401 | 2.32 | 4.18 | 13.3 | 15.2 | 0.0% | 2.88 | C | 41.7% | 15.8% | 12.7% | 6.8% | 18.7% | 0.78 | A |
| Columbus McKinnon | CMCO | Machinery-Diversified | Machinery-Material Handling | $25.81 | $567 | $510 | 1.90 | 3.56 | 6.9 | 14.3 | 0.0% | 2.20 | C | 26.6% | 56.9% | 3.1% | 14.3% | 31.8% | 0.89 | A |
| Computer Task Group | CTG | Computers | Computer Services | $16.93 | $424 | $315 | 2.86 | 4.36 | 15.5 | 15.7 | 1.2% | 1.52 | B | -15.4% | 29.7% | 9.2% | 7.9% | 16.1% | 0.61 | B |
| Crawford & Co | CRD/A | Insurance | Insurance Brokers | $7.73 | $1,282 | $439 | 2.52 | - | 7.7 | 8.6 | 2.6% | 4.84 | C | 37.8% | 32.9% | 5.8% | 0.5% | 32.7% | 0.33 | A |
| CSG Systems International | CSGS | Software | Data Processing/Management | $26.60 | $747 | $898 | 2.45 | 26.60 | 16.6 | 12.4 | 2.3% | 2.37 | C | 32.7% | 32.4% | 11.7% | 2.6% | 14.8% | 1.14 | A |
| ePlus Inc | PLUS | Internet | B2B/E-Commerce | $57.36 | $1,034 | $463 | 1.79 | 2.06 | 13.2 | 11.4 | 0.0% | 1.95 | B | 19.4% | 14.5% | 8.6% | 1.4% | 14.2% | 0.44 | B |
| Federal Agricultural Mortgage | AGM | Diversified Financial Services | Finance-Mtge Loan/Banker | $29.86 | $299 | $315 | 1.06 | - | 4.7 | 6.6 | 1.9% | 21.62 | B | -19.6% | 63.4% | 9.4% | 4.7% | 22.8% | 1.07 | B |
| Flagstar Bancorp | FBC | Savings&Loans | S&L/Thrifts-Central US | $21.14 | $981 | $1,186 | 1.02 | 1.18 | 4.8 | 14.5 | 0.0% | 6.60 | B | 41.5% | 29.4% | -37.0% | -33.2% | 23.9% | 1.21 | B |
| FutureFuel | FF | Energy-Alternate Sources | Energy-Alternate Sources | $16.63 | $394 | $721 | 2.28 | - | 13.3 | - | 2.9% | 1.31 | C | 24.9% | 34.8% | 9.9% | 1.1% | 17.2% | 1.81 | A |
| Great Southern Bancorp | GSBC | Banks | Commercial Banks-Central US | $27.76 | $209 | $379 | 1.18 | 1.19 | 11.4 | 13.2 | 2.6% | 9.35 | A | 18.8% | 17.1% | -1.4% | -10.0% | 10.5% | 1.80 | C |
| HCI Group | HCI | Insurance | Property/Casualty Ins | $41.37 | $227 | $476 | 2.85 | - | 7.2 | 9.1 | 2.7% | 2.81 | C | 100.1% | 100.8% | 27.8% | 65.9% | 45.5% | 1.93 | A |
| Heartland Financial USA | HTLF | Banks | Commercial Banks-Central US | $25.72 | $289 | $473 | 1.32 | 1.64 | 12.4 | 12.2 | 1.6% | 13.48 | B | 10.6% | 22.2% | 3.0% | 18.7% | 10.5% | 1.53 | B |
| ICF International | ICFI | Commercial Services | Consulting Services | $34.00 | $952 | $676 | 1.45 | 21.86 | 16.4 | 15.0 | 0.0% | 1.52 | B | 37.2% | 13.7% | 6.3% | 1.8% | 9.2% | 0.70 | B |
| John B Sanfilippo & Son | JBSS | Food | Food-Misc/Diversified | $22.51 | $743 | $246 | 1.16 | 1.20 | 11.3 | - | 0.0% | 1.92 | B | 25.1% | 44.7% | 5.0% | 2.8% | 10.4% | 0.33 | B |
| Johnson Outdoors | JOUT | Leisure Time | Leisure&Rec Products | $22.18 | $418 | $221 | 1.14 | 1.40 | 12.5 | 11.2 | 1.4% | 1.61 | A | 2.7% | 21.0% | 1.0% | 2.8% | 9.2% | 0.51 | C |
| Kemper | KMPR | Insurance | Multi-line Insurance | $37.69 | $2,426 | $2,092 | 1.07 | 1.27 | 9.9 | 14.7 | 2.5% | 3.73 | B | 21.8% | 8.5% | -0.8% | -4.4% | 10.3% | 0.88 | B |
| LB Foster | FSTR | Metal Fabricate/Hardware | Metal Processors&Fabricators | $42.93 | $582 | $443 | 1.42 | 1.91 | 15.2 | 13.2 | 0.3% | 1.36 | A | -3.6% | 16.7% | 10.6% | -0.4% | 9.7% | 0.75 | C |
| LeapFrog Enterprises | LF | Toys/Games/Hobbies | Toys | $6.78 | $554 | $463 | 1.10 | 1.20 | 5.6 | 29.1 | 0.0% | 1.20 | B | -25.7% | 159.3% | 6.4% | 19.2% | 22.2% | 0.84 | B |
| Life Time Fitness | LTM | Leisure Time | Recreational Centers | $43.46 | $1,206 | $1,853 | 1.62 | 1.70 | 14.7 | 13.7 | 0.0% | 1.98 | B | 2.8% | 13.3% | 8.5% | 11.4% | 10.8% | 1.49 | B |
| Lithia Motors | LAD | Retail | Retail-Automobile | $62.54 | $4,006 | $1,619 | 2.73 | 3.01 | 15.3 | 13.7 | 0.8% | 3.23 | C | 44.2% | 100.2% | 24.4% | 15.6% | 22.0% | 0.40 | A |
| M/I Homes | MHO | Home Builders | Bldg-Residential/Commercial | $23.29 | $1,037 | $567 | 1.15 | 1.31 | 3.9 | 15.6 | 0.0% | 2.25 | B | 1.3% | 83.9% | 9.2% | 33.5% | 39.8% | 0.54 | B |
| Magellan Health Services | MGLN | Healthcare-Services | Medical-HMO | $59.41 | $3,368 | $1,608 | 1.44 | 2.42 | 11.2 | 22.5 | 0.0% | 1.46 | B | 15.1% | 6.4% | 12.8% | 10.5% | 13.6% | 0.48 | B |
| MYR Group | MYRG | Engineering&Construction | Building&Construct-Misc | $23.60 | $896 | $499 | 1.76 | 2.19 | 14.4 | 13.8 | 0.0% | 1.81 | B | -3.8% | 31.0% | 11.8% | 11.6% | 13.1% | 0.55 | B |
| Nautilus | NLS | Leisure Time | Athletic Equipment | $8.32 | $207 | $259 | 3.12 | 3.86 | 4.9 | 18.4 | 0.0% | 1.48 | C | 35.9% | 72.2% | 6.8% | 67.0% | 89.1% | 1.25 | A |
| Navigant Consulting | NCI | Commercial Services | Consulting Services | $16.98 | $844 | $833 | 1.79 | - | 16.2 | 15.3 | 0.0% | 1.51 | B | 32.0% | 28.9% | 6.0% | -5.3% | 9.0% | 1.00 | B |
| Nelnet | NNI | Diversified Financial Services | Finance-Consumer Loans | $36.10 | $1,132 | $1,674 | 1.21 | 1.34 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 1.1% | 19.26 | B | 9.7% | 23.8% | 6.0% | 8.7% | 22.6% | 1.49 | B |
| Northwest Pipe | NWPX | Metal Fabricate/Hardware | Steel Pipe&Tube | $35.71 | $497 | $337 | 1.22 | 1.31 | 16.3 | 14.8 | 0.0% | 1.56 | B | 47.0% | 68.4% | 11.7% | -4.7% | 7.8% | 0.68 | B |
| Nutraceutical International | NUTR | Pharmaceuticals | Vitamins&Nutrition Prod | $26.02 | $210 | $256 | 1.80 | 2.49 | 14.5 | - | 0.0% | 1.39 | B | 48.3% | 4.4% | 7.3% | 8.3% | 13.3% | 1.21 | B |
| Omega Protein | OME | Pharmaceuticals | Vitamins&Nutrition Prod | $11.46 | $241 | $236 | 1.02 | 1.15 | 11.6 | 13.0 | 0.0% | 1.40 | B | 46.7% | 34.2% | 10.6% | 7.1% | 9.3% | 0.95 | B |
| OmniVision Technologies | OVTI | Semiconductors | Electronic Components-Semiconductor | $15.38 | $1,531 | $861 | 0.93 | 1.00 | 10.5 | 10.3 | 0.0% | 1.35 | B | -5.4% | 12.7% | 25.7% | 5.6% | 9.3% | 0.55 | B |
| PC Connection | PCCC | Retail | Retail-Computer Equip | $20.16 | $2,222 | $528 | 1.65 | 1.99 | 14.8 | 13.5 | 0.0% | 1.57 | C | 38.2% | 16.5% | 5.2% | 7.0% | 11.7% | 0.24 | A |
| Preformed Line Products | PLPC | Telecommunications | Telecommunication Equip | $63.27 | $415 | $339 | 1.35 | 1.52 | 14.9 | - | 1.3% | 1.37 | A | -10.1% | - | 8.9% | 0.3% | 9.4% | 0.82 | C |
| Rent-A-Center | RCII | Commercial Services | Rental Auto/Equipment | $24.72 | $3,104 | $1,323 | 0.98 | - | 10.6 | 10.3 | 3.7% | 2.18 | A | -33.2% | - | 10.5% | 4.9% | 11.7% | 0.44 | C |
| Roadrunner Transportation | RRTS | Transportation | Transport-Truck | $21.90 | $1,361 | $821 | 1.64 | - | 16.2 | 14.5 | 0.0% | 1.73 | B | -1.5% | 156.5% | 14.6% | 23.2% | 11.0% | 0.58 | B |
| S&T Bancorp | STBA | Banks | Commercial Banks-Eastern US | $21.44 | $202 | $638 | 1.12 | 1.61 | 12.7 | 12.6 | 3.0% | 7.93 | A | 19.2% | 8.3% | 3.7% | 0.1% | 9.1% | 3.14 | C |
| Sanderson Farms | SAFM | Food | Poultry | $73.58 | $2,683 | $1,697 | 2.52 | - | 13.0 | 12.5 | 1.1% | 1.38 | B | 40.6% | - | 10.5% | 3.1% | 21.1% | 0.62 | B |
| Select Medical Holdings | SEM | Healthcare-Services | Medical-Hospitals | $11.16 | $2,971 | $1,557 | 2.03 | - | 12.4 | 11.9 | 3.6% | 3.50 | B | 17.8% | 18.6% | 14.1% | 2.2% | 15.1% | 0.51 | B |
| State Auto Financial | STFC | Insurance | Property/Casualty Ins | $19.57 | $1,117 | $795 | 1.08 | 1.08 | 13.0 | 13.7 | 2.0% | 3.38 | A | 22.1% | 35.0% | -6.7% | 0.1% | - | 0.71 | C |
| Stewart Information Services | STC | Insurance | Property/Casualty Ins | $35.78 | $1,928 | $805 | 1.25 | 1.97 | 13.0 | 14.0 | 0.3% | 2.01 | B | 39.2% | 76.4% | -0.3% | 6.4% | 18.5% | 0.42 | B |
| Stone Energy | SGY | Oil&Gas | Oil-Exploration&Production | $35.57 | $991 | $1,778 | 1.78 | 1.78 | 11.1 | 17.8 | 0.0% | 3.05 | C | 68.7% | 184.1% | 12.5% | 18.1% | 17.7% | 1.74 | A |
| Take-Two Interactive Software | TTWO | Software | Entertainment Software | $19.57 | $2,455 | $1,918 | 2.11 | 3.51 | 4.9 | 14.8 | 0.0% | 2.42 | C | 26.1% | 43.1% | 15.9% | 66.9% | 59.8% | 0.77 | A |
| United Fire Group | UFCS | Insurance | Multi-line Insurance | $29.93 | $877 | $760 | 1.02 | 1.06 | 10.0 | 12.6 | 2.4% | 5.00 | B | 23.7% | 20.6% | 15.5% | -0.4% | 6.3% | 0.87 | B |
| USANA Health Sciences | USNA | Pharmaceuticals | Vitamins&Nutrition Prod | $75.28 | $718 | $1,044 | 4.01 | 5.22 | 13.2 | 12.2 | 0.0% | 1.41 | C | 57.9% | 24.8% | 15.9% | 37.8% | 35.4% | 1.45 | A |
| Walter Investment Management | WAC | Diversified Financial Services | Finance-Mtge Loan/Banker | $27.00 | $1,527 | $999 | 0.87 | 2.76 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 0.0% | 14.60 | B | -45.6% | 61.0% | 82.0% | 321.7% | 24.1% | 0.65 | B |
Data Source: Bloomberg; all figures as of the close on Feb. 19, 2014. All prices in U.S. dollars *EPS: Earnings per share **SPS: Sales per share
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