Zacks.com Featured Highlights: Arkema, Nutrisystem, Gibraltar Industries, Leidos Holdings And Willdan Group

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – November 27, 2017 - Stocks in this week’s article Arkema SA (OTC:ARKAY) , Nutrisystem Inc. (NASDAQ:NTRI) , Gibraltar Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:ROCK) , Leidos Holdings Inc. (NYSE:LDOS) and Willdan Group Inc. (NASDAQ:WLDN) .

Scared of Market Volatility? Bet on 5 Low-Beta Stocks

Top 5 Stocks with Solid Net Profit Margin

Businesses churning out high profits are sought by one and all. And to gauge the extent of profit, there is no better metric than net profit margin.

Net profit margin demonstrates the affluence of a company. It determines the efficiency of a company in deploying its resources, making it the best metric to measure its profitability.

Net Profit Margin = Net profit /Sales * 100.

Net profit of a business is the amount that remains in the last line (also known as bottom line) of the income statement after all costs (including taxes) have been deducted from revenues.

In fact, net profit margin can turn out to be a potent point of reference to gauge the strength in a company’s operations and cost-control measures.

Higher net profit is essential for rewarding stakeholders. Net margin helps investors judge the risks of investing in a company. Creditors also view it as a major factor in determining a company’s ability to pay off debts.

Moreover, a higher net profit margin as compared to peers lends a competitive edge. Strength in the metric not only attracts investors but also draws well-skilled employees that eventually add to the value of the business.

Pros and Cons

Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a company’s business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors.

However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. While net income is a key metric for investment measurement in traditional industries, it is not that important for technology companies.

Moreover, the difference in accounting treatment of various items — especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation — makes comparison a daunting task.

Further, for companies preferring to grow with debt instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on the net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective to analyze a company’s performance.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/283971/top-5-stocks-with-solid-net-profit-margin

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