ZACKS·2025-12-04 14:11Core Insights - The article emphasizes the importance of efficiency levels in assessing a company's potential for profitability, suggesting that higher efficiency correlates with better price performance [1] Efficiency Ratios - Popular efficiency ratios are crucial for measuring a company's efficiency, including Receivables Turnover, Asset Utilization, Inventory Turnover, and Operating Margin [2][3][4][5] - Receivables Turnover indicates a company's ability to collect debts, with a higher ratio being more desirable [2] - Asset Utilization measures how effectively a company converts its assets into sales, with higher values indicating better efficiency [3] - Inventory Turnover assesses a company's ability to manage inventory relative to its cost of goods sold, where a high ratio suggests efficient inventory management [4] - Operating Margin reflects a company's control over operating expenses, with higher margins indicating better efficiency compared to peers [5] Screening Criteria - The screening process includes a favorable Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy) alongside the efficiency ratios to enhance profitability [6] - The criteria narrowed down a universe of over 7,906 stocks to just 14, focusing on those with efficiency ratios above industry averages [7] Selected Stocks - The top three stocks identified for their efficiency ratios are Owlet (OWLT), Interface (TILE), and Equity Bancshares (EQBK) [8][9] - Owlet has an impressive average four-quarter earnings surprise of 87.8%, indicating strong performance [10] - Interface, known for its modular carpets, has a four-quarter earnings surprise of nearly 30.3% [11] - Equity Bancshares, providing financial services, has a four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.4% [12]