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The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Small-Cap Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Motley Fool. This strategy looks for small cap growth stocks with solid fundamentals and strong price performance.

GENIE ENERGY LTD (GNE) is a small-cap value stock in the Electric Utilities industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 87% to 93% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Genie Energy Ltd. is a global provider of energy services. The Company operates through two segments: Genie Retail Energy (GRE) and Genie Renewables. GRE segment supplies electricity and natural gas to residential and small business customers through retail energy providers (REPs) operating in certain portions of markets within the United States. The Genie Renewables segment is engaged in four lines of businesses, including Genie Solar Energy (Genie Solar), which is an integrated solar energy company that develops, constructs, and operates solar energy projects for commercial and industrial (C&I) customers as well as its own portfolio; CityCom Solar (CityCom), which is a marketer of community solar energy solutions; Prism Solar Technologies (Prism), which designs, manufactures and supplies specialized solar panels for wholesale distribution, and Diversegy LLC (Diversegy), which provides energy brokerage and advisory services to commercial customers.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of GENIE ENERGY LTD

TOPBUILD CORP (BLD) is a large-cap growth stock in the Construction Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 65% to 72% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: TopBuild Corp. is an installer and distributor of insulation and building material products to the United States construction industry. The Company operates through two segments: the Installation segment and the Specialty Distribution segment. The Installation segment provides insulation installation services nationwide through contractor services business which has approximately 230 branches located across the United States. The Company's insulation applications include Fiberglass batts and rolls, Blown-in loose-fill fiberglass, Polyurethane spray foam and Blown-in loose-fill cellulose. The Specialty Distribution segment distributes building and mechanical insulation, insulation accessories and other building product materials for the residential, commercial, and industrial end markets through approximately 180 branches. In addition to insulation and accessories, the Company distributes rain gutters, fireplaces, closet shelving, and roofing materials, among other items.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of TOPBUILD CORP

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About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.