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The following are today's upgrades for Validea's P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.

ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (OSUR) is a small-cap value stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 89% 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: OraSure Technologies, Inc. provides point-of-care and home diagnostic tests, sample management solutions, and microbiome laboratory and analytical services. The Company's product portfolio is divided into diagnostics products and sample management solutions. Its business consists of the development, manufacture, marketing and sale of diagnostic products and specimen collection devices using its technologies, as well as other diagnostic products including immunoassays and other in vitro diagnostic tests that are used on other specimen types. Its diagnostic products include tests for diseases including COVID-19, HIV and Hepatitis C that are performed on a rapid basis at the point of care, and tests for drugs of abuse that are processed in a laboratory. Its business also includes molecular sample management solutions and services that are used by clinical laboratories, direct-to-consumer laboratories, researchers, pharmaceutical companies, and animal health service and product providers.

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 ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

YELP INC (YELP) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Business Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 87% to 91% 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: Yelp Inc. connects consumers with local businesses. The Company's advertising products enable businesses of all sizes reach a large audience, advertise their products and drive conversion of their services. It offers a range of free and paid advertising products to businesses of all sizes, which include CPC Advertising (Yelp Ads) and Multi-location Ad Products. Its business page products include Free Business Account, Upgrade Package, Branded Profile, Enhanced Profile, Verified License, Business Highlights, Portfolio, Yelp Connect, Logo and Nearby Jobs. In addition to its advertising products, it also offers features and consumer-interactive tools to facilitate transactions between consumers and the local businesses they find on Yelp. It offers subscription services, licensing payments for access to Yelp data and other non-advertising, non-transaction arrangements. It sells its advertising products through online, its Website and Yelp for Business app, and indirectly through partners.

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 YELP INC

HOMETRUST BANCSHARES INC (HTBI) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 65% to 74% 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: HomeTrust Bancshares, Inc. is the holding company for HomeTrust Bank (the Bank). The Bank is a state-chartered, community-focused financial institution committed to providing value-added relationship banking with over 30 locations, as well as online/mobile channels. Its principal business consists of attracting deposits from the general public and investing those funds, along with borrowed funds, in commercial real estate loans, construction and development loans, commercial and industrial loans, equipment finance leases, municipal leases, loans secured by first and second mortgages on one-to-four family residences, including home equity loans and other consumer loans. It also originates one-to-four family loans, SBA loans and HELOCs to sell to third parties. It invests in debt securities issued by United States Government agencies and GSEs, municipal bonds, corporate bonds, commercial paper and certificates of deposit insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

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 HOMETRUST BANCSHARES INC

SUNOCO LP (SUN) is a mid-cap value stock in the Oil & Gas Operations industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 72% to 74% 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: Sunoco LP is an energy infrastructure and fuel distribution master limited partnership operating across 47 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Europe, and Mexico. Its Partnership's midstream operations include a network of approximately 9,500 miles of pipeline and over 100 terminals. Its Partnership's fuel distribution operations serve over 10,000 convenience stores, independent dealers, commercial customers, and distributors. The Company's segments include Fuel Distribution and Marketing, and All Other. The Fuel Distribution and Marketing segment distributes motor fuels and other petroleum products. This segment also includes transmix processing plants and refined products terminals. It is an exclusive wholesale supplier of the Sunoco and EcoMaxx-branded motor fuels. It is also a distributor of Chevron, Texaco, ExxonMobil and Valero branded motor fuel in the United States. The All Other segment includes retail operations in Hawaii and New Jersey, credit card services and franchise royalties.

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 SUNOCO LP

CRESCENT CAPITAL BDC INC (CCAP) is a small-cap value stock in the Misc. Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch changed from 74% 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: Crescent Capital BDC, Inc. is a specialty finance company focused on lending to middle-market companies. The Company's investment objective is to maximize the total return to its stockholders in the form of current income and capital appreciation through debt and related equity investments. It invests primarily in secured debt, including first lien, unitranche first lien and second-lien debt, and unsecured debt, including mezzanine and subordinated debt, as well as related equity securities of private United States middle-market companies. It is focused on purchasing interests in loans or make debt investments, either directly from its target companies as primary market or private credit investments (private credit transactions), or primary or secondary market bank loan or high yield transactions in the syndicated market (syndicated loans and bonds). Although its focus is to invest in less liquid private credit transactions. The Company is managed by Crescent Cap Advisors, LLC.

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 CRESCENT CAPITAL BDC INC

About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.

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.