HCW BiologicsHCWB +1.82%39 Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 67% above its 10-year median of 3.00. GuruFocus rates HCWB with a GF Score™ of 39/100 and a GF Value™ of $7.29 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,342 Biotechnology companies, HCW Biologics ranks better than 85.1% on this metric.
The zones of discrimination were as such:
Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
HCW Biologics has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for HCW Biologics's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
HCWB'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1 Med: 3 Max: 5
Current: 5
During the past 7 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of HCW Biologics was 5. The lowest was 1. And the median was 3.
The developer of the system is Joseph D. Piotroski is relatively unknown accounting professor who shuns publicity and rarely gives interviews.
He graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.S. in accounting in 1989, received an M.B.A. from Indiana University in 1994. Five years later, in 1999, after earning a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Michigan, he became an associate professor of accounting at the University of Chicago.
He wanted to see if he can develop a system (using a simple nine-point scoring system) that can increase the returns of a strategy of investing in low price to book (referred to in the paper as high book to market) value companies.
What he found was something that exceeded his most optimistic expectations.
Buying only those companies that scored highest (8 or 9) on his nine-point scale, or F-Score as he called it, over the 20 year period from 1976 to 1996 led to an average out-performance over the market of 13.4%.
Even more impressive were the results of a strategy of investing in the highest F-Score companies (8 or 9) and shorting companies with the lowest F-Score (0 or 1).
Over the same period from 1976 to 1996 (20 years) this strategy led to an average yearly return of 23%, substantially outperforming the average S&P 500 index return of 15.83% over the same period.
HCW Biologics Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
HCW Biologics Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for HCW Biologics's Piotroski F-Score can be seen below:
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
HCWB vs MTVA, INTI, HOOK: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Biotechnology subindustry, HCW Biologics's Piotroski F-Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Piotroski F-Score data, can be viewed below:
* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.
HCW Biologics Piotroski F-Score vs Biotechnology Industry
For the Biotechnology industry and Healthcare sector, HCW Biologics's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where HCW Biologics's Piotroski F-Score falls into.
* For Operating Data section: All numbers are indicated by the unit behind each term and all currency related amount are in USD. * For other sections: All numbers are in millions except for per share data, ratio, and percentage. All currency related amount are indicated in the company's associated stock exchange currency.
*Note: If the latest quarterly/semi-annual/annual total assets data is 0, then we will use previous quarterly/semi-annual/annual data for all the items in the balance sheet.
Profitability
Question 1. Return on Assets (ROA)
Net income before extraordinary items for the year divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.
HCW Biologics's current Net Income (TTM) was -2.29.
==> Negative ==> Score 0.
Question 2. Cash Flow Return on Assets (CFROA)
Net cash flow from operating activities (operating cash flow) divided by Total Assets at the beginning of the year.
HCW Biologics's return on assets of this year was -0.08715998. HCW Biologics's return on assets of last year was -0.81346129.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
HCW Biologics's gearing of this year was 0. HCW Biologics's gearing of last year was 0.27453929.
==> This year is lower or equal to last year. ==> Score 1.
Question 6. Change in Working Capital (Liquidity)
Compare this year's current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) to last year's current ratio.
Score 1 if this year's current ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
HCW Biologics's current ratio of this year was 0.08622676. HCW Biologics's current ratio of last year was 0.06981799.
==> This year's current ratio is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 7. Change in Shares in Issue
Compare the number of shares in issue this year, to the number in issue last year.
Score 0 if there is larger number of shares in issue this year, 1 otherwise.
HCW Biologics's number of shares in issue this year was 5.426. HCW Biologics's number of shares in issue last year was 1.117.
==> There is larger number of shares in issue this year. ==> Score 0.
Efficiency
Question 8. Change in Gross Margin
Compare this year's gross margin (Gross Profit divided by sales) to last year's.
Score 1 if this year's gross margin is higher, 0 if it's lower.
HCW Biologics's gross margin of this year was 0.99211285. HCW Biologics's gross margin of last year was 0.23875433.
==> This year's gross margin is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 9. Change in asset turnover
Compare this year's asset turnover (total sales for the year divided by total assets at the beginning of the year) to last year's asset turnover ratio.
Score 1 if this year's asset turnover ratio is higher, 0 if it's lower
HCW Biologics's asset turnover of this year was 0.25082747. HCW Biologics's asset turnover of last year was 0.04748915.
==> This year's asset turnover is higher. ==> Score 1.
Evaluation
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
HCW Biologics has an F-score of 5 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
HCW Biologics (HCWB) has a Piotroski F-Score of 5 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on HCW Biologics and its competitors. This is 67% above median its historical median of 3.00. Over the past decade, HCW Biologics' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 5.00. According to the industry distribution chart, HCW Biologics ranks #200 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, placing it in the top 14.9%.
Is HCW Biologics' Piotroski F-Score too high?
HCW Biologics' current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is 67% above median its 10-year median of 3.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 1.00 to a high of 5.00. The Biotechnology industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. HCW Biologics' value of 5 is 66.7% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, HCW Biologics ranks #200 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, which is in the top quartile — a strong position relative to peers. Overall, HCW Biologics has a GF Score™ of 39/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does HCW Biologics' Piotroski F-Score compare to MTVA and INTI?
According to the Biotechnology industry distribution chart, HCW Biologics ranks #200 out of 1342 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places HCW Biologics in the top 15% of its industry — outperforming the majority of peers. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. HCW Biologics' value of 5 is 66.7% above this benchmark. Historically, HCW Biologics' own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 5.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.00 vs. the industry median of 3.00, HCW Biologics has consistently been above the industry average. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Piotroski F-Score for a Biotechnology company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Biotechnology companies is 3.00, based on 1,342 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Piotroski F-Score significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Piotroski F-Score should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. HCW Biologics's current Piotroski F-Score of 5 is 66.7% above the industry median. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Piotroski F-Score mean?
A high Piotroski F-Score can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on HCW Biologics and its competitors. For the Biotechnology industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. HCW Biologics's current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is 67% above median its own 10-year median of 3.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is HCW Biologics stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, HCW Biologics (HCWB) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $7.29, compared to a current price of $1.12 — trading 84.6% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 5, which is 67% above median its 10-year median of 3.00 and 66.7% above the Biotechnology industry median of 3.00. HCW Biologics' overall GF Score™ is 39/100 with 7 warning signs to review. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Piotroski F-Score calculated?
Piotroski F-Score is calculated from a company's financial statements. For HCW Biologics (HCWB), the current Piotroski F-Score is 5 as of Jun. 25, 2026. GuruFocus calculates this using data sourced from SEC filings and annual reports. See the calculation section and 30-year financial data on this page for the full breakdown.
Is HCW Biologics (HCWB) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, HCW Biologics stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $1.12 is trading 84.6% below its estimated GF Value™ of $7.29.
GuruFocus considers HCW Biologics to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for HCWB:
Piotroski F-Score: 5 (67% above median its 10-year median of 3.00)
GF Value™: $7.29 vs. price of $1.12 (84.6% below fair value)
Industry Position: 66.7% above the Biotechnology median (#200 of 1342)
No single metric tells the full story. See the HCWB stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
HCW Biologics Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing transformative fusion immunotherapeutics to support or treat diseases promoted by chronic inflammation. It has created novel compounds that represent a new class of drugs that it believes has the potential to fundamentally change the treatment of autoimmune disorders and other proinflammatory diseases, cancer and senescence-associated dysplasia. The company has developed two proprietary drug discovery and development platforms which it uses to create novel fusion immunotherapeutics: The TOBI (Tissue factOr-Based fusIon) platform, and The T-cell Receptor Beta Chain constant region (TRBC) platform. It operates and manages its business as one reportable segment.
39GF Score
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