HIO (Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd) Piotroski F-Score: 3 (As of Jun. 25, 2026) — 40% Below Median


HIO Western Asset High Income Oppor Fd Inc HIO
57 GF Score
Price $3.60
GF Value $3.73
Valuation Fairly Valued
! 7 Warning Signs
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What is Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Piotroski F-Score?

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd HIO 57 Piotroski F-Score is 3 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 40% below its 10-year median of 5.00. GuruFocus rates HIO with a GF Score™ of 57/100 and a GF Value™ of $3.73 (Fairly Valued). The stock has 7 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,601 Asset Management companies, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd ranks worse than 78.08% on this metric.

Warning Sign:

Piotroski F-Score of 3 is low, which usually implies poor business operation.

The zones of discrimination were as such:

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd has an F-score of 3. It is a bad or low score, which usually implies poor business operation.

The historical rank and industry rank for Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:

HIO' s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3   Med: 5   Max: 7
Current: 3

During the past 9 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd was 7. The lowest was 3. And the median was 5.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd  (NYSE:HIO) Piotroski F-Score Explanation

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.

In 2000, he wrote a research paper called "Value Investing: The Use of Historical Financial Statement Information to Separate Winners from Losers" (pdf).

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.


Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Piotroski F-Score Related Terms


Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Piotroski F-Score Historical Data

* Premium members only.

The historical data trend for Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd'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.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Piotroski F-Score Chart

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Annual Data
Trend Sep17 Sep18 Sep19 Sep20 Sep21 Sep22 Sep23 Sep24 Sep25
Piotroski F-Score
Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only 7.00 4.00 6.00 6.00 3.00

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Semi-Annual Data
Sep17 Mar18 Sep18 Mar19 Sep19 Mar20 Sep20 Mar21 Sep21 Mar22 Sep22 Mar23 Sep23 Mar24 Sep24 Mar25 Sep25 Mar26
Piotroski F-Score Get a 7-Day Free Trial Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only Premium Member Only 0.00 6.00 0.00 3.00 0.00

HIO vs EMF, MIY, HPF: Piotroski F-Score Comparison

For the Asset Management subindustry, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd'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.


Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Piotroski F-Score vs Asset Management Industry

For the Asset Management industry and Financial Services sector, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score falls into.


HIO
57GF Score
Western Asset High Income Oppor Fd Inc HIO
Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Score™, valuation, warning signs, and more.
View Full Analysis

How is the Piotroski F-Score calculated?

* 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.

This Year (Sep25) TTM:Last Year (Sep24) TTM:
Net Income was $26.16 Mil.
Cash Flow from Operations was $0.00 Mil.
Revenue was $26.66 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of this year (Sep24)
to the end of this year (Sep25) was (406.492 + 401.363) / 2 = $403.9275 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of this year (Sep24) was $406.49 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $0.00 Mil.
Total Assets was $401.36 Mil.
Total Liabilities was $13.37 Mil.
Net Income was $48.05 Mil.

Revenue was $48.61 Mil.
Average Total Assets from the begining of last year (Sep23)
to the end of last year (Sep24) was (401.873 + 406.492) / 2 = $404.1825 Mil.
Total Assets at the begining of last year (Sep23) was $401.87 Mil.
Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation was $0.00 Mil.
Total Assets was $406.49 Mil.
Total Liabilities was $4.14 Mil.

*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.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Net Income (TTM) was 26.16. ==> Positive ==> Score 1.

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.

Score 1 if positive, 0 if negative.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 0.00. ==> Negative ==> Score 0.

Question 3. Change in Return on Assets

Compare this year's return on assets (1) to last year's return on assets.

Score 1 if it's higher, 0 if it's lower.

ROA (This Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Sep24)
=26.162/406.492
=0.06436043

ROA (Last Year)=Net Income/Total Assets (Sep23)
=48.048/401.873
=0.11956016

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's return on assets of this year was 0.06436043. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's return on assets of last year was 0.11956016. ==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.

Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)

Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)

Score 1 if CFROA > ROA, 0 if CFROA <= ROA.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Net Income (TTM) was 26.16. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Cash Flow from Operations (TTM) was 0.00. ==> 0.00 <= 26.16 ==> CFROA <= ROA ==> Score 0.

Funding

Question 5. Change in Gearing or Leverage

Compare this year's gearing (long-term debt divided by average total assets) to last year's gearing.

Score 0 if this year's gearing is higher, 1 otherwise.

Gearing (This Year: Sep25)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Sep24 to Sep25
=0/403.9275
=0

Gearing (Last Year: Sep24)=Long-Term Debt & Capital Lease Obligation/Average Total Assets from Sep23 to Sep24
=0/404.1825
=0

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's gearing of this year was 0. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's gearing of last year was 0. ==> 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

* Note that for banks and insurance companies, there's no Total Current Assets and Total Current Liabilities reported. Thus, we use Total Assets and Total Liabilities to calculate current ratio for banks and insurance companies.

Current Ratio (This Year: Sep25)=Total Assets/Total Liabilities
=401.363/13.365
=30.03090161

Current Ratio (Last Year: Sep24)=Total Assets/Total Liabilities
=406.492/4.144
=98.09169884

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current ratio of this year was 30.03090161. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current ratio of last year was 98.09169884. ==> Last year's current ratio is higher ==> Score 0.

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.

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's number of shares in issue this year was 93.436. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's number of shares in issue last year was 94.212. ==> There is smaller number of shares in issue this year, or the same. ==> Score 1.

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.

* Note that for banks and insurance companies, there's no Gross Profit reported. Thus, we use net income instead of gross profit and calculate Net Margin for this score.

Net Margin (This Year: TTM)=Net Income/Revenue
=26.162/26.662
=0.98124672

Net Margin (Last Year: TTM)=Net Income/Revenue
=48.048/48.61
=0.98843859

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's net margin of this year was 0.98124672. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's net margin of last year was 0.98843859. ==> Last year's net margin is higher ==> Score 0.

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

Asset Turnover (This Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of This Year (Sep24)
=26.662/406.492
=0.06559047

Asset Turnover (Last Year)=Revenue/Total Assets at the Beginning of Last Year (Sep23)
=48.61/401.873
=0.12095861

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's asset turnover of this year was 0.06559047. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's asset turnover of last year was 0.12095861. ==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.

Evaluation

Piotroski F-Score= Que. 1+ Que. 2+ Que. 3+Que. 4+Que. 5+Que. 6+Que. 7+Que. 8+Que. 9
=1+0+0+0+1+0+1+0+0
=3

Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3

Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd has an F-score of 3. It is a bad or low score, which usually implies poor business operation.

Frequently Asked Questions Learn more about Piotroski F-Score →
What does a Piotroski F-Score of 3 mean?
Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd (HIO) has a Piotroski F-Score of 3 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd and its competitors. This is 40% below median its historical median of 5.00. Over the past decade, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd ranks #1250 out of 1601 companies in the Asset Management industry, placing it in the top 78.1%.
Is Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is 40% below median its 10-year median of 5.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 7.00. The Asset Management industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's value of 3 is 40% below this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd ranks #1250 out of 1601 companies in the Asset Management industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd has a GF Score™ of 57/100 and is considered Fairly Valued, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's Piotroski F-Score compare to EMF and MIY?
According to the Asset Management industry distribution chart, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd ranks #1250 out of 1601 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This places Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's value of 3 is 40% below this benchmark. Historically, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 7.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 5.00 vs. the industry median of 5.00, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd has consistently been below 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 an Asset Management company?
The median Piotroski F-Score among Asset Management companies is 5.00, based on 1,601 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. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is 40% below 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 Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd and its competitors. For the Asset Management industry, the median Piotroski F-Score is 5.00 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is 40% below median its own 10-year median of 5.00. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd (HIO) is currently considered Fairly Valued. The stock's GF Value™ is $3.73, compared to a current price of $3.60 — trading 3.5% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is 40% below median its 10-year median of 5.00 and 40% below the Asset Management industry median of 5.00. Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd's overall GF Score™ is 57/100 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 Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd (HIO), the current Piotroski F-Score is 3 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 Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd (HIO) Overvalued in 2026?

Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd stock appears to be undervalued. The current stock price of $3.60 is trading 3.5% below its estimated GF Value™ of $3.73. GuruFocus considers Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd to be Fairly Valued.

Key valuation signals for HIO:

  • Piotroski F-Score: 3 (40% below median its 10-year median of 5.00)
  • GF Value™: $3.73 vs. price of $3.60 (3.5% below fair value)
  • GF Score™: 57/100 with 7 warning signs
  • Industry Position: 40% below the Asset Management median (#1250 of 1601)

No single metric tells the full story. See the HIO stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.


Western Asset Highome Oppor Fd Business Description

Address One Madison Avenue, 17th Floor, New York, NY, USA, 10010
Western Asset High Income Oppor Fd Inc is a diversified closed-end management investment company. The company's primary objective is to seek high current income and the secondary objective is capital appreciation. It invests a majority of its net assets in high-yield corporate debt securities and the rest in common stock equivalents, including options, warrants, and rights. The company invests in securities of companies from various sectors such as energy, technology, utilities, industrials, communications, finance, and capital goods among others.
57GF Score

Get the complete analysis for HIO

Piotroski F-Score is just one metric. See GF Value™, 30-year financials, guru trades, warning signs, and more.

$3.60
Price
$3.73
GF Value