Heron TherapeuticsHRTX +4.04%49 Piotroski F-Score is 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026, which is 33% above its 10-year median of 3.00. GuruFocus rates HRTX with a GF Score™ of 49/100 and a GF Value™ of $1.53 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 4 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,341 Biotechnology companies, Heron Therapeutics ranks better than 74.2% 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
Heron Therapeutics has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
The historical rank and industry rank for Heron Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
HRTX'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 1 Med: 3 Max: 5
Current: 4
During the past 13 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Heron Therapeutics 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.
Heron Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Heron Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for Heron Therapeutics'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.
HRTX vs PLYX, ORMP, SPRO: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Biotechnology subindustry, Heron Therapeutics'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.
Heron Therapeutics Piotroski F-Score vs Biotechnology Industry
For the Biotechnology industry and Healthcare sector, Heron Therapeutics's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Heron Therapeutics'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.
Heron Therapeutics's current Net Income (TTM) was -30.9.
==> 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.
Heron Therapeutics's return on assets of this year was -0.13124385. Heron Therapeutics's return on assets of last year was -0.03572953.
==> Last year is higher ==> Score 0.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Heron Therapeutics's gearing of this year was 0.58099821. Heron Therapeutics's gearing of last year was 0.7771438.
==> 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
Heron Therapeutics's current ratio of this year was 2.52976269. Heron Therapeutics's current ratio of last year was 2.40343508.
==> 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.
Heron Therapeutics's number of shares in issue this year was 189.646. Heron Therapeutics's number of shares in issue last year was 196.921.
==> 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.
Heron Therapeutics's gross margin of this year was 0.71118425. Heron Therapeutics's gross margin of last year was 0.73968812.
==> Last year's gross 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
Heron Therapeutics's asset turnover of this year was 0.63928196. Heron Therapeutics's asset turnover of last year was 0.68162855.
==> Last year's asset turnover is higher ==> Score 0.
Evaluation
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Good or high score = 7, 8, 9
Bad or low score = 0, 1, 2, 3
Heron Therapeutics has an F-score of 4 indicating the company's financial situation is typical for a stable company.
Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) has a Piotroski F-Score of 4 as of Jun. 25, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Heron Therapeutics and its competitors. This is 33% above median its historical median of 3.00. Over the past decade, Heron Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 1.00 to 5.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Heron Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1341 companies in the Biotechnology industry, placing it in the top 25.8%.
Is Heron Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score too high?
Heron Therapeutics' current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 33% 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. Heron Therapeutics' value of 4 is 33.3% above this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Heron Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1341 companies in the Biotechnology industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Heron Therapeutics has a GF Score™ of 49/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Heron Therapeutics' Piotroski F-Score compare to PLYX and ORMP?
According to the Biotechnology industry distribution chart, Heron Therapeutics ranks #346 out of 1341 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts Heron Therapeutics in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. Heron Therapeutics' value of 4 is 33.3% above this benchmark. Historically, Heron Therapeutics' 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, Heron Therapeutics 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 1,341 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. Heron Therapeutics's current Piotroski F-Score of 4 is 33.3% 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 Heron Therapeutics 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. Heron Therapeutics's current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% 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 Heron Therapeutics stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $1.53, compared to a current price of $0.43 — trading 71.7% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 4, which is 33% above median its 10-year median of 3.00 and 33.3% above the Biotechnology industry median of 3.00. Heron Therapeutics' overall GF Score™ is 49/100 with 4 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 Heron Therapeutics (HRTX), the current Piotroski F-Score is 4 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 Heron Therapeutics (HRTX) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Heron Therapeutics stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $0.43 is trading 71.7% below its estimated GF Value™ of $1.53.
GuruFocus considers Heron Therapeutics to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for HRTX:
Piotroski F-Score: 4 (33% above median its 10-year median of 3.00)
GF Value™: $1.53 vs. price of $0.43 (71.7% below fair value)
Industry Position: 33.3% above the Biotechnology median (#346 of 1341)
No single metric tells the full story. See the HRTX stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Heron Therapeutics Inc is a commercial-stage biotechnology company. The company is focused on improving the lives of patients by developing treatments and commercializing therapeutic solutions to address some of the unmet patient needs. The company's product portfolio consists of APONVIE, SUSTOL, ZYNRELEF, and CINVANTI.
49GF Score
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