Zai LabZLAB +0.76%64 Piotroski F-Score is 3 as of Jun. 26, 2026, which is at its 10-year median of 3.00. GuruFocus rates ZLAB with a GF Score™ of 64/100 and a GF Value™ of $30.30 (Possible Value Trap). The stock has 8 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,342 Biotechnology companies, Zai Lab ranks better than 54.99% 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
Zai Lab 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 Zai Lab's Piotroski F-Score or its related term are showing as below:
ZLAB'
s Piotroski F-Score Range Over the Past 10 Years
Min: 3 Med: 3 Max: 5
Current: 3
During the past 11 years, the highest Piotroski F-Score of Zai Lab was 5. The lowest was 3. And the median was 3.
Zai Lab (NAS:ZLAB) 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.
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.
Zai Lab Piotroski F-Score Related Terms
Zai Lab Piotroski F-Score Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Zai Lab'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.
ZLAB vs TYRA, TRVI, OCUL: Piotroski F-Score Comparison
For the Biotechnology subindustry, Zai Lab'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.
Zai Lab Piotroski F-Score vs Biotechnology Industry
For the Biotechnology industry and Healthcare sector, Zai Lab's Piotroski F-Score distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Zai Lab'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.
Zai Lab's current Net Income (TTM) was -178.1.
==> 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.
Zai Lab's return on assets of this year was -0.15180299. Zai Lab's return on assets of last year was -0.25501878.
==> This year is higher. ==> Score 1.
Question 4. Quality of Earnings (Accrual)
Compare Cash flow return on assets (2) to return on assets (1)
Zai Lab's gearing of this year was 0.01050136. Zai Lab's gearing of last year was 0.0115775.
==> 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
Zai Lab's current ratio of this year was 2.40400069. Zai Lab's current ratio of last year was 3.25780236.
==> 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.
Zai Lab's number of shares in issue this year was 110.739. Zai Lab's number of shares in issue last year was 108.083.
==> 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.
Zai Lab's gross margin of this year was 0.57913652. Zai Lab's gross margin of last year was 0.63452427.
==> 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
Zai Lab's asset turnover of this year was 0.38631928. Zai Lab's asset turnover of last year was 0.42321969.
==> 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
Zai Lab has an F-score of 3. It is a bad or low score, which usually implies poor business operation.
Zai Lab (ZLAB) has a Piotroski F-Score of 3 as of Jun. 26, 2026. The Piotroski F-score grades a company's business operating strength from 0-9. View historical data on Zai Lab and its competitors. This is near median its historical median of 3.00. Over the past decade, Zai Lab's Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 5.00. According to the industry distribution chart, Zai Lab ranks #604 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, placing it in the top 45%.
Is Zai Lab's Piotroski F-Score too high?
Zai Lab's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is near median its 10-year median of 3.00. Over the past 10 years, this metric has ranged from a low of 3.00 to a high of 5.00. The Biotechnology industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. Zai Lab's value of 3 is 0% at this industry median. Based on the distribution chart, Zai Lab ranks #604 out of 1342 companies in the Biotechnology industry, which is above the industry midpoint. Overall, Zai Lab has a GF Score™ of 64/100 and is considered Possible Value Trap, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Zai Lab's Piotroski F-Score compare to TYRA and TRVI?
According to the Biotechnology industry distribution chart, Zai Lab ranks #604 out of 1342 companies for Piotroski F-Score. This puts Zai Lab in the upper half of its industry. The industry median Piotroski F-Score is 3.00. Zai Lab's value of 3 is 0% at this benchmark. Historically, Zai Lab's own Piotroski F-Score has ranged from 3.00 to 5.00 over the past decade. While the company's 10-year median is 3.00 vs. the industry median of 3.00, Zai Lab has consistently been at 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. Zai Lab's current Piotroski F-Score of 3 is 0% at 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 Zai Lab 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. Zai Lab's current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is near 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 Zai Lab stock overvalued right now?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Zai Lab (ZLAB) is currently considered Possible Value Trap. The stock's GF Value™ is $30.30, compared to a current price of $18.52 — trading 38.9% below its estimated fair value. The current Piotroski F-Score is 3, which is near median its 10-year median of 3.00 and 0% at the Biotechnology industry median of 3.00. Zai Lab's overall GF Score™ is 64/100 with 8 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 Zai Lab (ZLAB), the current Piotroski F-Score is 3 as of Jun. 26, 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 Zai Lab (ZLAB) Overvalued in 2026?
Based on GuruFocus' analysis, Zai Lab stock appears to be undervalued.
The current stock price of $18.52 is trading 38.9% below its estimated GF Value™ of $30.30.
GuruFocus considers Zai Lab to be Possible Value Trap.
Key valuation signals for ZLAB:
Piotroski F-Score: 3 (near median its 10-year median of 3.00)
GF Value™: $30.30 vs. price of $18.52 (38.9% below fair value)
Industry Position: 0% at the Biotechnology median (#604 of 1342)
No single metric tells the full story. See the ZLAB stock analysis page for a complete view including 30-year financials, guru trades, and insider activity.
Zai Lab Ltd is a biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering or licensing, developing, and commercializing proprietary therapeutics that address areas of unmet medical need including in the fields of oncology, autoimmune and infectious diseases. Zai Lab has a diverse pipeline of potentially first-in-class product candidates developed through in-house R&D and global partnerships. The company has successfully commercialized several products in China, including Zejula, Optune, Qinlock, and Nuzyra, with plans for further expansion The pipeline of proprietary drug candidates of the company includes ZL-1222, ZL-1311, ZL-6201 and many others.
64GF Score
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