The historical rank and industry rank for ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin % or its related term are showing as below:
IWSY's Operating Margin % is not ranked *
in the Software industry.
Industry Median: 3.865 * Ranked among companies with meaningful Operating Margin % only.
ImageWare Systems's 5-Year Average Operating Margin % Growth Rate was 0.00% per year.
ImageWare Systems (OTCPK:IWSY) Operating Margin % Explanation
Just like Gross Margin %, it is important to see a company maintains its operating margin over time. Among the same industry, a company with higher operating margin is more efficient in its operation. It is also more stable during industry slowdown or recessions. Peter Lynch prefers those with higher margins than those with lower margins.
Be Aware
Operating Margin % can be manipulated by adjusting the rate of depreciation, depletion and amortization (DDA).
If a company is facing competition, its Operating Margin % may decline. Often the Operating Margin % declines well before the company's Revenue or even profit decline. Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important indicator of whether the company is facing problems.
For instance, by 2012, Nokia (NOK)'s problems were well known and its stock had lost more than 90% of its market value since 2007. But Nokias Operating Margin % had already been in decline since 2002, although its Earnings per Share (Diluted) were still rising. Investors who paid attention to Operating Margin % would have avoided this huge loss. The same can be said for Research-in-Motion (RIMM).
Therefore, Operating Margin % is a very important screening filter for GuruFocus. GuruFocus's Buffett-Munger screener requires that the profit margin is either consistent or expanding. The Model Portfolio of the Buffett-Munger screener has outperformed the market every year since inception in 2009.
ImageWare Systems Operating Margin % Related Terms
ImageWare Systems Operating Margin % Historical Data
* Premium members only.
The historical data trend for ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin % 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.
IWSY vs MAXD, FDBL, AVYAQ: Operating Margin % Comparison
For the Software - Application subindustry, ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin %, along with its competitors' market caps and Operating Margin % 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.
ImageWare Systems Operating Margin % vs Software Industry
For the Software industry and Technology sector, ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin % falls into.
Operating Margin % - also known as operating income margin, operating profit margin and return on sales (ROS) - is the ratio of Operating Income divided by net sales or Revenue, usually presented in percent.
ImageWare Systems's Operating Margin % for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2021 is calculated as
* 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.
ImageWare Systems (IWSY) has a Operating Margin % of -232.31% as of Mar. 2022. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on ImageWare Systems and its competitors.
Is ImageWare Systems' Operating Margin % too high?
ImageWare Systems' current Operating Margin % is -232.31%. Overall, ImageWare Systems has a GF Score™ of 12/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does ImageWare Systems' Operating Margin % compare to MAXD and FDBL?
ImageWare Systems' Operating Margin % of -232.31% can be compared against companies in the Software industry. The industry median Operating Margin % is 3.87. See the competitive comparison table and distribution chart on this page for a detailed peer-by-peer breakdown.
What is a good Operating Margin % for a Software company?
The median Operating Margin % among Software companies is 3.87, based on 2,820 companies in the industry. Companies in the top quartile (top 25%) have a Operating Margin % significantly above this median, while those in the bottom quartile fall well below. However, Operating Margin % should not be evaluated in isolation — investors should consider it alongside profitability, growth, and financial strength metrics. Use the industry distribution chart on this page to see where any company falls relative to its peers.
What does a high Operating Margin % mean?
A high Operating Margin % can signal that a stock is expensive relative to its fundamentals. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on ImageWare Systems and its competitors. For the Software industry, the median Operating Margin % is 3.87 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. ImageWare Systems's current Operating Margin % is -232.31%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is ImageWare Systems stock overvalued right now?
ImageWare Systems (IWSY) has a current Operating Margin % of -232.31%. The current Operating Margin % is -232.31%. ImageWare Systems' overall GF Score™ is 12/100. Investors should evaluate multiple metrics — including profitability, growth, and financial strength — before making a decision.
How is Operating Margin % calculated?
Operating Margin % is calculated from a company's financial statements. For ImageWare Systems (IWSY), the current Operating Margin % is -232.31% as of Mar. 2022. 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.
ImageWare Systems Inc was founded to innovate imaging. The company built a digital booking platform. ImageWare has evolved as a holder of multimodal biometrics, managing over million identities daily. It is democratizing biometrics by offering defense grade identity and authentication solutions to the masses. By identifying the person, not a device, and never disclosing Personally Identifiable Information (PII), the company is giving populations around the globe access to their important data.
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