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Lightwave LogicLWLG -1.89%28 Operating Margin % is -23,189.66% as of Mar. 2026. GuruFocus rates LWLG with a GF Score™ of 28/100. The stock has 3 warning signs investors should review. Among 1,578 Chemicals companies, Lightwave Logic ranks worse than 99.68% on this metric.
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.
Lightwave Logic Operating Margin % Related Terms
Lightwave Logic Operating Margin % Historical Data
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The historical data trend for Lightwave Logic'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.
LWLG vs SCL, ECVT, ODC: Operating Margin % Comparison
For the Specialty Chemicals subindustry, Lightwave Logic'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.
Lightwave Logic Operating Margin % vs Chemicals Industry
For the Chemicals industry and Basic Materials sector, Lightwave Logic's Operating Margin % distribution charts can be found below:
* The bar in red indicates where Lightwave Logic'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.
Lightwave Logic's Operating Margin % for the fiscal year that ended in Dec. 2025 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.
What does a Operating Margin % of -23,189.66% mean?
Lightwave Logic (LWLG) has a Operating Margin % of -23,189.66% as of Mar. 2026. Operating margin is the ratio of total operating income to net sales. View historical data on Lightwave Logic and its competitors. According to the industry distribution chart, Lightwave Logic ranks #1573 out of 1578 companies in the Chemicals industry, placing it in the top 99.7%.
Is Lightwave Logic's Operating Margin % too high?
Lightwave Logic's current Operating Margin % is -23,189.66%. Based on the distribution chart, Lightwave Logic ranks #1573 out of 1578 companies in the Chemicals industry, which is in the bottom quartile relative to peers. Overall, Lightwave Logic has a GF Score™ of 28/100, reflecting its overall financial health beyond just this single metric.
How does Lightwave Logic's Operating Margin % compare to SCL and ECVT?
According to the Chemicals industry distribution chart, Lightwave Logic ranks #1573 out of 1578 companies for Operating Margin %. This places Lightwave Logic in the lower half of its industry. The industry median Operating Margin % is 6.03. 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 Chemicals company?
The median Operating Margin % among Chemicals companies is 6.03, based on 1,578 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 Lightwave Logic and its competitors. For the Chemicals industry, the median Operating Margin % is 6.03 — values significantly above this may indicate overvaluation, while values below may suggest a bargain or underlying issues. Lightwave Logic's current Operating Margin % is -23,189.66%. However, context matters — high-growth companies often justify higher valuations. Always evaluate alongside other metrics like GF Score™ and GF Value™.
Is Lightwave Logic stock overvalued right now?
Lightwave Logic (LWLG) has a current Operating Margin % of -23,189.66%. The current Operating Margin % is -23,189.66%. Lightwave Logic's overall GF Score™ is 28/100 with 3 warning signs to review. 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 Lightwave Logic (LWLG), the current Operating Margin % is -23,189.66% as of Mar. 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.
Lightwave Logic Inc is a specialty materials and intellectual property company focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary electro-optic (EO) polymer materials designed to enable high-speed optical modulators for data communications and other photonic applications. Its Perkinamine family of EO polymers is designed for integration into silicon photonics (SiPh) and other photonic integrated circuit (PIC) platforms, supporting high-speed optical modulation with lower drive voltage requirements compared with some conventional silicon-based and III-V compound semiconductor approaches. The company operates as a single reportable segment.
28GF Score
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