Validea Motley Fool Strategy Daily Upgrade Report - 10/4/2025

The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Small-Cap Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Motley Fool. This strategy looks for small cap growth stocks with solid fundamentals and strong price performance.

CALIFORNIA BANCORP (BCAL) is a small-cap growth stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 53% to 80% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: California BanCorp is the holding company for California Bank of Commerce, N.A. (the Bank). The Bank offers a range of financial products and services to individuals, professionals, and small to medium-sized businesses through its approximately 14 branch offices and four loan production offices serving Northern and Southern California. Its business financing includes lines of credit, capital equipment, and mergers and acquisitions-ownership transitions. Its commercial real estate and construction includes owner-occupied real estate, investor real estate, equity lines and loans, and construction financing. It provides various services, including lockbox, merchant services, and cash vault. It also provides information reporting and liquidity management, mobile banking, online banking, commercial cards, integrated payables, a cash reconciliation app, and fraud prevention. Its international banking includes import, standby, and export letters of credit.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. PROFIT MARGIN:PASSRELATIVE STRENGTH:FAILCOMPARE SALES AND EPS GROWTH TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR:PASSINSIDER HOLDINGS:PASSCASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS:PASSPROFIT MARGIN CONSISTENCY:FAILR&D AS A PERCENTAGE OF SALES:NEUTRALCASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS:PASSACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE TO SALES:PASS"THE FOOL RATIO" (P/E TO GROWTH):FAILAVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:PASSSALES:PASSDAILY DOLLAR VOLUME:PASSPRICE:PASSINCOME TAX PERCENTAGE:PASS

Detailed Analysis of CALIFORNIA BANCORP

BCAL Guru Analysis

BCAL Fundamental Analysis

UNITED STATES LIME & MINERALS INC (USLM) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Construction - Raw Materials industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 67% to 80% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. conducts its business primarily through its lime and limestone operations. It is a manufacturer of lime and limestone products, supplying primarily the construction (including highway, road, and building contractors), industrial (including paper and glass manufacturers), environmental (including municipal sanitation and water treatment facilities and flue gas treatment processes), metals (including steel producers), roof shingle manufacturers, agriculture (including poultry producers), and oil and gas services industries. It produces limestone from its open-pit quarries and underground mines that it sells as crushed limestone or processes further to produce several higher-value lime and limestone products, including pulverized limestone (PLS), quicklime, hydrated lime, and lime slurry. It operates lime and limestone plants and distribution facilities in Arkansas, Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas through its wholly owned subsidiaries.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. PROFIT MARGIN:PASSRELATIVE STRENGTH:FAILCOMPARE SALES AND EPS GROWTH TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR:FAILINSIDER HOLDINGS:PASSCASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS:PASSPROFIT MARGIN CONSISTENCY:PASSR&D AS A PERCENTAGE OF SALES:NEUTRALCASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS:PASSINVENTORY TO SALES:PASSACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE TO SALES:PASSLONG TERM DEBT/EQUITY RATIO:PASS"THE FOOL RATIO" (P/E TO GROWTH):FAILAVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:PASSSALES:PASSDAILY DOLLAR VOLUME:PASSPRICE:PASSINCOME TAX PERCENTAGE:PASS

Detailed Analysis of UNITED STATES LIME & MINERALS INC

USLM Guru Analysis

USLM Fundamental Analysis

PROVIDENT BANCORP INC (MARYLAND) (PVBC) is a small-cap growth stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 49% to 76% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Provident Bancorp, Inc. is the holding company for BankProv (the Bank). The Bank is a full-service commercial bank. It operates retail branches in the Seacoast Region of Northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and commercial banking offices in the Manchester/Concord market in Central New Hampshire, delivering a combination of traditional banking services and financial solutions to its markets. The Bank's lending activities include commercial real estate loans, multifamily loans, commercial business loans, construction and land development loans, mortgage warehouse loans, and enterprise value loans. It invests in various types of investment securities and liquid assets, including United States Treasury obligations, securities of various government-sponsored enterprises, residential mortgage-backed securities and municipal government bonds, deposits at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston, certificates of deposit of federally insured institutions, and others.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria. PROFIT MARGIN:PASSRELATIVE STRENGTH:FAILCOMPARE SALES AND EPS GROWTH TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR:FAILINSIDER HOLDINGS:PASSCASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONS:PASSPROFIT MARGIN CONSISTENCY:PASSR&D AS A PERCENTAGE OF SALES:NEUTRALCASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS:PASS"THE FOOL RATIO" (P/E TO GROWTH):FAILAVERAGE SHARES OUTSTANDING:PASSSALES:PASSDAILY DOLLAR VOLUME:FAILPRICE:PASSINCOME TAX PERCENTAGE:PASS

Detailed Analysis of PROVIDENT BANCORP INC (MARYLAND)

PVBC Guru Analysis

PVBC Fundamental Analysis

Motley Fool Portfolio

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About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here