Validea Martin Zweig Strategy Daily Upgrade Report - 10/28/2025

The following are today's upgrades for Validea's Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.

CIVISTA BANCSHARES INC (CIVB) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig changed from 82% to 89% 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: Civista Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company, through its subsidiary, Civista Bank, is engaged in providing full-service banking, commercial lending, mortgage and wealth management services. Civista Bank, through its locations in Ohio counties of Erie, Crawford, Champaign, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Huron, Logan, Madison, Montgomery, Ottawa, Richland, Henry, Wood and Summit, in the Indiana counties of Dearborn and Ripley and in the Kentucky county of Kenton, conducts a general banking business that involves collecting customer deposits, making loans, purchasing securities, and offering Trust services. It is also engaged in a general equipment leasing and financing business through its Civista Leasing & Financing (CLF) division. Civista Wealth Management division offers investment advisory services to individuals, families, businesses, and non-profits with personalized investment management, 401(k) advisory services for employers, financial planning, and trust services.

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. P/E RATIO:PASSREVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH:PASSSALES GROWTH RATE:PASSCURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS:PASSQUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO:PASSPOSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER:PASSEARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS:PASSEPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS:PASSEPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE:PASSEARNINGS PERSISTENCE:FAILLONG-TERM EPS GROWTH:FAILINSIDER TRANSACTIONS:PASS

Detailed Analysis of CIVISTA BANCSHARES INC

CIVB Guru Analysis

CIVB Fundamental Analysis

PONCE FINANCIAL GROUP INC (PDLB) is a small-cap growth stock in the Regional Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig changed from 69% to 85% 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: Ponce Financial Group, Inc. is the holding company of Ponce Bank (the Bank), a federally chartered stock savings association. It operates through an administrative office and approximately 13 full-service banking offices and five mortgage loan offices. The Bank's business primarily consists of taking deposits from the general public and investing those deposits, together with funds generated from operations and borrowings, in mortgage loans, consisting of one-to-four family residential (both investor-owned and owner-occupied), multifamily residential, nonresidential properties and construction and land, and, to a lesser extent, in business and consumer loans. It also invests in securities, corporate securities, mortgage-backed securities, and Federal Home Loan Bank of New York stock. The Bank offers a variety of deposit accounts, including demand, savings, money markets and certificates of deposit accounts. Its primary market area consists of the New York City metropolitan area.

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. P/E RATIO:PASSREVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH:PASSSALES GROWTH RATE:PASSCURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS:PASSQUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO:PASSPOSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER:PASSEARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS:PASSEPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS:PASSEPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE:PASSEARNINGS PERSISTENCE:FAILLONG-TERM EPS GROWTH:FAILINSIDER TRANSACTIONS:PASS

Detailed Analysis of PONCE FINANCIAL GROUP INC

PDLB Guru Analysis

PDLB Fundamental Analysis

Martin Zweig Portfolio

About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.

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