Framework Journal · one stock, one dated entry

Recorded 2026-07-19 · Permanent

Data I/O Corporation DAIO

Clears both ethical standards

An entry written while the outcome is still unknown. It will be scored by what the market does next, and it will never be edited to look cleverer than it was.

In plain words · Data I/O Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of programming and security deployment systems and services for electronic device manufacturers in the United States, Ger…

The label
Markup

read at $3.35

Data I/O Corporation holds its Markup at $3.35.

PHINPOOPSC
  • PHPhase · the trend structure carries the Markup label
  • INInsiders · no filings inside 60 days, left as found
  • POPositioning · no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
  • OPOptions · no verdict drawn today, left as found
  • SCScreen · passes the values gate
  • edge confirmed
  • edge broken
  • edge forming

Each arm is one independent read. Conviction is not a single call, it is how many edges converge.

The investor read · the season, not the day

As held on the ledger · 2026-07-19
PhaseMarkup
Quantitative stateThe statistical read favours the buyers, held for 189 days
Price$3.35
ValuationN/A trailing · 22.33 forward price to earnings
Values screenPASS · score 86.1
Beta1.26

The opportunity · what the numbers say it is worth

Our framework reads AVOID — it trades at roughly a 2% discount to our $3.42 fair value, weak competitive moat.

Read at
$3.35
N/A P/E · 22.33 fwd
Our fair value
$3.42
2% discount
Analyst target (avg)
$5.50
+64% to current

Price history & projections · where it has been, where the models see it going

$7.0$4.5$2.0TODAY5y agoPROJECTIONAnalyst avg$5.50 +48%Analyst high$5.50 +48%Conservative$3.42 -8%Our fair value$3.42 -8%

The valuation journey · where the price sits against fair value and the Street

Current
$3.35
you are here
Conservative
$3.42
+2%
Analyst avg
$5.50
+64%
Our fair value
$3.42
+2%
Analyst high
$5.50
+64%

Green marks levels above today's price, red below; the shaded band is the gap between the price and our fair value.

Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as roughly fairly valued here, while the Street is more bullish — a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.

Revenue growth-47.40%
Profit margin-43.20%
Debt to equity18.48
Analyst consensusNone · 1 covering

Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; target range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.

The values screen, explained · five checks, plain English

This company clears both standards. There are two widely recognised ways to check whether a company is suitable for a Muslim investor. Here is how it did on each:

The common standard · AAOIFI
Used by most halal investing apps
✓ PASSES
Our stricter standard · asset-based
The one Titan applies
✓ PASSES

What these two standards are, and how they differ →

  • Business activity Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines — no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending. Pass
  • Debt load Interest-bearing debt is just 7.7% of its assets, well under the one-third ceiling — it does not run on borrowed money. Pass
  • Interest-bearing cash Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 28.9% of assets, under the one-third limit. Pass
  • Receivables Money owed to the company is 0.0% of assets, under the 49% limit. Pass
  • Revenue purity Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources — under the 5% line. Pass

Every security is read against two recognised standards: our stricter asset-based screen (ratios measured against total assets) and the more widely used market-value standard (measured against market capitalisation). Where they agree we say so plainly; where they part ways — almost always on the debt check — we show both readings and mark it, because that disagreement is the finding, not a fault. We report the score; you and your scholar make the call.

The business, in plain words · what the numbers mean

Why it gives us pause

At 22.3x forward earnings, the price already runs ahead of the business. Our fair value sits at $3.42, below where it trades today. The weak moat is real, but quality alone does not make an expensive price cheap.

The fundamentals · plain-English read
Forward P/E22.3x
a premium valuation
Revenue growth-47.4%
revenue is shrinking
Profit margin-43.2%
currently unprofitable
Return on equity-57.3%
not currently earning a positive return on equity
Debt to equity0.18
minimal debt — a conservative balance sheet
Current ratio2.64
comfortably covers its short-term bills
Beta1.26
moves a little more than the market
Market cap$34M
Employees90

The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market.

Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.

Related securities · others in DAIO's space worth a look

Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.

Where & how to trade · wherever in the world you are

DAIO trades on Nasdaq. As a US-listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering US markets. New to this, or investing from outside the US? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.

The trader read · the latest dated commentary

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 6.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 33%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $5. Entered 2026-07-26 · Markup

The dated journal · newest first, never edited

2026-07-26 Markup $3.35 -6.9% Entry 4

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 6.9% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 33%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $5.

2026-07-18 Markup $3.60 +0.0% Entry 3

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it B, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is sitting below its long-term trend line with momentum reading bullish. Over the past year the shares are up 33%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 25%. The street (1 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $5.

2026-07-03 Markup $3.60 +0.0% Entry 2

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

2026-07-02 Markup $3.60 Entry 1

The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: PASS with strong ethical credentials. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.

Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.

The insider ledger · Form 4 filings, as filed

Most recent filings · DAIO
DateInsiderTitleTypeSharesValue
2025-12-03 WASZAK STEVEN M Director 7,950 $22,192
2025-12-03 WENTWORTH WILLIAM O President 1,100 $3,080
2025-12-02 WENTWORTH WILLIAM O President 7,455 $20,755
2025-05-15 SMITH EDWARD JOHN Director 20,300 $50,344
2025-05-15 WASHLOW SALLY A Director 20,300 $50,344
2025-05-15 BROWN DOUGLAS WELLS Director 20,300 $50,344
2025-05-15 LARSON GARRETT RILEY Director 20,300 $50,344
2025-05-07 SMITH EDWARD JOHN Director 5,000 $12,300
2025-05-06 WENTWORTH WILLIAM O President 10,332 $24,998
2025-05-02 WENTWORTH WILLIAM O President 10,585 $24,981

Public filings, recorded as found. The full tape lives at Insider Intelligence.

What holding actually paid · price plus dividends

If $1,000 had been placed · historical, not a promise
PeriodPrice thenPrice returnDivs per share$1,000 becameTotal return
1 month $2.91 +28.1% · $1,281 +28.1%
2 months $2.36 +58.0% · $1,580 +58.0%
3 months $2.68 +39.1% · $1,391 +39.1%
6 months $3.20 +16.5% · $1,165 +16.5%
1 year $2.80 +33.2% · $1,332 +33.2%
2 years $2.78 +34.1% · $1,341 +34.1%
3 years $4.27 -12.7% · $873 -12.7%
5 years $6.66 -44.0% · $560 -44.0%

Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever DAIO does next, these words stay.

Data I/O Corporation · DAIO · Markup · $3.35
Recorded 2026-07-19 · before the outcome · scored mechanically

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