The framework has shifted from markup to distribution since the last review. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 6.6% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 35% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 103%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 43%. The street (8 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $100.
Mercury Systems, Inc.
MRCY · Nasdaq · USD · Market cap $4.8B · 2,117 employees
Mercury Systems, Inc., a technology company, manufactures and sells components, products, modules, and subsystems for defense prime contractors, original equipment manufacturers, government, and commercial aerospace companies.
FAIL · Does not pass the screenAt the last full screen
2026-09-10
Screened 2026-09-10 · the tape above runs as of 22:12 UTC · 11 Sep · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
This name holds its distribution label.
Mercury Systems, Inc. holds its Distribution at $80.43. The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 1 days.
| Phase | Distribution · caution |
| Quantitative state | The statistical read favours the buyers, held for 1 days |
| Price at the screen | $80.43 |
| Valuation | N/A trailing · 35.96 forward price to earnings |
| Values screen | FAIL · score 30.0 |
| Beta | 0.98 |
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Prohibited business activity: Aerospace & Defense
| Test | Figure | Limit | What it means | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Excluded | Core business clean | Prohibited business activity: Aerospace & Defense | Fail |
| Debt load | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing debt is of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows. | Fail |
| Interest-bearing cash | Excluded | Below 33% | Interest-bearing cash and securities are of assets, above the one-third limit. | Fail |
| Receivables | Excluded | Below 49% | Money owed to the company is of assets, above the 49% limit. | Fail |
| Revenue purity | Excluded | Below 5% | of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, over the 5% line. | Fail |
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
What the Numbers Say It Is WorthThe Fair Value Range
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-09-10 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. The price runs 8.3% above the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 9 covering, consensus Buy. The average target sits +49% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Our more conservative model reads it as fully-to-richly valued here, while the Street is more bullish: a quality-at-a-fair-price name rather than a deep-value one.
Price History & ProjectionsWhere it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-09-10 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain WordsDefence Electronics Name Fails Both Price and Ethics
Every missile guidance module or radar subassembly that reaches a prime contractor has to come from somewhere, and Mercury Systems sits in that supply chain. We pass on the name anyway. The ethical screen blocks any exposure to aerospace and defence work outright, and the numbers give no reason to argue the point. Revenue is rising 12 percent yet margins sit at minus 1 percent, return on equity is also negative, and the forward multiple is 62 times. Fair value sits at 65 dollars against a 96 dollar price, so the market is already paying a large premium for thin results.
Analyst targets cluster around 106 dollars and the consensus reads buy, yet those calls ignore the ethical line we draw. The business shows no obvious moat and is burning cash rather than compounding it. High multiples on negative profits usually signal hope rather than proof.
Risk centres on further cash burn if defence budgets shift or prime contractors squeeze suppliers harder. Currency and contract timing can swing results quickly in this sector. Analysis, not advice.
| Forward P/E | 36.0xexpensive even after accounting for its growth |
| EPS, trailing | -0.50 |
| EPS, forward | 2.24 |
| Revenue growth | +6.1%slow but positive growth |
| Profit margin | -3.0%currently unprofitable |
| Return on equity | -2.0%not currently earning a positive return on equity |
| FCF yield | 2.21% |
| Debt to equity | 0.34minimal debt: a conservative balance sheet |
| Current ratio | 2.96comfortably covers its short-term bills |
| Beta | 0.98steadier than the market |
| Short interest, float | 0.10% |
| 52-week range | 65.04 - 128.45 |
| Market cap | $4.8B |
| Employees | 2,117 |
The risks · The main risks here are ordinary market swings and the chance our fair-value read proves too optimistic.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to TradeMRCY trades on Nasdaq. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
Every Entry, As Written
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Price has moved down 20.2% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 35% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 103%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 43%. The street (8 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $100.
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: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it A, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 35% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading overbought. Over the past year the shares are up 103%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 43%. The street (8 analysts) rates it buy, with a mean price target of $100.
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: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
The framework reads markup. Price is trending higher with momentum. The crowd has caught on and buyers are in control. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows excellent risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
Screened names in the same industry · explore each on its own page.
| Period | Price then | Price return | Divs per share | $1,000 became | Total return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $91.95 | +16.1% | · | $1,161 | +16.1% |
| 2 months | $79.60 | +34.2% | · | $1,342 | +34.2% |
| 3 months | $81.44 | +31.1% | · | $1,311 | +31.1% |
| 6 months | $76.61 | +39.4% | · | $1,394 | +39.4% |
| 1 year | $52.52 | +103.3% | · | $2,033 | +103.3% |
| 2 years | $30.71 | +247.8% | · | $3,478 | +247.8% |
| 3 years | $42.83 | +149.4% | · | $2,494 | +149.4% |
| 5 years | $66.98 | +59.4% | · | $1,594 | +59.4% |
Historical returns from market close data. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
This entry now belongs to the ledger. Whatever MRCY does next, these words stay.
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