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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.

SAFE BULKERS INC (SB) is a small-cap value stock in the Water Transportation industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 59% to 72% 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: Safe Bulkers, Inc. is a holding company. The Company's principal business is the acquisition, ownership and operation of drybulk vessels. The Company's vessels operate across the world, carrying drybulk cargo for the consumers of marine drybulk transportation services. The Company is an international provider of marine drybulk transportation services, transporting bulk cargoes, particularly coal, grain and iron ore, along shipping routes across the world. As of February 17, 2017 the Company's fleet included 38 vessels, of which 14 are Panamax class vessels, nine are Kamsarmax class vessels, 12 are Post-Panamax class vessels and three are Capesize class vessels, with an aggregate carrying capacity of 3,421,800 deadweight tonnage (dwt). The Company's fleet of Post-Panamax vessels includes Marina, Xenia, Sophia, Eleni, Martine, Andreas K, Panayiota K, Venus Heritage, Venus History, Venus Horizon and Troodos Sun. Its fleet of Capesize vessels includes Kanaris, Pelopidas and Lake Despina.

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.

Detailed Analysis of SAFE BULKERS INC

INTERNATIONAL BANCSHARES CORP (IBOC) is a mid-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 56% to 83% 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: International Bancshares Corporation is a multibank financial holding company. The Company is engaged in providing a diversified range of commercial and retail banking services in its main banking and branch facilities located in north, south, central and southeast Texas and the State of Oklahoma. The Company, through its subsidiary banks, is engaged in the business of accepting, checking and savings deposits and the making of commercial, real estate, personal, home improvement, automobile and other installment and term loans. Its international banking business includes providing letters of credit, making commercial and industrial loans and providing foreign exchange services. Its subsidiary banks also offer other related services, such as credit cards, safety deposit boxes, collections, notary public, escrow services, drive-up and walk-up facilities and other customary banking services. Its subsidiary banks include International Bank of Commerce and Commerce Bank.

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.

Detailed Analysis of INTERNATIONAL BANCSHARES CORP

UNITED STATES LIME & MINERALS INC (USLM) is a small-cap growth stock in the Construction - Raw Materials industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 69% 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: United States Lime & Minerals, Inc. is a manufacturer of lime and limestone products and supplying primarily the construction, including highway, road and building contractors; industrial, including paper and glass manufacturers; metals, including steel producers; environmental, including municipal sanitation and water treatment facilities and flue gas treatment processes; roof shingle manufacturers, agriculture and oil and gas services industries. It extracts limestone from its open-pit quarries and underground mines and then processes it for sale as pulverized limestone, aggregate, 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 subsidiaries, Arkansas Lime Company, ART Quarry TRS LLC, Colorado Lime Company, Mill Creek Dolomite, LLC, Texas Lime Company, U.S. Lime Company, U.S. Lime Company Shreveport, U.S. Lime Company St. Clair and U.S. Lime Company.

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.

Detailed Analysis of UNITED STATES LIME & MINERALS INC

ATLANTICUS HOLDINGS CORP (ATLC) is a small-cap value stock in the Consumer Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 65% to 79% 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: Atlanticus Holdings Corporation is a financial technology company engaged in facilitating consumer credit through financial technology and related services. The Company's segments include Credit as a Service (CaaS) and Auto Finance Segment. CaaS segment provides private label credit and general-purpose credit cards originated by lenders through multiple channels, including retail and healthcare, direct mail solicitation, digital marketing and partnerships with third parties. Its flexible technology solutions allow bank partners to integrate its paperless process and instant decisioning platform with the existing infrastructure of participating retailers and service providers. Auto Finance segment conducted through its CAR platform. Its CAR primarily purchases and/or services loans secured by automobiles and provides floor-plan financing for pre-qualified network of independent automotive dealers and automotive finance companies in the buy-here and pay-here used car business.

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.

Detailed Analysis of ATLANTICUS HOLDINGS CORP

ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (ESQ) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 56% to 83% 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: Esquire Financial Holdings, Inc. is a financial holding company, which operates through its subsidiary, Esquire Bank, National Association (the Bank). The Bank is a full-service commercial bank dedicated to serving the financial needs of the legal and small business communities on a national basis, as well as commercial and retail customers in the New York metropolitan market. It offers tailored products and solutions to the legal community and their clients as well as dynamic and flexible payment processing solutions to small business owners, both on a national basis. It also offers traditional banking products for businesses and consumers in its local market area. Its products offered to businesses and consumers include checking, savings, money market, and time deposits, a wide range of commercial and consumer loans, as well as customary banking services. The Bank operates a payment processing platform through third-party Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs).

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.

Detailed Analysis of ESQUIRE FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC

DANAOS CORPORATION (DAC) is a small-cap value stock in the Water Transportation industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Motley Fool changed from 59% to 72% 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: Danaos Corporation is a holding company and an international owner of containerships, chartering its vessels to a range of liner companies. The Company's principal business is the acquisition and operation of vessels. The Company conducts its operations through the vessel owning companies, whose principal activity is the ownership and operation of containerships that are under the management of a related party of the company. The Company's manager is Danaos Shipping Company Limited (Danaos Shipping). The Company has a fleet of over 50 containerships aggregating approximately 329,590 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Its containership fleet includes approximately 53 containerships deployed on time charters and approximately two containerships deployed on bareboat charter. Gemini Shipholdings Corporation (Gemini), a company beneficially owned by the Company, owns approximately four additional containerships of over 24,000 TEU aggregate capacity.

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.

Detailed Analysis of DANAOS CORPORATION

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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

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