Power Factor sign changes from positive (+) to negative (-)
The sign of the power factor comes from the sign of the VAR measurement. This indicates whether the load is leading or lagging. A "perfect" power factor is "1".
A slightly lagging power factor would be +1 (or +0.999), approaching "+0.000" as the power factor increases in lag.
A slightly leading power factor would be -1 (or -0.999), approaching "-0.000" as the power factor increases in lead.
Essentially, the power factor oscillates around "+/-1", so this is perfectly normal.
This issue can be visualized by the image below:
Please refer to p. 47 of the manual for more information. The method of calculating the power factor sign can be changed if desired.
http://elkor.net/pdfs/WattsOn-Mark_II_Manual_Complete.pdf