For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 23, 2017 - Stocks in this week’s article include Summer Infant Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR – Free Report ), Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ: BGFV – Free Report ), Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ: NSIT – Free Report ), Patrick Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: PATK – Free Report ) and Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ: SASR – Free Report ).
Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:
Forget Overvaluation, Profit from 5 Stocks with Rising P/E
With the S&P 500 hovering around record highs and being accused of overvaluation, investors may be hunting for stocks with a low P/E. The ratio deduces the value of a stock by dividing its current market price with its historical and estimated earnings. It measures how much an investor needs to shell out per dollar of earnings.
The lower the P/E of a stock, the better for a value investor. This is because value investors believe that the stock's current market price is not reflective of its historical/future earnings and therefore chances of outperformance are higher.
Naturally, there are very few investors who pay attention to stocks with an increasing P/E. But this often-overlooked trend can prove worthwhile in finding great stocks. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Rising P/E: An Useful Tool
Investors should note that stock prices move in tandem with earnings performance. If earnings come in stronger, the price of a stock shoots up. Solid quarterly earnings and the forward guidance in turn boost earnings forecasts, leading to stronger demand for the stock and an uptrend in its price.
So, if share price is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of the stock’s fundamental strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains.
The Winning Strategy
In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters.
EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last year’s actual growth
Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal to zero
(These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.)
Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks
Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks
(These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.)
Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500
Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500
(Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.)
Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to the percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100%
(A 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and that the stock might be due for a reversal.)
In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) can get through.
Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity.
Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just seven.
Here are five out of the seven stocks:
Summer Infant Inc. (NASDAQ:SUMR – Free Report ): The company is a designer and distributor of juvenile health, safety and wellness products. Its Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 12%, at the time of writing. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here .
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (NASDAQ:BGFV – Free Report ): This company is a leading sporting goods retailer in western U.S. Its Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 28%.
Insight Enterprises Inc. (NASDAQ:NSIT – Free Report ): This is a global direct marketer of brand name computers, hardware and software. Its Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 41%.
Patrick Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ:PATK – Free Report ): The company is a manufacturer of building products and materials to the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries. Though its Zacks Industry Rank is in the bottom 38%, its Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 38%.
Sandy Spring Bancorp Inc. (NASDAQ:SASR – Free Report ): This is a bank holding company for Sandy Spring National Bank of Maryland. The bank conducts a full-service commercial banking business. Its Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 38%.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
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Summer Infant, Inc. (SUMR): Free Stock Analysis Report
Big 5 Sporting Goods Corporation (BGFV): Free Stock Analysis Report
Insight Enterprises, Inc. (NSIT): Free Stock Analysis Report
Patrick Industries, Inc. (PATK): Free Stock Analysis Report
Sandy Spring Bancorp, Inc. (SASR): Free Stock Analysis Report
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Zacks Investment Research