For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – July 06, 2017 –Zacks Equity Research TICC Capital Corp (NASDAQ: TICC – Free Report ) as the Bull of the Day, Buckle (NYSE: BKE – Free Report ) as the Bear of the Day. In addition, Zacks Equity Research provides analysis on BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY – Free Report ), Quantum Corporation (NYSE: QTM – Free Report ) and VOXX International (NASDAQ: VOXX – Free Report ).
Here is a synopsis of all five stocks:
TICC Capital Corp (NASDAQ:TICC – Free Report ) is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and sports an “A” for value and momentum as well as a “C” for growth. Investors should put this stock on their radar screens right here after it has dropped about $1 per share over the last few weeks with the financials just starting to catch fire. A recent surge in price might also tell investors that it is bouncing off the bottom.
TICC is a business development company that provides capital to companies that are looking to grow organically or via acquisition. They also provide capital for recapitalizations or even working capital for everyday business needs. The company primarily uses debt and its deal sizes are between $5M and $50M.
Earnings Estimates
Over the last sixty days, there were a few estimates that moved higher. Those revisions higher are the main reason the stock is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2017 moved from $0.41 ninety days ago to $0.56 sixty days ago and is now at $0.62. That is quite a move in just 90 days, but it is exactly the type of thing you want to see in a stock you own.
Earnings History
The analysts seem to have this company figured out. Over the last four quarters, there was one beat, one miss and two meets of the Zacks Consensus Estimate. If I go back another four quarters I see the same pattern.
Follow Brian Bolan on Twitter: @BBolan1
Valuation
I like what I see in terms of valuation. The stock trades at just 10x forward estimates and only 12x the twelve months trailing number. The price to book is 0.84x, meaning that we are getting true value here and by that, I don’t mean the hardware company. Basically, we are buying in at less than the cost of all the assets the company has. That is a great thing to see. Finally, the price to sales of 4.6x is rather stiff, but it helps balance out the other metrics which are very strong.
Buckle (NYSE:BKE – Free Report ) is a retailer that has been hurt along with almost all other retailers this year. Weak comps and a recent downgrade to sell from hold have helped push the Zacks Consensus Estimate down and that is the reason this stock moved to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).
Description
Buckle, Inc. is a retailer of medium to better-priced casual apparel for young men and women. The company markets a wide selection of mostly brand name casual apparel, including denims, other casual bottoms, tops, sportswear, outerwear, accessories, and footwear. They emphasize personalized attention to their customers and provides individual customer services such as free alterations, free gift-wrapping, easy layaways and a frequent shopper program. Most stores are located in regional, high-traffic shopping malls, and this is their strategy for future expansion.
Downgrade
On May 19, Buckle was downgraded to Sell from Hold at Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn). Moves like this generally come with negative earnings estimate revisions. At the time of publication, I did not see the full research report so I could not determine if there were any estimate revisions.
Earnings Estimates
The reason most stocks slide to a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) is that earnings estimates have fallen. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for BKE shows that the 2017 Zacks Consensus Estimate fell from $1.74 to $1.64 over the last 60 days. Similarly, the 2018 Zacks Consensus Estimate dropped from $1.52 to $1.26.
You can view the earnings estimate revision history on the Detailed Estimates page on the Zacks website.
Additional content:
3 Tech Stocks Under $10 to Buy Now
Here at Zacks, we don’t generally classify stocks as “cheap” or “expensive”, and rather than looking at the stock’s face value, we have a system that puts an emphasis on earnings estimate revisions to find stocks that will hopefully be winners for investors.
That being said, low-priced stocks can be attractive to smaller investors that can’t necessarily afford large stakes in companies with higher priced stocks. When looking at these low-priced stocks, we can look at the same trends in growth, value, and momentum and apply the Zacks Rank to properly analyze the potential that these companies have.
Today we’ve highlighted three stocks that fall into the broad “technology sector.” Each of these three stocks is currently trading for less than $10 per share and holds a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Take a look at the strong estimate revision activity and other factors that make these companies stick out right now.
1. BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ:BBRY – Free Report )
Prior Close: $9.90
BlackBerry LTD is engaged in the design, manufacture, and marketing of hardware and software solutions for the mobile communications market. The company recently beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 100% in the latest quarter, and we’ve seen positive revisions to its current-quarter and full-year estimates as a result. BlackBerry will be able to post year-over-year EPS growth, in spite of its declining revenue, because the company has successfully shifted its focus away from its failing handset division and towards the more-profitable software business. In fact, BlackBerry has emerged as a player in the cybersecurity space, even prevailing as a factor after the recent WannaCry malware attacks.
2. Quantum Corporation (NYSE:QTM – Free Report )
Prior Close: $8.01
Quantum is a leading provider of data storage and protection. The company provides solutions for capturing, sharing, and preserving digital assets over the entire data lifecycle. The current fiscal year is shaping up to be one of aggressive earnings growth for Quantum; our current Zacks Consensus Estiamte calls for the company to post EPS growth of 96% this year. It’s also worth noting that the stock has been on an incredible run, gaining nearly 160% over the past year. Nevertheless, its previous closing price is about 13% lower than its 52-week high, which means there’s plenty of upside before we even have to think about breaking into a new range.
3. VOXX International (NASDAQ:VOXX – Free Report )
Prior Close: $8.50
Voxx International is a designer of automobile sound, vehicle security, mobile video systems, and consumer electronics products. On top of its strong Zacks Rank, VOXX has recorded strong Style Scores grades of “B” in the Value and VGM categories. Furthermore, we have seen one positive estimate revision in the last 60 days for the company’s full-year earnings, a period where we expect to see EPS growth of nearly 17%. Voxx also belongs to a category of businesses that currently sit in the top 21% of the Zacks Industry Rank. Finally, Voxx has maintained strong momentum over the past 52 weeks, and the stock is looking to break into a new range after gaining more than 200% in the past year.
Want more stock market analysis from this author? Make sure to follow @ Ryan_McQueeney
on Twitter!
Bottom Line
A stock’s market price is not a clear indicator of whether it is a good investment. However, the nice thing about the Zacks Rank is that it can be applied to stocks of any price. For smaller investors looking to find solid tech stocks at lower prices, this list is a great place to start.
Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies
It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +18.8% from 2016 - Q1 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +157.0%, +128.0%, +97.8%, +94.7%, and +90.2%, respectively.
And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - Q1 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 11X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>>
About the Bull and Bear of the Day
Every day, the analysts at Zacks Equity Research select two stocks that are likely to outperform (Bull) or underperform (Bear) the markets over the next 3-6 months.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous analyst coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month time horizons.
Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News
Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has nearly tripled the market from 1988 through 2015. Its average gain has been a stellar +26% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.
Get the full Report on TICC - FREE
Get the full Report on BKE - FREE
Get the full Report on BBRY - FREE
Get the full Report on QTM - FREE
Get the full Report on VOXX - FREE
Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook (NASDAQ:FB): https://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer .
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
TICC Capital Corp. (TICC): Free Stock Analysis Report
Buckle, Inc. (The) (BKE): Free Stock Analysis Report
BlackBerry Limited (BBRY): Free Stock Analysis Report
Quantum Corporation (QTM): Free Stock Analysis Report
VOXX International Corporation (VOXX): Free Stock Analysis Report
Original post
Zacks Investment Research