6 Stocks With Recent Price Strength To Boost Your Portfolio

In the game of stocks, winning means reaching a higher price.

However, finding a win-win strategy is easier said than done. When the markets are choppy marked by widespread global growth concerns, it is difficult for even an insightful investor to come up with a foolproof approach.

One could resort to commonly used techniques to find beaten down stocks that have the potential to recover faster than others. However, even such investment choices bear the risk of disappointment. Particularly, one could be stuck in a value trap if the inherent weakness in a selected stock is not identified.

So, wouldn’t it be a safer strategy to look for stocks that are winners currently and have the potential to gain further?

Here’s how to execute it:

One should primarily look for stocks that have witnessed price increases lately. Actually, such stocks have a high chance of carrying the momentum forward.

If a stock is continuously moving higher, there must be a good reason for the rise or else it probably would have fallen like the losers. So, looking at stocks, which have already won the game and are capable of beating the benchmark that they have already set sounds rational.

However, recent price strength alone cannot create magic. Therefore, you need to set other relevant parameters to create a successful investment strategy.

Here’s how you should create the screen to shortlist the current as well as the potential winners.

Screening Parameters:

Percentage Change in Price (4 Weeks) greater than zero: This criterion shows that the stock has moved higher in the last four weeks.

Percentage Change Price (12 Weeks) greater than 10: This indicates that the stock has seen momentum over the last three months. This lowers the risk of choosing stocks that may have drawn attention due to the overwhelming performance of the overall market in a very short period.

Zacks Rank 1: No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of outperformance. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Average Broker Rating 1: This indicates that brokers are also highly hopeful about the stock’s future performance.

Current Price greater than 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5.

Current Price/ 52-Week High-Low Range more than 85%: This criterion filters stocks that are trading near their respective 52-week highs. It indicates that these are strong enough in terms of price.

Here are six of the nine stocks that made it through this screen:

U.S. Concrete Inc. (NASDAQ:USCR) operates as a provider of ready-mixed concrete and concrete-related products and services to the construction industry in the United States. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 318.2%.

ARI Network Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIS) is a provider of business-to-business Internet e-commerce solutions for manufacturers with shared distribution and service networks. Last quarter, the company came up with a positive earnings surprise of 166.7%.

SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ:STKL) is an operator of high-growth ethical businesses, focusing on integrated business models in the natural and organic food, supplements and health and beauty markets. Last quarter, the company pulled off a positive earnings surprise of 50%.

Triton International Limited (NYSE:TRTN) offers acquisition, leasing, re-leasing, and sale of intermodal containers. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 17.1%.

RCI Hospitality Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:RICK) owns and/or operates adult nightclubs that offer live adult entertainment, restaurant, and bar services. Last quarter, the company came up with a positive earnings surprise of 7.9%.

Modine Manufacturing Company (NYSE:MOD) operates primarily in a single industry consisting of the manufacture and sale of heat transfer equipment. Last quarter, the company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 2.9%.

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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.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.

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