Add These 5 GARP Stocks To Your Portfolio For Maximum Returns

If you’re looking for a profitable portfolio of stocks that will offer the best of value and growth investing, try the growth at a reasonable price or GARP strategy.

It helps an investor gain exposure to stocks that are undervalued and have impressive growth prospects. Unlike a blend strategy, a portfolio that uses GARP investing is expected to include stocks that offer the best of both value and growth investing.

GARP Metrics – Mix of Growth & Value Metrics

The GARP strategy seeks to offer an ideal investment by utilizing the best features of both value and growth investing. Investors adopting the GARP approach will prefer to buy stocks that are priced below the market or any reasonable target determined by fundamental analysis. These stocks also have solid prospects in cash flow, revenues, earnings per share (EPS) and so on.

Growth Metrics

Both strong earnings growth history and impressive earnings prospects are the main concepts that GARP investors borrow from the growth investing strategy. However, instead of super-normal growth rates, pursuing stocks with a more stable and reasonable growth rate is also a tactic of GARP investors. Hence, growth rates between 10% and 20% are considered ideal under the GARP strategy.

Another growth metric that is considered by both growth and GARP investors is return on equity (ROE). GARP investors look for strong and higher ROE compared to the industry average to identify superior stocks. Moreover, stocks with positive cash flow find precedence under the GARP plan.

Value Metrics

GARP investing gives priority to one of the popular value metrics – price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. Though this investing style picks stocks with higher P/E ratios compared to value investors, it avoids companies with extremely high P/E ratios. Moreover, the price-to-book value (P/B) ratio is also considered.

Using the GARP principle, we have run a screen to identify stocks that should offer solid returns in the near term.

Screening Parameters

Along with the criteria discussed in the above section, we have considered a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

Last 5-year EPS & projected 3–5 year EPS growth rates between 10% and 20% (Strong EPS growth history and prospects ensure improving business.)

ROE (over the past 12 months) greater than the industry average (Higher ROE compared to the industry average indicates superior stocks.)

P/E and P/B ratios less than M-industry average (P/E and P/B ratios less than that of the industry indicate that the stocks are undervalued.)

Here are five of the seven stocks that made it through the screen:

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a broad-based technology provider whose offerings include software, hardware, online and support services. The company sports a Zacks Rank #1. It beat estimates in the trailing four quarters by 13%, on average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Ruth’s Hospitality Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:RUTH) is a fine dining steakhouse company that builds, operates and franchises restaurants. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2. It has surpassed estimates in the trailing four quarters by 17.18%, on average.

ResMed Inc. (NYSE:RMD) is a designer, manufacturer and distributor of generators, masks and related accessories for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing and other respiratory disorders. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2. It beat estimates in the trailing four quarters by 8.98%, on average.

Ross Stores, Inc. (NASDAQ:ROST) operates as an off-price retailer of apparel and home accessories under the Ross Dress for Less (Ross) and dd’s DISCOUNTS names. The company has a Zacks Rank #2. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 3.77%, on average.

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (NASDAQ:MXIM) is an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of semiconductor analog and mixed signal integrated circuits. The company has a Zacks Rank #2. Its average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise is 2.95%.

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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.

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Free Stock Analysis Report

Ruth's Hospitality Group, Inc. (RUTH): Free Stock Analysis Report

Ross Stores, Inc. (ROST): Free Stock Analysis Report

ResMed Inc. (RMD): Free Stock Analysis Report

Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (MXIM): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Zacks Investment Research