Bet On These 5 Stocks With Upgraded Broker Ratings

Selecting stocks from the vast investment universe is not an easy task. For this, you will have to understand the fundamentals of every company and try to place them against the present economic background to figure out how it may fare as an investment.

One way to cut this task out is to follow broker recommendation. Brokers have more insight into what’s happening in a particular company as they directly communicate with company management. Further, they have a deeper understanding of the overall industry.

Specifically, brokers research on a company’s publicly available financial statements, listen to conference calls and engage in talks directly with the top management. At times, they even talk with customers to gauge what they like or dislike about the products and services offered by the company.

So, after thorough research, brokers decide to rate that particular company’s stock. Naturally, when an analyst upgrades a stock, you can easily rely on it.

However, solely depending on analysts’ upgrades is not the right way to build your investment portfolio. You should also take into consideration other factors to ensure solid returns.

Here are the screening parameters that should result in a winning strategy:

Broker Rating Upgrades (4 weeks): This screens those stocks that have witnessed broker upgrades over the last four weeks.

Current Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must be trading at a minimum of $5 or above.

Average 20-day Volume greater than 100,000: A huge trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.

Zacks Rank equal to #1: No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have a proven history of success.

VGM Score: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of ‘A’ or ‘B’ when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

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

United Natural Foods, Inc. (NASDAQ:UNFI) is the leading distributor of natural, organic and specialty food and non-food products in the U.S. and Canada. Over the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has risen 5.91%.

Weight Watchers International, Inc. (NYSE:WTW) is the largest provider of weight control programs in the world. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has increased 13.95% over the last 60 days.

PharMerica Corporation (NYSE:PMC) is an institutional pharmacy services provider dedicated to providing quality customer service and innovative pharmacy solutions. Over the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has jumped 16.09% for 2016.

Boardwalk Pipeline Partners, LP (NYSE:BWP) is a master limited partnership engaged in the interstate transportation and storage of natural gas. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has risen 8%.

Neogenomics Inc. (NASDAQ:NEO) is a high-complexity CLIA-certified clinical laboratory that specializes in cancer genetics diagnostic testing, the fastest growing segment of the laboratory industry. Over the last 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the stock has swung to profit from a loss of 28 cents for 2016.

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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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BOARDWALK PIPLN (BWP): Free Stock Analysis Report

UTD NATURAL FDS (UNFI): Free Stock Analysis Report

PHARMERICA CORP (PMC): Free Stock Analysis Report

WEIGHT WATCHERS (WTW): Free Stock Analysis Report

NEOGENOMICS INC (NEO): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Zacks Investment Research