The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Douglas Dynamics, Yirendai, Universal Forest Products, Northwest Bancshares And CryoLife

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – May 09, 2016 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW), Yirendai Ltd (NYSE:YRD) (YRD), Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI), Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI) and CryoLife Inc. (CRY).

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Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:

5 Stocks Set to Soar on New Analyst Coverage

Coverage initiation of a stock by analyst(s) leads to enhanced investor enthusiasm. This is because, investors generally assume that there is something in the stock that attracted the analysts to cover it. In other words, they assume that the company coming under the microscope definitely has some value.

Why do analysts initiate coverage? Of course, stocks are not randomly picked to cover. A new coverage on a stock is usually the result of its promising future envisioned by the analyst(s). At times, increased investors’ focus on a stock motivates analysts to take a closure look at it. After all, who doesn’t love to produce something that is already in demand?

Interestingly, stocks typically see an incremental upward price movement with a new analyst coverage compared to what they witness with a rating upgrade under an existing coverage. Of course, the price movement is a function of the recommendations from the new analysts. Positive recommendations – Buy and Strong Buy – generally lead to a significant positive incremental price reaction than Hold recommendations. In this regard, analysts hardly initiate coverage with a Strong Sell or Sell recommendation.

However, one should also look for the average change in broker recommendation rather than a single recommendation change.

Now, if an analyst gives a new recommendation on a company that has very few or no existing coverage, investors start paying more attention to it. Also, any new information attracts portfolio managers to build a position in the stock.

So, it’s a good strategy to bet on stocks that have seen increased analyst coverage over the last few weeks.

Screening Criteria:

Number of Broker Ratings now greater than the Number of Broker Ratings four weeks ago (This will shortlist stocks that have recent new coverage.)

Average Broker Rating less than Average Broker Rating four weeks ago ('Less than', means 'better than' four weeks ago.)

The number of increased analyst coverage and improving average rating are the primary criteria of this strategy, but one should consider other relevant parameters to make the strategy foolproof. Here are the other screening parameters:

Prices greater than or equal to 5 (as a stock below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most of the investors)

Average Daily Volume greater than or equal to 100,000 shares (if volume isn’t enough, it will not attract individual investors).

Here are 5 of the 9 stocks that passed the screen:

Douglas Dynamics, Inc. (PLOW)

Yirendai Ltd (YRD)

Universal Forest Products Inc. (UFPI)

Northwest Bancshares, Inc. (NWBI)

CryoLife Inc. (CRY)

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