For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – July 25, 2016 - Stocks in this week’s article include: Newell Brands Inc. (NWL), Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) (INTC), Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (LH), VMware, Inc. ( VMW) and Principal Financial Group Inc (NYSE:PFG). (PFG).
Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:
Bet on These 5 Stocks Registering Strong Sales Growth
With ever changing market dynamics, investors are often beguiled into undertaking complex investment strategies. However, this sometimes may not yield the desired results. Hence, using conventional strategies, which are based on key fundamentals, to choose stocks is always a safe and sound approach for making profits.
Among several rational and down-to-earth investment strategies, we picked one that is focused on the sales growth of a company.
A steady sales growth is the key to survival for a business in today’s highly competitive environment. Companies have stepped up marketing initiatives over digital platforms and have become more professional about sales management to drive their top line.
Flat or declining sales growth indicates obstacles at the company, which will limit scope for sustained growth. Stagnant companies may generate profits for a short period, but they do not ensure enough growth to attract new investors.
Notably, revenues are often more closely monitored than earnings when assessing the growth of a business. It’s worth keeping in mind that in cases when companies incur a loss, albeit transitorily, they are valued on their revenues, as top-line growth (or decline) is usually an indicator of a company’s future earnings performance.
Hence, the Price-to-Sales (P/S) ratio can turn out to be an appropriate metric for stock valuation. Notably, this metric’s importance further lies in the fact that management has limited opportunities to manipulate revenues unlike earnings.
Focusing solely on sales growth is, however, not enough. A consideration of a company’s cash position along with its sales number can be a more dependable strategy. Substantial cash in hand and a steady cash flow give a company more flexibility with respect to business decisions and investments.
The Right Strategy
A careful selection of stocks considering certain factors should help investors to not only build wealth but beat the market as well.
In order to shortlist stocks that have impressive sales growth along with a high cash balance, we added 5-Year Historical Sales Growth (%) greater than X-Industry and Cash Flow greater than $500 million as our primary screening parameters.
However, sales growth and cash strength are not the absolute criteria for selecting stocks. So, we added a few other factors to arrive at a winning strategy.
Price-to-Sales (P/S) Ratio less than X-Industry : This metric measures the value placed on each dollar of a company’s revenues. The lower the ratio, the better it is for picking a stock since the investor is paying less for each unit of sales.
% Change F1 Sales Estimate Revisions (4 Weeks) greater than X-Industry : Northward estimate revision has often been observed to trigger an increase in the stock price.
Operating Margin (Average Last 5 years) greater than 5% : Operating margin measures how much every dollar of a company's sales translates into profits. A high ratio indicates that the company has good cost control and sales are increasing faster than costs, an optimal situation for the company.
Return on Equity (ROE) greater than 5% : This metric will ensure that sales growth is being translated into profits and the company is not hoarding cash. High ROE means the company is spending wisely and is in all likelihood profitable.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2 : Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
Here are five of the 14 stocks that made it through the screen:
Newell Brands Inc. (NWL) is a global manufacturer and marketer of consumer and commercial products, including Sharpie, Parker, Rubbermaid (writing instruments, storage containers) and Calphalon (cookware). The Atlanta, GA-based firm has a long-term expected EPS (earnings per share) growth rate of 13.2% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.
Intel Corporation (INTC), one of the world’s leading producers of semiconductor components, currently has a long-term expected EPS growth rate of 8.1%. This Santa Clara, CA-based company holds a Zacks Rank #2.
Laboratory Corp. of America Holdings (LH) is a leading healthcare diagnostics company, providing clinical laboratory services and drug development support. This Burlington, NC-based company currently has a long-term expected EPS growth rate of 10.2% and carries a Zacks Rank #2.
VMware, Inc. (VMW) is a Palo Alto, CA-based company engaged in providing virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions in the U.S. and worldwide. The company has a long-term expected EPS growth rate of 12.9% with a Zacks Rank #2.
Principal Financial Group Inc. (PFG) is a Des Moines, IA-based company that provides an expansive range of retirement savings, investment and insurance products and services. The company has a long-term expected EPS growth rate of 5.8% with a Zacks Rank #2.
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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.
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NEWELL BRANDS (NWL): Free Stock Analysis Report
INTEL CORP (INTC): Free Stock Analysis Report
LABORATORY CP (LH): Free Stock Analysis Report
VMWARE INC-A (VMW): Free Stock Analysis Report
PRINCIPAL FINL (PFG): Free Stock Analysis Report
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