We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies, revised Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Canon, Weyerhaeuser Co and Advanced Drainage Systems
Read MoreHide Full Article
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 8, 2021 – 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: Canon Inc. , Weyerhaeuser Company (WY - Free Report) and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS - Free Report) .
For 2020, the S&P 500 earnings scorecard is now marking -11.2% EPS annual growth and -1.0% revenue growth.
In terms of underlying earnings, major USA publicly-listed firms have serious fundamental ground to recover in 2021.
Still, the USA is making progress these days...
As of Feb. 26th, Q420 earnings for S&P 500 companies are up +3.9%.
If +3.9% is the actual growth rate for the quarter, it will mark the first quarter in which the S&P 500 index has reported a year-over-year earnings growth since Q4 2019:
· Q1-2021 is expected to supply S&P 500 earnings growth of +21.5%.
· The estimated (year on year) EPS growth rate for the S&P 500 for 2021 is +23.9%. This is more than double the 10-year average (annual) EPS growth rate of +10.0%.
If +23.9% is the actual growth rate for 2021, it will mark the largest annual EPS growth rate for the index since 2010 (+39.6%).
That unusually large 2021 growth rate can be attributed to both an easy comparison to:
· Weak EPS in 2020 due to COVID, and
· Expected improvement in EPS in 2021 from huge stimulus packages and vaccine-driven mobility improvement
How did the stock market price all of this in?
Next are March 1st, 2021 YTD S&P 500 sector returns:
7 early winners were:
Energy $XLE: +25.9%, Financials $XLF: +9.2%, Communication Services $XLC: +4.6%, Industrials $XLI: +2.0%, Real Estate $XLRE: +1.9%, Materials $XLB: +1.2%, Info Tech $XLK: +0.1%,
4 losers were:
Consumer Discretionary $XLY: -0.6%, Health Care $XLV: -1.0%, Utilities $XLU: -7.4%, Cons. Staples $XLP: -6.7%,
The next section shows: this set of cyclically-biased S&P 500 sector share returns does map into the Zacks Sector and Industry Rank order this month.
Zacks March Sector/Industry/Company Telescope
The Zacks Rank system showed 4 strong sectors, again, which is durably bullish.
Info Tech was a top sector again this month; strong across many industries.
Two internationally exposed sectors – Materials and Industrials – came in at the top again too. Think about Steel, Paper, Metals-Non-Ferrous and Machinery-Electrical, Construction-Building Services, and Metal Fabricating.
Financials was the 4th great sector, with Investment Banking & Brokering, Banks & Thrifts, and Major Banks strong. Rate spreads and higher saving rates help.
Health Care stayed at a Market Weight. But Medical Products led this month.
Energy and Utilities were at Market Weight, too.
(1) Info Tech stayed Very Attractive. Misc. Tech, Computer-Office Equipment, Telco Equipment, and Electronics, all of those look excellent.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Canon
(2) Materials stayed Very Attractive. Steel, Metals-non-Ferrous and Paper remained very strong.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Weyerhaeuser Co.
(3) Industrials stayed Very Attractive. Machinery-Electrical, Construction-Building Services, Metal Fabricating, Pollution Control and Machinery were the top industries.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Advanced Drainage Systems
(4) Financials stayed Very Attractive. Investment Banking, Banks & Thrifts and the Major Banks looked good. Higher rate spreads and savings help all of these.
(5) Consumer Staples fell back to Market Weight. Agribusiness looked the best.
(6) Consumer Discretionary stayed Market Weight. Consumer Electronics and Apparel, were strong, and showed the Internet buyer remains strong.
(7) Health Care stayed at Market Weight. Medical Products is the best.
(8) Communications Services stayed at Market Weight. Telco Equipment was a very strong spot.
(9) Utilities rose to Market Weight from Unattractive.
(10) Energy rose to Market Weight from Unattractive. Oil & Gas Integrated looked best.
Conclusion
There is yet another way to mark the recovery of lost ground due to COVID:
That is from the perspective of U.S. macroeconomic growth accounting:
· For 2020, Zacks call is for -3.5% U.S. real GDP growth; in line with a February 2021 Consensus Economics average
· For 2021, the U.S. economy will mark a +4.7% snapback
· For 2022, that same consensus shows a +3.6% U.S. real GDP growth rate
This is a different set of economy-wide growth data showing the same thing.
The USA is going to recover the ground lost to the pandemic — more quickly than many may have expected.
Happy trading and investing.
Warm Regards,
John Blank
Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything
Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the "Internet of Money" and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we're still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities.
Zacks' has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
See More Zacks Research for These Tickers
Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:
Image: Bigstock
The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Canon, Weyerhaeuser Co and Advanced Drainage Systems
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – March 8, 2021 – 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: Canon Inc. , Weyerhaeuser Company (WY - Free Report) and Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc. (WMS - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Time to Recover Lost Ground: Zacks March Strategy
The following is an excerpt from Zacks Chief Strategist John Blank's full Mar Market Strategy report To access the full PDF, click here.
For 2020, the S&P 500 earnings scorecard is now marking -11.2% EPS annual growth and -1.0% revenue growth.
In terms of underlying earnings, major USA publicly-listed firms have serious fundamental ground to recover in 2021.
Still, the USA is making progress these days...
As of Feb. 26th, Q420 earnings for S&P 500 companies are up +3.9%.
If +3.9% is the actual growth rate for the quarter, it will mark the first quarter in which the S&P 500 index has reported a year-over-year earnings growth since Q4 2019:
· Q1-2021 is expected to supply S&P 500 earnings growth of +21.5%.
· The estimated (year on year) EPS growth rate for the S&P 500 for 2021 is +23.9%. This is more than double the 10-year average (annual) EPS growth rate of +10.0%.
If +23.9% is the actual growth rate for 2021, it will mark the largest annual EPS growth rate for the index since 2010 (+39.6%).
That unusually large 2021 growth rate can be attributed to both an easy comparison to:
· Weak EPS in 2020 due to COVID, and
· Expected improvement in EPS in 2021 from huge stimulus packages and vaccine-driven mobility improvement
How did the stock market price all of this in?
Next are March 1st, 2021 YTD S&P 500 sector returns:
7 early winners were:
Energy $XLE: +25.9%,
Financials $XLF: +9.2%,
Communication Services $XLC: +4.6%,
Industrials $XLI: +2.0%,
Real Estate $XLRE: +1.9%,
Materials $XLB: +1.2%,
Info Tech $XLK: +0.1%,
4 losers were:
Consumer Discretionary $XLY: -0.6%,
Health Care $XLV: -1.0%,
Utilities $XLU: -7.4%,
Cons. Staples $XLP: -6.7%,
The next section shows: this set of cyclically-biased S&P 500 sector share returns does map into the Zacks Sector and Industry Rank order this month.
Zacks March Sector/Industry/Company Telescope
The Zacks Rank system showed 4 strong sectors, again, which is durably bullish.
Info Tech was a top sector again this month; strong across many industries.
Two internationally exposed sectors – Materials and Industrials – came in at the top again too. Think about Steel, Paper, Metals-Non-Ferrous and Machinery-Electrical, Construction-Building Services, and Metal Fabricating.
Financials was the 4th great sector, with Investment Banking & Brokering, Banks & Thrifts, and Major Banks strong. Rate spreads and higher saving rates help.
Health Care stayed at a Market Weight. But Medical Products led this month.
Energy and Utilities were at Market Weight, too.
(1) Info Tech stayed Very Attractive. Misc. Tech, Computer-Office Equipment, Telco Equipment, and Electronics, all of those look excellent.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Canon
(2) Materials stayed Very Attractive. Steel, Metals-non-Ferrous and Paper remained very strong.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Weyerhaeuser Co.
(3) Industrials stayed Very Attractive. Machinery-Electrical, Construction-Building Services, Metal Fabricating, Pollution Control and Machinery were the top industries.
Top Zacks #1 Rank (STRONG BUY) stock: Advanced Drainage Systems
(4) Financials stayed Very Attractive. Investment Banking, Banks & Thrifts and the Major Banks looked good. Higher rate spreads and savings help all of these.
(5) Consumer Staples fell back to Market Weight. Agribusiness looked the best.
(6) Consumer Discretionary stayed Market Weight. Consumer Electronics and Apparel, were strong, and showed the Internet buyer remains strong.
(7) Health Care stayed at Market Weight. Medical Products is the best.
(8) Communications Services stayed at Market Weight. Telco Equipment was a very strong spot.
(9) Utilities rose to Market Weight from Unattractive.
(10) Energy rose to Market Weight from Unattractive. Oil & Gas Integrated looked best.
Conclusion
There is yet another way to mark the recovery of lost ground due to COVID:
That is from the perspective of U.S. macroeconomic growth accounting:
· For 2020, Zacks call is for -3.5% U.S. real GDP growth; in line with a February 2021 Consensus Economics average
· For 2021, the U.S. economy will mark a +4.7% snapback
· For 2022, that same consensus shows a +3.6% U.S. real GDP growth rate
This is a different set of economy-wide growth data showing the same thing.
The USA is going to recover the ground lost to the pandemic — more quickly than many may have expected.
Happy trading and investing.
Warm Regards,
John Blank
Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything
Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the "Internet of Money" and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we're still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities.
Zacks' has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly.
See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
https://www.zacks.com
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.