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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Goldman Sachs, Dow, Chevron and Microsoft

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 9, 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: The Goldman Sachs Group Inc. (GS - Free Report) , Dow Inc. (DOW - Free Report) , Chevron Corporation (CVX - Free Report) and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

Blue-Chip Stocks to Buy as Dow Gathers Pace

The new bull market of Wall Street, which was formed in April 2020 after exiting the coronavirus-led short bear market, is showing no sign of decline barring some minor fluctuations. However, looking closely into the three major stock indexes — the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite — one can find some interesting changes.

In 2020, the Nasdaq Composite and the S&P 500 soared 43.6% and 16.3%, respectively, while the Dow gained just 7.3%. However, the scenario has changed completely in 2021 so far. Year to date, the Dow is leading Wall Street's rally gaining 9.3% while the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are lagging with 8.6% and 6.2%, respectively.  

Dow Gains Momentum in 2021

The Dow — popularly known as the blue-chip index — regained momentum in February after closing January in negative territory. On Apr 5, the index touched a fresh all-time high of 33,617.95. On Apr 7, the 30-stock index closed at 33,446.26.

At its current level, the Dow is well above its 50-day and 200-day moving averages of 31,660.80 and 29,052.45, respectively. In financial literature, the 50-day moving average line is generally recognized as the short-term trend setter, while the 200-day moving average is considered a long-term trend setter.

It is widely recognized in the technical analysis space that whenever the 50-day moving average line surges ahead of the 200-day moving average line, a long-term uptrend for the index becomes a strong possibility.

Reopening of the Economy

The U.S. government has accelerated COVID-19 vaccinations. Per CDC vaccine tracker, 32.6% U.S. citizens have already received at least one shot of vaccine. On Apr 6, President Joe Biden announced that all American adults will get vaccine by April 19, ahead of an earlier timetable of May 1. The speeding up of the process implies chances of a faster-than-expected reopening of the U.S. economy.

Notably, unlike the market's benchmark S&P 500 or the teach-heavy Nasdaq Composite, the composition of the Dow is mostly inclined toward cyclical stocks. Therefore, reopening of the economy is likely to benefit the blue-chip index the most.

Near-Term Catalysts

The U.S. economy is witnessing strong recovery since the beginning of 2021 buoyed by $900 billion of the second-round of fiscal stimulus and a fresh round of a massive $1.9 trillion relief package approved by the Biden administration. Furthermore, an estimated $1.5 - $1.8 trillion savings by Americans also supported strong pent-up demand.

Moreover, on Mar 31, President Joe Biden unveiled his $2.3 trillion infrastructure development plan that includes transport, drinking-water, broadband, manufacturing and construction infrastructure developments. Segments like basic materials, industrials and utilities will benefit immensely along with more job creation for the economy.

Our Top Picks

We have narrowed down our search to four Dow stocks that have strong growth potential for 2021 and solid long-term (3-5 years) growth. These stocks have seen robust earnings estimate revisions in the last 7 to 30 days.

Moreover, these companies are regular dividend payers providing an important income stream during a market downturn. Finally, each of our picks carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Goldman Sachs Group has an expected earnings growth rate of 31.2% for the current year. The Zacks Rank #1 company has a long-term growth rate of 20%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 7.6% over the last 7 days. It has a current dividend yield of 1.55%.

Dow has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The Zacks rank #1 company has a long-term growth rate of 17.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 13.7% over the last 30 days. It has a current dividend yield of 4.34%.

Chevron has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The Zacks Rank #1 company has a long-term growth rate of 5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 29.5% over the last 30 days. It has a current dividend yield of 4.94%.

Microsoft has an expected earnings growth rate of 28% for the current year (ending June 2021). The Zacks Rank #2 company has a long-term growth rate of 12.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 0.4% over the last 30 days. It has a current dividend yield of 0.90%.

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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.

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