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Zacks.com featured highlights include Meridian Bioscience, OP Bancorp, ICU Medical and Pangaea Logistics Solutions

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – March 24, 2022 – Stocks in this week’s article are Meridian Bioscience, Inc. , OP Bancorp (OPBK - Free Report) , ICU Medical, Inc. (ICUI - Free Report) and Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd. (PANL - Free Report) .

Buy These 4 Low-Beta Stocks to Combat the Choppy Market

The stock market has been extremely volatile. Investors anticipate Russia's war in Ukraine to result in sustained inflation, which could drag the economy of the United States to recession. The only sign of relief is that the Federal Reserve will possibly take necessary steps to tamp down the inflation.

However, the U.S. market is likely to be choppy at least in the near term. Hence, creating a portfolio of low-beta stocks is of utmost importance since the securities will deliver healthy returns and provide a shield against volatile market conditions. Four such stocks that could sail through the choppy market are Meridian Bioscience, Inc., OP Bancorp, ICU Medical, Inc. and Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd.

Beta Understanding

Beta measures the volatility or risk of a particular asset compared to the market. In other words, beta measures the extent of a security's price movement relative to the market. In this article, we are considering the S&P 500 as the market.

If a stock has a beta of 1, then the price of the stock will move with the market. So, the stock is more volatile than the market if its beta is more than 1. In the same way, the stock is not as volatile as the market if its beta is less than 1.

For example, if the market offers a return of 20%, a stock with a beta of 3 will return 60%, which is overwhelming. Similarly, when the market slips 20%, the stock will sink 60%, which is devastating.

Here are the four stocks among the 13 that qualified the screening:

Meridian Bioscience, headquartered in Cincinnati, OH, primarily manufactures diagnostic test kits for gastrointestinal and respiratory infectious diseases.

For fiscal 2022 earnings per share (EPS), Meridian Bioscience has witnessed upward estimate revisions over the past 60 days. Year to date, Meridian Bioscience has gained 25.2% versus the industry's 6.7% decline.

OP Bancorp has a solid business model and serves the banking needs of professionals and businesses with small and medium-sized operations.

In 2022 and 2023, OP Bancorp is likely to see earnings growth of 10.6% and 4.3%, respectively. Year to date, OP Bancorp has gained 10.4% compared with the industry's 6.4% rally.

ICU Medical has a stable business model and is a well-known name in developing and selling innovative medical products.

In 2022 and 2023, ICU Medical is likely to see earnings growth of 30.3% and 17.3%, respectively. Year to date, ICU Medical has gained 2.2% versus the industry's 6.7% decline.

Pangaea Logistics Solutions has been generating solid cash flows and is a well-known name in providing logistic services to a wide range of industrial customers.

For 2022 earnings per share, Pangaea Logistics has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions in the past 30 days. Year to date, Pangaea Logistics has gained 50.3% compared with the industry's 30.9% improvement.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/1886043/buy-these-4-low-beta-stocks-to-combat-the-choppy-market

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.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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Contact: Jim Giaquinto

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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.

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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ICU Medical, Inc. (ICUI) - free report >>

Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd. (PANL) - free report >>

OP Bancorp (OPBK) - free report >>

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