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Zacks.com featured highlights include article EVERTEC, Amphenol, Stanley Black & Decker and Conn's

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – October 4, 2017 - Stocks in this week’s article EVERTEC, Inc. (NYSE: (EVTC - Free Report)  – Free Report), Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: (APH - Free Report)  – Free Report), Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: (SWK - Free Report)  – Free Report) and Conn's, Inc. (Nasdaq: (CONN - Free Report)  – Free Report).

Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research by:

4 Top Stocks with Upgraded Broker Ratings to Bet On

In a bullish market, a basic fundamental analysis of companies is not enough to zero in on stocks that have the potential to generate solid returns. In such a case, expert advice helps to pick the right stocks.

One could easily follow broker advice, as they have a deeper insight into stocks, the sectors and the overall economy. Brokers directly communicate with the top management. They also thoroughly study the publicly available documents and attend conference calls.

Further, brokers scrutinize the fundamentals of companies and place them against the current economic backdrop to find out how the stocks will fare as an investment option. Therefore, by following broker rating upgrades, you can easily find attractive stocks.

But solely depending on broker upgrades is not advisable. You must take into consideration a few other factors before adding a stock to your investment portfolio. This way you can ensure steady returns.

Choosing the Winning Strategy

We have a screening strategy that will help in your search for potential winners:

Broker Rating Upgrades (4 weeks) of 1% or more: The screen selects stocks that have witnessed broker rating upgrades of 1% more over the last four weeks.

Current Price greater than 5: The stocks must be trading above $5.

Average 20-day Volume greater than 100,000: A large trading volume guarantees that the stock is easily tradable.

Zacks Rank equal to #1 or #2: No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) have a proven record of success. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

VGM Score equal to A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

Here are four stocks that made it through the screen:

Headquartered in San Juan, PR, EVERTEC, Inc. (NYSE: (EVTC - Free Report) – Free Report) is engaged in transaction processing business serving financial institutions, merchants, corporations, and government agencies. The company’s earnings are expected to grow at the rate of 1.4% in the current year. The stock has witnessed 12.5% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: (APH - Free Report) – Free Report), headquartered in Wallingford, CT, is engaged in the design, manufacture, and marketing of electrical, electronic, and fiber optic connectors. The company’s current year earnings are expected to grow at the rate of 13.1%. The stock has witnessed 12.5% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

New Britain, CT-based Stanley Black & Decker, Inc. (NYSE: (SWK - Free Report) – Free Report) offers secure transportation, cash management services, and other security-related services worldwide. The company’s earnings are expected to grow at the rate of 11.2% for the current year. The stock has witnessed 7.1% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Conn's, Inc. (Nasdaq: (CONN - Free Report) – Free Report), based in The Woodlands, TX, is a specialty retailer of durable consumer goods and related services. The company’s current year earnings are expected to grow at the rate of 331.8%. The stock has witnessed 20% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

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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.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.

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Sign up now for your free trial today and start picking better stocks immediately. And with the backtesting feature, you can test your ideas to see how you can improve your trading in both up markets and down markets. Don’t wait for the market to get better before you decide to do better. Start learning how to be a better trader today: https://at.zacks.com/?id=111

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. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here https://at.zacks.com/?id=112

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