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5 Top Stocks With Upgraded Broker Ratings Worth Investing In

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A number of fundamental and technical aspects are involved in identifying stocks that haverobust growth potential. It’s not an easy task for individual investors to select stocks on their own inthe current volatile markets. So, guidance from the experts is important.

By following broker rating upgrades, one can easily find attractive stocks. Brokers have in-depth idea about what’s happening in a particular company, as they directly communicate with top management. Also, they exhaustively go through the company’s publicly available documents and attend conference calls.

In addition, brokers have a thorough understanding of the overall industry. They place the company fundamentals against the current economic backdrop to figure out how the stock will fare as an investment.

Therefore, when a broker upgrades a stock, one can rely on their judgment. Nonetheless, depending only on broker upgrades is not a great idea to build investment portfolio. One must also take into considerationcertain other factors to ensure solid and steady returns.

Picking the Winning Strategy

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

Broker Rating Upgrades (four weeks) of 1% or more: The screen selects stocks that have witnessed broker rating upgrades of 1% or 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 of 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 five stocks out of 40 that qualified the screening:

The Progressive Corporation (PGR - Free Report) , headquartered in Mayfield Village, OH, provides personal and commercial auto insurance, residential property insurance, and other specialty property-casualty insurance and related services. Its earnings are expected to increase 19.9% in 2018. The stock, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed 6.7% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Based in Pittsburgh, PA, American Eagle Outfitters, Inc. (AEO - Free Report) operates as a specialty retailer that provides clothing, accessories and personal care products. Its 2018 earnings are expected to rise 7%. The stock, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, has witnessed 15.4% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Old Dominion Freight Line, Inc. (ODFL - Free Report) operates as a less-than-truckload motor carrier. Current-year earnings for this Thomasville, NC-based company are projected to grow 20%. The stock, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed 16.7% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Intel Corporation (INTC - Free Report) , headquartered in Santa Clara, CA,designs, manufactures, and sells computer, networking, data storage, and communication platforms. Its earnings are expected to increase 13.5% in 2018. The stock, sporting a Zacks Rank #1, has witnessed 3.3% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

EMCOR Group, Inc. (EME - Free Report) provides electrical and mechanical construction, and facilities services. Current-year earnings for this Norwalk, CT-based company are projected to increase 3.5%. The stock, carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed 33.3% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software.

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.

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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