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These 5 Stocks Make Great Buys on New Analyst Coverage

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Coverage initiation on a stock by analyst(s) majorly helps in interpreting information pertaining to capital markets, creating value for investors. Lack of information creates inefficiencies that might trigger misinterpretation of stocks (over- or under-valued).

In fact, coverage initiation usually depicts increased investor inclination. Investors, on their part, often assume that there is something in the stock that has attracted analyst attention. In other words, they believe that the company coming under the microscope definitely has some value.

Obviously, stocks are not arbitrarily chosen to cover. New coverage on a stock usually reflects an encouraging future envisioned by the analyst(s). At times, increased investor focus on a stock motivates analysts to take a closer look at it.

However, the average change in broker recommendation is preferred over a single recommendation change.

Analyst Coverage & Price Movement

It is interesting to note that the price movement is generally a function of recommendations from new analysts. Stocks typically see an upward price movement with a new analyst coverage compared to what they witness with a rating upgrade under an existing coverage. Positive recommendations — Buy and Strong Buy — generally lead to a significantly positive price reaction than Hold recommendations. On the contrary, analysts hardly initiate coverage with a Strong Sell or Sell recommendation.

Now, if an analyst issues a new recommendation on a company that has very few or no existing coverage, investors start paying more attention to it. Also, any new information attracts portfolio managers to build a position in the stock.

So, it’s a good strategy to bet on stocks that have seen increased analyst coverage over the last few weeks.

Screening Criteria

Number of Broker Ratings now greater than the Number of Broker Ratings four weeks ago (This will shortlist stocks that have recent new coverage).

Average Broker Rating less than Average Broker Rating four weeks ago ('Less than' means 'better than' four weeks ago).

Increased analyst coverage and improving average rating are the primary criteria of this strategy but one should consider other relevant parameters to make the strategy foolproof.

Here are the other screening parameters:

Price greater than or equal to $5 (as a stock below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most investors).

Average Daily Volume greater than or equal to 100,000 shares (if volume isn’t enough, it will not attract individual investors).

Here are five of the eight stocks that passed the screen:

Global Net Lease, Inc. (GNL - Free Report) , a publicly traded real estate investment trust, sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company’s shares have outperformed its industry in a year’s time. Earnings estimates have climbed 0.9% for 2018 over the past 60 days, reflecting analysts’ optimism over the stock’s prospects. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

K12 Inc (LRN - Free Report) , a Herndon, VA-based technology-based education company, currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Shares of K12 have returned 51.3% in the past year, outperforming its industry. Earnings are expected to grow 11.8% for 2018 and 13.2% for 2019.

Brookline Bancorp, Inc. (BRKL - Free Report) operates as the holding company for Brookline Bank, Bank Rhode Island, First Ipswich Bank, and Brookline Securities Corp that provide commercial, business, and retail banking services to corporate, municipal, and retail customers in the United States. Shares of Brookline Bancorp have outperformed its industry in a year’s time. This Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) stock’s expected earnings growth rate for 2018 is 31.3%.

Catalyst Biosciences, Inc. , a biopharmaceutical company, currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The company’s bottom line is expected to grow 69.5% in 2018. Shares of the company have outperformed its industry in the past six months.

Knoll, Inc. , a leading designer and manufacturer of branded office furniture products and textiles, currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Shares of the company have outperformed its industry in a year’s time. Earnings are expected to grow 29.7% for 2018 and 12.3% for 2019.

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.

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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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