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3 Stocks to Buy Following Guidance Lifts

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Guidance lifts commonly inject positivity into shares, with investors scrambling to get in and ride the momentum. Companies raise their outlooks when business is fruitful, sending a bullish message to shareholders.

And recently, several companies, including Deckers Outdoor (DECK - Free Report) , The Clorox Company (CLX - Free Report) , and Modine Manufacturing (MOD - Free Report) – have raised their outlooks, with shares moving higher following the announcements.

For those interested in recent bullish activity, let’s take a closer look at each.

Deckers Outdoor

Deckers Outdoor, a current Zacks Rank #1 (Buy), is a leading designer, producer, and brand manager of innovative, niche footwear and accessories developed for outdoor sports and other lifestyle-related activities.

Concerning headline figures, DECK posted a 32% beat relative to the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate and reported sales 8.5% ahead of expectations, reflecting growth rates of 44% and 16%, respectively. Impressively, both earnings and revenue results reflected quarterly records, driven by strength across its UGG and HOKA brands.

The continued consumer momentum has nicely expanded DECK’s top line, as shown below.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Several other notable highlights included operating income growth of 35% and gross margin expansion to 58.7% vs. 53.0% in the year-ago period. Following the results, Deckers upped its FY24 outlook across several metrics, now expecting net sales of $4.15 billion and a gross margin of 54.5%.

Shares may not entice those with a value-conscious approach, with the current 31.7X forward 12-month earnings multiple well above the 20.4X five-year median and the respective Zacks industry average of 15.5X.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The Clorox Company

The Clorox Company is engaged in the production, marketing, and sale of consumer products in the U.S. and international markets. The stock is a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), with the outlook for its current fiscal year getting a nice boost following its latest set of quarterly results.

The company exceeded the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate by a sizable 100% and reported sales 12% ahead of expectations, representing year-over-year growth rates of 120% and 16%, respectively. Margin expansion helped drive EPS growth, improving to 43.5% from the year-ago mark of 36.2% thanks to cost-saving initiatives.

Clorox’s favorable results across its last two releases have driven shares higher, reflecting the company’s favorable turnaround following a cyberattack in the later months of 2023.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Income investors could be attracted to CLX shares, presently yielding a solid 3.1%. In addition, the company’s 4.3% five-year annualized dividend growth rate reflects a commitment to increasingly rewarding shareholders.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Modine Manufacturing

Modine Manufacturing, a current Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions. The company’s current fiscal year outlook jumped higher following its set of quarterly results delivered at the end of January.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Concerning headline figures, Modine exceeded the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate by nearly 30% but fell short of sales expectations by 4%. Earnings saw 54% growth, whereas sales were primarily flat from the year-ago period.

The company’s ‘80/20’ strategy aimed at increasing efficiency and margin expansion has continued to be a success, with operating income seeing a year-over-year improvement of 56% and gross margin expanding 530 basis points to 22.7%.

It raised its current year (FY24) outlook thanks to its strategy and rapid sales growth within the data center market, now expecting net sales growth in a band of 4% - 7% and adjusted EBITDA in a range of $305 - $313 million.

Shares jumped following the results, continuing a recent trend of post-earnings bullishness.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom Line

Guidance lifts are among the most positive announcements shareholders can hear, injecting confidence in the long-term picture.

And recently, all three stocks above – Deckers Outdoor (DECK - Free Report) , The Clorox Company (CLX - Free Report) , and Modine Manufacturing (MOD - Free Report) – have raised their outlooks, with shares moving higher following the announcements.


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