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The S&P 500 posted its best month of 2024 in November. The Nasdaq and the benchmark are trading at fresh all-time highs to start December as Wall Street looks ahead to the likelihood of more Fed rate cuts and strong earnings growth, as well as lower taxes and less red tape under a second Trump term.
The bulls are in control, but investors might decide to start looking to value stock to close out 2024 after loading up on Nvidia and plenty of other growth-heavy artificial intelligence stocks throughout the year.
Today we show investors how to screen for stocks that offer the potentially winning combination of impressive value and improving earnings outlooks to buy in December and 2025.
Screen Basics
The screen we are digging into today comes loaded with the Research Wizard and aims to sort through highly-ranked Zacks stocks to find some of the top value names.
This value-focused screen searches only for stocks that boast Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buys) or #2 (Buys). It also focuses on stocks with price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios under the median for its industry.
The screen also looks for stocks with price-to-sales (P/S) ratios under the median for its industry to help lock in relative value compared to its peers, since basing it off the wider market is not always the most useful tool.
The screen then digs into quarterly earnings rates above the median for its industry. This particular Zacks screen also uses a special blend of upgrades and estimates revisions to select the best seven stocks in this list.
The screen basics are listed below…
· Only Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) Stocks
· P/E (using 12-month EPS) - Under the Median for its Industry
· P/S - Under the Median for its Industry
· Percentage Change Act. EPS Q(0)/Q(-1)
· Rating Change and Revisions Factors (to help narrow the list to the 7 best stocks in this list)
This strategy comes loaded with the Research Wizard and it is called bt_sow_value_method1. It can be found in the SoW (Screen of the Week) folder.
The screen is pretty simple, yet powerful. Here is one of the seven stocks that made it through this week's screen…
Time to Buy this Soaring Insurance Stock?
Mercury General Corporation ((MCY - Free Report) ) is a top independent agency writer of auto and home insurance in California. Mercury General is also in the home and auto insurance business in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and other key states. Mercury General operates business insurance and mechanical protection segments, alongside its home and auto business.
Mercury General’s Insurance - Property and Casualty space ranks in the top 11% of 250 Zacks industries. MCY has crushed our earnings estimates over the trailing four quarters, including a 120% beat at the end of October.
Mercury General’s earnings outlook has surged in 2024, including an impressive post-release jump that’s seen its Q4 estimate soar 98%. Mercury General’s upbeat EPS estimates help it earn a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Mercury General is projected to grow its adjusted earnings from $0.30 last year to $6.35 a share in 2024 and post another 9% growth in 2025. Meanwhile, it is expected to grow its revenue by 18% and 9%, respectively.
Mercury General shares have skyrocketed 95% in the last 12 months to triple the S&P 500 and its highly-ranked industry. The run helped MCY break out to new all-time highs earlier this year, with the stock up 250% in the past 25 years.
MCY trades at a 60% discount to its highly-ranked industry and 30% below Mercury General’s 20-year median at 11.3X forward 12-month earnings.
Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start looking for the newest companies that fit these criteria. It's easy to do. And it could help you find your next big winner. Start screening for these companies today with a free trial to the Research Wizard. You can do it.
Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published.
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.
Image: Bigstock
Finding the Best Value Stocks to Buy in December
The S&P 500 posted its best month of 2024 in November. The Nasdaq and the benchmark are trading at fresh all-time highs to start December as Wall Street looks ahead to the likelihood of more Fed rate cuts and strong earnings growth, as well as lower taxes and less red tape under a second Trump term.
The bulls are in control, but investors might decide to start looking to value stock to close out 2024 after loading up on Nvidia and plenty of other growth-heavy artificial intelligence stocks throughout the year.
Today we show investors how to screen for stocks that offer the potentially winning combination of impressive value and improving earnings outlooks to buy in December and 2025.
Screen Basics
The screen we are digging into today comes loaded with the Research Wizard and aims to sort through highly-ranked Zacks stocks to find some of the top value names.
This value-focused screen searches only for stocks that boast Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buys) or #2 (Buys). It also focuses on stocks with price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios under the median for its industry.
The screen also looks for stocks with price-to-sales (P/S) ratios under the median for its industry to help lock in relative value compared to its peers, since basing it off the wider market is not always the most useful tool.
The screen then digs into quarterly earnings rates above the median for its industry. This particular Zacks screen also uses a special blend of upgrades and estimates revisions to select the best seven stocks in this list.
The screen basics are listed below…
· Only Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy) Stocks
· P/E (using 12-month EPS) - Under the Median for its Industry
· P/S - Under the Median for its Industry
· Percentage Change Act. EPS Q(0)/Q(-1)
· Rating Change and Revisions Factors (to help narrow the list to the 7 best stocks in this list)
This strategy comes loaded with the Research Wizard and it is called bt_sow_value_method1. It can be found in the SoW (Screen of the Week) folder.
The screen is pretty simple, yet powerful. Here is one of the seven stocks that made it through this week's screen…
Time to Buy this Soaring Insurance Stock?
Mercury General Corporation ((MCY - Free Report) ) is a top independent agency writer of auto and home insurance in California. Mercury General is also in the home and auto insurance business in Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and other key states. Mercury General operates business insurance and mechanical protection segments, alongside its home and auto business.
Mercury General’s Insurance - Property and Casualty space ranks in the top 11% of 250 Zacks industries. MCY has crushed our earnings estimates over the trailing four quarters, including a 120% beat at the end of October.
Mercury General’s earnings outlook has surged in 2024, including an impressive post-release jump that’s seen its Q4 estimate soar 98%. Mercury General’s upbeat EPS estimates help it earn a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Mercury General is projected to grow its adjusted earnings from $0.30 last year to $6.35 a share in 2024 and post another 9% growth in 2025. Meanwhile, it is expected to grow its revenue by 18% and 9%, respectively.
Mercury General shares have skyrocketed 95% in the last 12 months to triple the S&P 500 and its highly-ranked industry. The run helped MCY break out to new all-time highs earlier this year, with the stock up 250% in the past 25 years.
MCY trades at a 60% discount to its highly-ranked industry and 30% below Mercury General’s 20-year median at 11.3X forward 12-month earnings.
Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start looking for the newest companies that fit these criteria. It's easy to do. And it could help you find your next big winner. Start screening for these companies today with a free trial to the Research Wizard. You can do it.
Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.
Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published.
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: www.zacks.com/performance_disclosure