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Upgraded Broker Ratings Make These 5 Stocks Worth a Look Now

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A number of fundamental and technical aspects are involved in recognizing stocks with strong growth potential. It’s not an easy task for individual investors to select stocks on their own, and this is where expert advice comes in handy.

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

Further, brokers have a deeper 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.

So, when a broker upgrades a stock, one can certainly rely on their judgment. Nonetheless, depending solely on broker upgrade is not a great idea to build your investment portfolio. One should also take into account other factors to ensure steady returns.

Choosing the Winning Strategy

We have a screening strategy that will help you 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 the five of the 10 stocks that qualified the screening:

Tenet Healthcare Corp. (THC - Free Report) is an investor-owned health care services company that owns and operates general hospitals and related health care facilities for urban and rural communities. This Dallas, TX-based company’s earnings for 2020 are projected to increase 59.7%. The stock, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, has witnessed 9.1% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Avery Dennison (AVY - Free Report) produces pressure-sensitive materials, and a variety of tickets, tags, labels and other converted products. This Pasadena, CA-based company’s earnings for 2020 are projected to grow at the rate of 4.9%. The stock, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has witnessed 9.1% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Headquartered in Fort Smith, AR, ArcBest Corporation (ARCB - Free Report) provides freight transportation services and integrated logistics solutions. Its earnings for 2020 are projected to grow at the rate of 9%. The stock, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed 11.1% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

The Mosaic Company (MOS - Free Report) is a leading producer and marketer of concentrated phosphate and potash for the global agriculture industry. This Tampa, FL-based company’s earnings are projected to increase 131.6% for 2020. The stock, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present, has witnessed 8.3% upward revision in broker ratings over the past four weeks.

Based in Columbus, OH, Installed Building Products, Inc. (IBP - Free Report) is engaged in the installation of insulation, waterproofing, fire-stopping, fireproofing, garage doors, rain gutters, window blinds, shower doors, closet shelving and mirrors, and other products. Its earnings for 2020 are projected to grow at the rate of 31.3%. The stock, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2, has witnessed 12.5% 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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