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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: D.R. Horton, Meritage Homes, Louisiana-Pacific, Owens Corning and Granite Construction
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 3, 2021 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI - Free Report) , Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH - Free Report) , Louisiana-Pacific Corp. (LPX - Free Report) , Owens Corning Inc. (OC - Free Report) and Granite Construction Incorporated (GVA - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Construction Spending Edges Up in April: Top 5 Stocks to Buy
U.S. construction spending increased in April from the previous month, marking the second straight month of monthly rise. Rise in private residential construction, including single and multifamily, was partially offset by losses in outlays on non-residential structures and public projects. However, the metric missed analysts’ expectations by 60%.
Housing demand remained strong, buoyed by the Fed’s dovish stance, low borrowing costs and lack of available supply, despite rising lumber prices.
Through the first four months of 2021, construction activity increased 5.8% from the same period in 2020. In the past year, the Construction sector has gained 58.4%, outperforming the S&P 500 composite’s 38.9% rally.
Inside the Numbers
Spending on construction projects in the United States rose 0.2% in April, after rising 1% in an upwardly revised March figure, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.
Private construction spending was up 0.4% for the month from March outlays. Spending on private non-residential structures, which include manufacturing and power plants, dropped 0.5% to $451.4 billion. Low spending on Transportation, Power, Religious, and Amusement and Recreation was the culprit.
Spending on public construction projects also fell 0.6% in April from March, reflecting a 3.8% decline in residential projects and 0.5% decrease in nonresidential spending.
On a year-over-year basis, overall spending on construction projects in the nation advanced 9.8%, with notable growth of 13.9% in private outlays. Public outlays fell 2.2% year over year in April.
Homebuilding Driving Construction Spending
The April uptick was mainly driven by a resilient housing market backdrop. In April, all the three metrics — building permits, housing starts, and new home sales — jumped significantly on a year-over-year basis. This apart, existing and pending home sales also rose impressively from the prior year.
Solid fundamentals drove builder confidence to 83 points in April from 82 points in March. This resilient confidence level continued in May as well, despite growing concerns over the price and availability of most building materials, including lumber.
NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz, said, “While mortgage interest rates have trended higher since February and home prices continue to outstrip inflation, housing demand appears to be unwavering for now as buyer traffic reached its highest level since November.”
Per the latest report from Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 2.95% for the week ended May 27, 2021 from 3% in the prior week.
Homebuilders are witnessing a surge in demand for single-family homes owing to a record low mortgage rate. Although the industry players are continuously complaining about the rise in lumber prices, higher land and labor costs as well as supply chain constraints, Americans are seeking more space for offices and classrooms.
However, first-quarter 2021 marked the sixth consecutive quarterly decline in business investment in nonresidential structures due to a drop in commercial and healthcare buildings. Nonetheless, industry well-wishers are in a favor of recovery in second-half 2021, with Americans resuming pre-pandemic activities and a rise in demand for the nonresidential space.
Stocks to Bet On
Backed by solid industry fundamentals, we have listed five top-ranked stocks from the Zacks Construction sector that investors may add to their portfolio. Notably, these stocks have been picked with the help of the Zacks Stock Screener and carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
D.R. Horton: This leading homebuilder’s shares have gained 73.9% in the past year. The stock’s earnings estimates for the current year have witnessed an upward revision of 0.6% in the past seven days, reflecting analysts’ optimism over the company’s prospects. Earnings for the current year are expected to grow 62.1%.
Meritage Homes: Earnings estimates of this leading designer and builder of single-family homes for fiscal 2020 have moved 28.2% upward in the past 30 days. The company’s shares have appreciated 48% over a year. Although the stock has underperformed the industry, the positive estimate revision is encouraging. Earnings for 2021 are expected to surge 32.9%.
Louisiana-Pacific: This wood product manufacturer’s shares have surged 178.8% in the past year. Earnings estimates for the year have increased 7.2% in the past seven days. Earnings for 2021 are likely to advance 157.5%.
Owens Corning: The company is a world leader in building materials systems and composite solutions. Its shares have gained 102.4% over a year. In the past month, its earnings estimates have moved up 8.5%. Earnings for the current year are expected to grow 54.3%.
Granite Construction: Granite is the largest diversified infrastructure company in the United States. Earnings estimates for 2021 have increased 47.4% in the past 30 days. The company’s shares have risen 129% in the past year. Earnings for the current year are expected to climb 29.2%.
Zacks Names “Single Best Pick to Double”
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
You know this company from its past glory days, but few would expect that it’s poised for a monster turnaround. Fresh from a successful repositioning and flush with A-list celeb endorsements, it could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in a little more than 9 months and Nvidia which boomed +175.9% in one year.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: D.R. Horton, Meritage Homes, Louisiana-Pacific, Owens Corning and Granite Construction
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – June 3, 2021 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI - Free Report) , Meritage Homes Corp. (MTH - Free Report) , Louisiana-Pacific Corp. (LPX - Free Report) , Owens Corning Inc. (OC - Free Report) and Granite Construction Incorporated (GVA - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Wednesday’s Analyst Blog:
Construction Spending Edges Up in April: Top 5 Stocks to Buy
U.S. construction spending increased in April from the previous month, marking the second straight month of monthly rise. Rise in private residential construction, including single and multifamily, was partially offset by losses in outlays on non-residential structures and public projects. However, the metric missed analysts’ expectations by 60%.
Housing demand remained strong, buoyed by the Fed’s dovish stance, low borrowing costs and lack of available supply, despite rising lumber prices.
Through the first four months of 2021, construction activity increased 5.8% from the same period in 2020. In the past year, the Construction sector has gained 58.4%, outperforming the S&P 500 composite’s 38.9% rally.
Inside the Numbers
Spending on construction projects in the United States rose 0.2% in April, after rising 1% in an upwardly revised March figure, according to a report released by the Commerce Department on Tuesday.
Private construction spending was up 0.4% for the month from March outlays. Spending on private non-residential structures, which include manufacturing and power plants, dropped 0.5% to $451.4 billion. Low spending on Transportation, Power, Religious, and Amusement and Recreation was the culprit.
Spending on public construction projects also fell 0.6% in April from March, reflecting a 3.8% decline in residential projects and 0.5% decrease in nonresidential spending.
On a year-over-year basis, overall spending on construction projects in the nation advanced 9.8%, with notable growth of 13.9% in private outlays. Public outlays fell 2.2% year over year in April.
Homebuilding Driving Construction Spending
The April uptick was mainly driven by a resilient housing market backdrop. In April, all the three metrics — building permits, housing starts, and new home sales — jumped significantly on a year-over-year basis. This apart, existing and pending home sales also rose impressively from the prior year.
Solid fundamentals drove builder confidence to 83 points in April from 82 points in March. This resilient confidence level continued in May as well, despite growing concerns over the price and availability of most building materials, including lumber.
NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz, said, “While mortgage interest rates have trended higher since February and home prices continue to outstrip inflation, housing demand appears to be unwavering for now as buyer traffic reached its highest level since November.”
Per the latest report from Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac, the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 2.95% for the week ended May 27, 2021 from 3% in the prior week.
Homebuilders are witnessing a surge in demand for single-family homes owing to a record low mortgage rate. Although the industry players are continuously complaining about the rise in lumber prices, higher land and labor costs as well as supply chain constraints, Americans are seeking more space for offices and classrooms.
However, first-quarter 2021 marked the sixth consecutive quarterly decline in business investment in nonresidential structures due to a drop in commercial and healthcare buildings. Nonetheless, industry well-wishers are in a favor of recovery in second-half 2021, with Americans resuming pre-pandemic activities and a rise in demand for the nonresidential space.
Stocks to Bet On
Backed by solid industry fundamentals, we have listed five top-ranked stocks from the Zacks Construction sector that investors may add to their portfolio. Notably, these stocks have been picked with the help of the Zacks Stock Screener and carry a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
D.R. Horton: This leading homebuilder’s shares have gained 73.9% in the past year. The stock’s earnings estimates for the current year have witnessed an upward revision of 0.6% in the past seven days, reflecting analysts’ optimism over the company’s prospects. Earnings for the current year are expected to grow 62.1%.
Meritage Homes: Earnings estimates of this leading designer and builder of single-family homes for fiscal 2020 have moved 28.2% upward in the past 30 days. The company’s shares have appreciated 48% over a year. Although the stock has underperformed the industry, the positive estimate revision is encouraging. Earnings for 2021 are expected to surge 32.9%.
Louisiana-Pacific: This wood product manufacturer’s shares have surged 178.8% in the past year. Earnings estimates for the year have increased 7.2% in the past seven days. Earnings for 2021 are likely to advance 157.5%.
Owens Corning: The company is a world leader in building materials systems and composite solutions. Its shares have gained 102.4% over a year. In the past month, its earnings estimates have moved up 8.5%. Earnings for the current year are expected to grow 54.3%.
Granite Construction: Granite is the largest diversified infrastructure company in the United States. Earnings estimates for 2021 have increased 47.4% in the past 30 days. The company’s shares have risen 129% in the past year. Earnings for the current year are expected to climb 29.2%.
Zacks Names “Single Best Pick to Double”
From thousands of stocks, 5 Zacks experts each have chosen their favorite to skyrocket +100% or more in months to come. From those 5, Director of Research Sheraz Mian hand-picks one to have the most explosive upside of all.
You know this company from its past glory days, but few would expect that it’s poised for a monster turnaround. Fresh from a successful repositioning and flush with A-list celeb endorsements, it could rival or surpass other recent Zacks’ Stocks Set to Double like Boston Beer Company which shot up +143.0% in a little more than 9 months and Nvidia which boomed +175.9% in one year.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.