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6 Reasons Why You Should Bet on ICF International (ICFI)

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ICF International, Inc. (ICFI - Free Report) is a government services provider that has performed extremely well over the past year and has the potential to sustain the momentum in the near term. Consequently, if you haven’t taken advantage of the share price appreciation yet, it’s time you add the stock to your portfolio.

What Makes ICF International an Attractive Pick?

An Outperformer: A glimpse of the company’s price trend reveals that the stock has had an impressive run on the bourse in the past year. Shares of ICF have returned 35%, significantly outperforming the 14% growth of the industry it belongs to.

Solid Rank: ICF has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Value Growth Momentum Score (VGM Score) of A. Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2, offer the best investment opportunities. Thus, the company is a compelling investment proposition at the moment. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Northward Estimate Revisions: The direction of estimate revisions serves as an important pointer when it comes to the price of a stock. Three estimates for 2021 moved north over the past 60 days versus no southward revision, reflecting analysts’ confidence in the company. Over the same period, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings has climbed 1.8%.

Positive Earnings Surprise History: ICF has an impressive earnings surprise history. The company outpaced the consensus mark in all of the trailing four quarters, delivering an average beat of 27.7%.

Strong Growth Prospects: The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2021 earnings is currently pegged at $4.57 per share, indicating year-over-year growth of 9.6%. Moreover, earnings are expected to improve 10.3% in 2022.

Growth Factors: ICF has a broad global presence and serves a diverse set of markets, including energy, environment, infrastructure, air transport, healthcare, education, interactive technology, marketing and e-commerce. This is helping the company improve its knowledge base and functional expertise over time. ICF has been successful in establishing and maintaining strong long-term relationships with its clients, which ensure consistent revenue growth.

ICF continues to focus on expansion of its commercial businesses, strengthening of its technology-based offerings, expanding its presence in U.S. federal, state and local government markets, pursuing large contract opportunities and utilizing its business model across geographies. These initiatives are parts of its long-term growth strategy. The January 2020 acquisition of Incentive Technology Group has expanded the company’s IT modernization services to better serve U.S. federal government clients, adding best-in-class IT platform expertise and partnerships.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked service stocks are ExlService (EXLS - Free Report) , Gartner, Inc. (IT - Free Report)  and CRA International, Inc. (CRAI - Free Report) . While CRA International sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), ExlService and Gartner carry a Zacks Rank #2.

The long-term expected earnings per share (three to five years) growth rate for ExlService, Gartner and CRA International is pegged at 10.8%, 13.5% and 15.5%, respectively.

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 SherazMian 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.

Free: See Our Top Stock and 4 Runners Up >>

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