Back to top

Image: Bigstock

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: AutoNation, Penske Automotive, Olin Corp, Vista Outdoor and Danaos Corp

Read MoreHide Full Article

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 21, 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: AutoNation, Inc. (AN - Free Report) , Penske Automotive Group, Inc. (PAG - Free Report) , Olin Corporation (OLN - Free Report) , Vista Outdoor Inc. (VSTO - Free Report) and Danaos Corporation (DAC - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Inflation's Not the Enemy: Focus on Long-Term Goals, Instead

A picture speaks a thousand words they say and this inflation chart based on BLS data certainly fits the bill.

But all inflation isn’t bad. A certain amount supports continued growth. It’s only when inflation is out of control, or when there’s a bubble forming somewhere, that there is some real concern.

That doesn’t seem to be our condition today. Most of the inflation is because of a negative base effect, made worse by supply chain issues.

And while it is a fact that any sustained price inflation can have a negative impact on portfolio returns, supply chain issues don’t continue indefinitely. Also, we will soon be seeing tougher comps because the economy rebounded very strongly in Q3 2020 and remained strong thereafter. So the problem of elevated inflation may be short-lived.

Additionally, now that OPEC+ has agreed to increase production, with oil prices retreating more than $4 a barrel Monday, we can hope for cost reduction across sectors, with a corresponding reduction in inflation rates.

So maybe we shouldn’t be overly concerned about the rising bond yields and focus on our long-term investment objectives instead. And if that includes bonds or other fixed income investments, know that the problem will soon sort itself out. Or, if you’ve got the jitters, switch to the inflation protected treasuries (TIPS) instead.

But if you are not retiring anytime soon and are in the market for stronger growth and therefore greater risk, the stock market is still a great place to be in. And that doesn’t just mean for the so-called inflation-protected segments like commodities, real estate, technology and so forth. In fact, since traditional inflation hedges are getting more expensive by the day, it may make much more sense to play more lasting trends.

One such area would be retail. With the great re-opening (that is more likely than not to stay), pent-up demand for moving outdoors, auto dealers, apparel and shoes are looking really hot. And if you consider the construction bottlenecks and affordability issues, there’s also strong demand or home interiors/improvement. So these areas look pretty hot.

Construction itself is hot hot hot (particularly residential, although commercial is also picking up and the government will follow suit once Biden’s proposal gets into action). And that’s despite labor and lot issues that are leading to relatively lower inventories. Of course, it’s happening because we haven’t seen this level of demand in decades.

Affordability is the only factor pulling back sales, although the government is surely doing its bit with all the free money. But while there are so many ways to play this market, what looks best right now are the wood suppliers and home builders.

You may also want to consider the materials sector where iron and steel are in strong demand given the early stage of the business cycle, egged on by the race for manufacturing supremacy. But chemicals are also looking good with the general uptick in the economy, in manufacturing and a variety of other uses.

Another sector I’m liking more and more is transportation (particularly shipping, but also trucks). High demand and a rebounding economy are in general positive for transporters because they can charge higher rates. But capacity constraints are adding to these gains at the moment. 

Consumer discretionary (particularly shoes & apparel, leisure and recreation) also look good, for obvious reasons.

And finally, we come to tech, which is a mixed bag given the sheer diversity. But this is as good a time as any to remind investors that tech exposure is a good way of buying future growth, as it’s kind of like oil in the way that it influences all the other sectors.

Given all of the above, here are a few stocks worth buying into today: AutoNation, Penske Automotive, Olin Corp, Vista Outdoor and Danaos Corp.

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                                      

https://www.zacks.com                                          

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.

Published in