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4 Stocks That Flaunt an Impressive Interest Coverage Ratio
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Volatility has gripped Wall Street lately and you can easily blame this on inflationary headwinds and geopolitical tensions. The consumer price index rose to 8.3% in August 2022 on a year-over-year basis, more than analysts’ expectations. With the desperate need to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve recently increased the benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points. At present, addressing shooting commodity prices is of top priority for the Fed but this has raised concerns about a possible slowdown and slipping of the economy into recession.
Given the current scenario, investors should gauge the changing market dynamics and accordingly chalk out a sturdy investment strategy. You can simply arrive at a decision to buy or sell a particular stock by looking at its sales and earnings numbers. But such a strategy does not always warrant superior returns when the market is facing myriad issues. A critical analysis of the company’s financial background is always required for a better investment decision.
Well, a company should be sound enough to meet its financial obligations. This can be judged with coverage ratios — the higher these are the more efficient an enterprise will be in meeting its financial obligations. Here we have discussed one such ratio called the interest coverage ratio.
Interest Coverage Ratio = Earnings before Interest & Taxes (EBIT) divided by Interest Expense.
National Fuel Gas Company (NFG - Free Report) , Herc Holdings Inc. (HRI - Free Report) , ONEOK, Inc. (OKE - Free Report) and CECO Environmental Corp. are four stocks with an impressive interest coverage ratio.
Why Interest Coverage Ratio?
The interest coverage ratio is used to determine how effectively a company can pay the interest charged on its debt.
Debt, which is crucial for most companies to finance operations, comes at a cost called interest. Interest expense has a direct bearing on the profits of a company. The company’s creditworthiness depends on how effectively it meets its interest obligations. Therefore, the interest coverage ratio is one of the important criteria to factor in before making any investment decision.
The interest coverage ratio suggests the number of times interest could be paid from earnings and also gauges the margin of safety a firm carries for paying interest.
An interest coverage ratio lower than 1.0 implies that the company is unable to fulfill its interest obligations and could default on repaying debt. A company that is capable of generating earnings well above its interest expense can withstand financial hardship. Definitely, one should also track the company’s past performance to determine whether the interest coverage ratio has improved or worsened over a period of time.
What’s the Strategy?
Apart from having an interest coverage ratio that is more than the industry average, adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a VGM Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to better results.
Interest coverage ratio greater than X-Industry Median
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
5-Year Historical EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: Stocks that have a strong EPS growth history.
Projected EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: This is the projected EPS growth over the next three to five years. This shows that the stock has near-term earnings growth potential.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
VGM Score of less than or equal to 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 four picks out of the seven stocks that qualified the screening:
National Fuel Gas Company, a diversified energy company, sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of B. Its expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 13.6%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for National Fuel Gas Company’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 30.3% and 39.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. National Fuel Gas Company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.1%, on average. The stock has risen 10.8% in the past year.
Herc Holdings, which operates as an equipment rental supplier in the United States and internationally, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of A. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 23.9%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Herc Holdings’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 30% and 57.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. HRI has declined 34.7% in the past year.
ONEOK, which is engaged in gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of A. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 7.5%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ONEOK’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 50.6% and 10.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ONEOK has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.5%, on average. The stock has declined 11.9% in the past year.
CECO Environmental, a leading environmentally focused, diversified industrial company, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of B. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 15%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CECE’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 21.6% and 125%, respectively, from the year-ago period. CECO Environmental has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.1%, on average. The stock has rallied 34.1% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
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.
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.
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4 Stocks That Flaunt an Impressive Interest Coverage Ratio
Volatility has gripped Wall Street lately and you can easily blame this on inflationary headwinds and geopolitical tensions. The consumer price index rose to 8.3% in August 2022 on a year-over-year basis, more than analysts’ expectations. With the desperate need to tame inflation, the Federal Reserve recently increased the benchmark interest rate by 75 basis points. At present, addressing shooting commodity prices is of top priority for the Fed but this has raised concerns about a possible slowdown and slipping of the economy into recession.
Given the current scenario, investors should gauge the changing market dynamics and accordingly chalk out a sturdy investment strategy. You can simply arrive at a decision to buy or sell a particular stock by looking at its sales and earnings numbers. But such a strategy does not always warrant superior returns when the market is facing myriad issues. A critical analysis of the company’s financial background is always required for a better investment decision.
Well, a company should be sound enough to meet its financial obligations. This can be judged with coverage ratios — the higher these are the more efficient an enterprise will be in meeting its financial obligations. Here we have discussed one such ratio called the interest coverage ratio.
Interest Coverage Ratio = Earnings before Interest & Taxes (EBIT) divided by Interest Expense.
National Fuel Gas Company (NFG - Free Report) , Herc Holdings Inc. (HRI - Free Report) , ONEOK, Inc. (OKE - Free Report) and CECO Environmental Corp. are four stocks with an impressive interest coverage ratio.
Why Interest Coverage Ratio?
The interest coverage ratio is used to determine how effectively a company can pay the interest charged on its debt.
Debt, which is crucial for most companies to finance operations, comes at a cost called interest. Interest expense has a direct bearing on the profits of a company. The company’s creditworthiness depends on how effectively it meets its interest obligations. Therefore, the interest coverage ratio is one of the important criteria to factor in before making any investment decision.
The interest coverage ratio suggests the number of times interest could be paid from earnings and also gauges the margin of safety a firm carries for paying interest.
An interest coverage ratio lower than 1.0 implies that the company is unable to fulfill its interest obligations and could default on repaying debt. A company that is capable of generating earnings well above its interest expense can withstand financial hardship. Definitely, one should also track the company’s past performance to determine whether the interest coverage ratio has improved or worsened over a period of time.
What’s the Strategy?
Apart from having an interest coverage ratio that is more than the industry average, adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a VGM Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to better results.
Interest coverage ratio greater than X-Industry Median
Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.
5-Year Historical EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: Stocks that have a strong EPS growth history.
Projected EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: This is the projected EPS growth over the next three to five years. This shows that the stock has near-term earnings growth potential.
Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.
Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.
VGM Score of less than or equal to 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 four picks out of the seven stocks that qualified the screening:
National Fuel Gas Company, a diversified energy company, sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of B. Its expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 13.6%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for National Fuel Gas Company’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 30.3% and 39.9%, respectively, from the year-ago period. National Fuel Gas Company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.1%, on average. The stock has risen 10.8% in the past year.
Herc Holdings, which operates as an equipment rental supplier in the United States and internationally, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of A. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 23.9%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Herc Holdings’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 30% and 57.1%, respectively, from the year-ago period. HRI has declined 34.7% in the past year.
ONEOK, which is engaged in gathering, processing, storage, and transportation of natural gas in the United States, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of A. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 7.5%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ONEOK’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 50.6% and 10.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period. ONEOK has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 2.5%, on average. The stock has declined 11.9% in the past year.
CECO Environmental, a leading environmentally focused, diversified industrial company, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of B. The expected EPS growth rate for three-five years is 15%.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CECE’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 21.6% and 125%, respectively, from the year-ago period. CECO Environmental has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 29.1%, on average. The stock has rallied 34.1% in the past year.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.
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.