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5 High ROE Stocks to Buy as China Covid Deaths Spark Concern

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The U.S. equity markets declined in the past few trading sessions as fresh Covid-19 deaths in China sparked concerns regarding the resumption of market restrictions and strict measures to curb the spread of the infection. This put the brakes on a short-term rally witnessed in the past week driven by better-than-expected inflation data, which showed that the producer price index rose 0.2% in October against broad-based expectations of a 0.4% increase. However, the recent decline dented the hopes of a speedy recovery in the global economy and put the markets on tenterhooks.

Meanwhile, investors await the release of the minutes from the Fed’s November meeting for definite cues to the future rate hike program and its likely impact on the economy. With the fourth successive 75 basis point increase, the Fed has vowed to continue its aggressive rate hike policy to curb high inflationary pressure, which is yet to recede from its near 40-year highs, fueling speculations that more interest rate hikes are in the pipeline.

As investors employ a wait-and-see approach in a classic example of “backing and filling” in the market, they can benefit from “cash cow” stocks that garner higher returns. However, identifying cash-rich stocks alone does not make for a solid investment proposition unless it is backed by attractive efficiency ratios like return on equity (ROE). A high ROE ensures that the company is reinvesting cash at a high rate of return. Jabil Inc. (JBL - Free Report) , Ryder System, Inc. (R - Free Report) , AGNC Investment Corp. (AGNC - Free Report) , CNH Industrial N.V. (CNHI - Free Report) and Equinor ASA (EQNR - Free Report) are some of the stocks with high ROE to profit from.

ROE: A Key Metric

ROE = Net Income/Shareholders’ Equity

ROE helps investors distinguish profit-generating companies from profit burners and is useful in determining the financial health of a company. In other words, this financial metric enables investors to identify companies that diligently deploy cash for higher returns.

Moreover, ROE is often used to compare the profitability of a company with other firms in the industry — the higher, the better. It measures how well a company is multiplying its profits without investing new equity capital and portrays management’s efficiency in rewarding shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Parameters Used for Screening

In order to shortlist stocks that are cash-rich with high ROE, we have added Cash Flow greater than $1 billion and ROE greater than X-Industry as our primary screening parameters. In addition, we have taken a few other criteria into consideration to arrive at a winning strategy.

Price/Cash Flow lesser than X-Industry: This metric measures how much investors pay for $1 of free cash flow. A lower ratio indicates that investors need to pay less for a better cash flow-generating stock.

Return on Assets (ROA) greater than X-Industry: This metric determines how much profit a company earns for every dollar of asset, which includes cash, accounts receivable, property, equipment, inventory and furniture. The higher the ROA, the better it is for the company.

5-Year EPS Historical Growth greater than X-Industry: This criterion indicates that continued earnings momentum has translated into solid cash strength.   

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.

Here are five of the eight stocks that qualified the screen:

Jabil: Headquartered in St. Petersburg, FL, Jabil is one of the largest global suppliers of electronic manufacturing services. The company offers electronics design, product management and after-market services to customers catering to aerospace, automotive, computing, consumer, defense, industrial, instrumentation, medical, networking, peripherals, storage and telecommunications industries.

It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.3%, on average, and has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 12%. Currently, Jabil sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Ryder System: Florida-based Ryder System is recognized as one of the world's largest providers of integrated logistics and transportation solutions. It serves a variety of industries, the most significant of which are automotive, electronics, transportation, grocery, lumber and wood products, food service and home furnishing.

The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 30.1%, on average. Ryder System carries a Zacks Rank #2.

AGNC Investment: Previously known as American Capital Agency Corp., AGNC Investment is a real estate investment trust focused on leveraged investments in Agency residential mortgage-backed securities. That includes residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations.  

AGNC Investment adheres to an active portfolio-management policy, which includes re-evaluation and adjustment of its portfolio and hedges amid a varying interest rate and mortgage market environment. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 22.1%, on average. AGNC Investment sports a Zacks Rank #1.

CNH Industrial: Headquartered in London, the United Kingdom, CNH Industrial is one of the leading equipment and services companies engaged in the manufacture and sale of agricultural and construction equipment. Currently, CNH Industrial has a commercial presence in approximately 180 countries.  

The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 18.9%, on average. CNH Industrial sports a Zacks Rank #1.

Equinor: Headquartered in Stavanger, Norway, Equinor is one of the premier integrated energy companies in the world, with operations spreading across 30 countries. In Europe, the company is the second-largest supplier of natural gas. Equinor is also a leading seller of crude oil.

Equinor delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.2%, on average. It sports a Zacks Rank #1.

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 test 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.

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