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3 Top-Ranked Stocks Displaying Immense Relative Strength

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Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but stocks making new highs tend to make even higher highs, especially when analysts' positive earnings estimate revisions roll in.

By targeting stocks breaking out or near new highs, investors find themselves in favorable trends where buyers are in control.

Three stocks – General Electric (GE - Free Report) , Lamb Weston (LW - Free Report) , and Novo Nordisk (NVO - Free Report) – are all pushing 52-week highs. Below is a chart illustrating the performance of all three over the last year, with the S&P 500 blended in as a benchmark.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Let’s take a closer look at how each company currently stacks up.

General Electric

General Electric is on deck to reveal quarterly results this week; currently, the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate of $0.13 indicates a 45% year-over-year pullback in earnings. The stock is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The market took the company’s latest quarterly results in stride, sending shares soaring post-earnings. GE posted earnings of $1.11 per share, handily beating the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate by more than 11%.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Lamb Weston

Lamb Weston Holdings is a leading global manufacturer, marketer, and distributor of value-added frozen potato products. The company’s earnings outlook has shifted higher across all timeframes, helping land the stock into a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The company boasts a stellar earnings track record, exceeding the Zacks Consensus EPS Estimate by double-digit percentages in six consecutive quarters. Just in its latest release, Lamb Weston penciled in a 46% EPS beat paired with a 6.5% positive sales surprise.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

In addition, Lamb Weston boasts a shareholder-friendly nature, carrying a 7.1% five-year annualized dividend growth rate. The company’s annual dividend presently yields 1%, below the Zacks Consumer Staples sector average.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Novo Nordisk

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare company and a leader in the worldwide diabetes market. Like the others above, the company has seen its near-term earnings outlook shift bright, pushing it into a favorable Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Value-focused investors may not find NVO shares attractive, with the company’s 38.2X forward earnings multiple sitting well above the 24.3X five-year median and Zacks Medical sector average. Novo Nordisk carries a Style Score of “D” for value.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

However, the company’s projected growth is hard to ignore, making the premium investors pay for shares less painful. Regarding the bottom line, earnings are forecasted to soar 30% in its current fiscal year (FY23) and a further 17% in FY24.

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Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Bottom Line

Stocks making or pushing 52-week highs display great momentum, with buyers fully in control. By targeting these stocks, investors can insert themselves in favorable trends.

And all three stocks above ­– General Electric (GE - Free Report) , Lamb Weston (LW - Free Report) , and Novo Nordisk (NVO - Free Report) – are pushing 52-week highs, indicating favorable sentiment among market participants.

In addition, all three sport an improved earnings outlook, helping provide shares the fuel they need to continue climbing.


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GE Aerospace (GE) - free report >>

Novo Nordisk A/S (NVO) - free report >>

Lamb Weston (LW) - free report >>

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