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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Runway Growth Finance, Cisco Systems, Kimberly Clark, NiSource and Omnicom
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 28, 2023 – 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: Runway Growth Finance Corp. (RWAY - Free Report) , Cisco Systems (CSCO - Free Report) , Kimberly Clark (KMB - Free Report) , NiSource (NI - Free Report) and Omnicom Group (OMC - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Top Ultra-Safe Stocks to Buy as Economic Downturn Looms
Elevated prices of essential commodities, considerably higher interest rates, and at present tightening credit situations no doubt are likely to weigh on business investment and consumer outlays in the United States. First-quarter GDP growth is widely expected to be moderate, while the index of future economic activity recently posted a record drop, indicating a forthcoming economic slump.
The Leading Economic Index (LEI) of the Conference Board dropped to 108.4 in March from the revised reading of 109.7 in February and has registered the 12th monthly drop in a row. It’s also the lowest reading since November 2020, when the economy grappled with the outbreak of the coronavirus.
From September 2022 to March 2023, the LEI fell by 4.5%, thereby signaling a recession for quite a long time. Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager at the Conference Board, in reality, expects the U.S. economy to be in recession by mid-2023 (read more: 5 Top Stocks to Buy as Recession Fright Intensifies).
Investment activities in businesses, meanwhile, are softening, thanks to stubbornly high inflation. Orders for durable goods have decreased in recent times, while spending took a beating due to the higher cost of capital. China’s reopening and solid first-quarter GDP growth are yet to uplift business sentiment in the United States.
Being an interest-rate-sensitive sector, housing is also struggling at the moment. Home sales lessened over the past year, while construction activities decreased, indicating substantial pressure on the housing sector in the upcoming months. Let us also not forget that housing affordability remains at an all-time low.
Amid all these, the banking crisis in the United States has increased worries about economic growth. The recent collapse of some of the regional banks has impacted credit growth, and in all likelihood, is expected to derail real GDP growth. What’s more, First Republic Banks’ recent declaration that its deposits decreased significantly in the first quarter reignited fears about the current health of the entire banking system.
The United States, by the way, is already witnessing a freight recession, signaling a broader slowdown in economic growth. Fewer trucks are now delivering goods, leading to a significant decline in diesel prices.
Given that the United States is worryingly close to an economic downturn, the stock market is now undoubtedly subjected to bouts of volatility. Hence, astute investors should place their bets on ultra-safe stocks that can counter such upheavals in the market and provide a steady stream of income.
To select such stocks, we have chosen those that have a low beta (ranges from 0 to 1), making them unperturbed to market vagaries. These stocks also provide dividends, meaning they have a solid business model that helps them counter market volatility. They have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Runway Growth Finance Corp. is an externally managed business development company. The company has a beta of 0.75 and a Zacks Rank #1.
RWAY has a dividend yield of 14.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 14% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 28.1%.
Cisco Systems is an IP-based networking company offering products and services to service providers, companies, commercial users and individuals. The company has a beta of 1 and a Zacks Rank #2.
CSCO has a dividend yield of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.5% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 11.9%.
Kimberly Clark is principally engaged in manufacturing and marketing a wide range of consumer products worldwide. The company has a beta of 0.41 and a Zacks Rank #2.
KMB has a dividend yield of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 5.5%.
NiSource is an energy holding company and together with its subsidiaries provides natural gas, electricity, and other products and services in the United States. The company has a beta of 0.47 and a Zacks Rank #2.
NI has a dividend yield of 3.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 1.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 6.8%.
Omnicom Group is one of the largest advertising, marketing and corporate communications companies in the world. The company has a beta of 0.83 and a Zacks Rank #2.
OMC has a dividend yield of 3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 2.8% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 6.1%.
Why Haven’t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
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.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Runway Growth Finance, Cisco Systems, Kimberly Clark, NiSource and Omnicom
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 28, 2023 – 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: Runway Growth Finance Corp. (RWAY - Free Report) , Cisco Systems (CSCO - Free Report) , Kimberly Clark (KMB - Free Report) , NiSource (NI - Free Report) and Omnicom Group (OMC - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Top Ultra-Safe Stocks to Buy as Economic Downturn Looms
Elevated prices of essential commodities, considerably higher interest rates, and at present tightening credit situations no doubt are likely to weigh on business investment and consumer outlays in the United States. First-quarter GDP growth is widely expected to be moderate, while the index of future economic activity recently posted a record drop, indicating a forthcoming economic slump.
The Leading Economic Index (LEI) of the Conference Board dropped to 108.4 in March from the revised reading of 109.7 in February and has registered the 12th monthly drop in a row. It’s also the lowest reading since November 2020, when the economy grappled with the outbreak of the coronavirus.
From September 2022 to March 2023, the LEI fell by 4.5%, thereby signaling a recession for quite a long time. Justyna Zabinska-La Monica, Senior Manager at the Conference Board, in reality, expects the U.S. economy to be in recession by mid-2023 (read more: 5 Top Stocks to Buy as Recession Fright Intensifies).
Investment activities in businesses, meanwhile, are softening, thanks to stubbornly high inflation. Orders for durable goods have decreased in recent times, while spending took a beating due to the higher cost of capital. China’s reopening and solid first-quarter GDP growth are yet to uplift business sentiment in the United States.
Being an interest-rate-sensitive sector, housing is also struggling at the moment. Home sales lessened over the past year, while construction activities decreased, indicating substantial pressure on the housing sector in the upcoming months. Let us also not forget that housing affordability remains at an all-time low.
Amid all these, the banking crisis in the United States has increased worries about economic growth. The recent collapse of some of the regional banks has impacted credit growth, and in all likelihood, is expected to derail real GDP growth. What’s more, First Republic Banks’ recent declaration that its deposits decreased significantly in the first quarter reignited fears about the current health of the entire banking system.
The United States, by the way, is already witnessing a freight recession, signaling a broader slowdown in economic growth. Fewer trucks are now delivering goods, leading to a significant decline in diesel prices.
Given that the United States is worryingly close to an economic downturn, the stock market is now undoubtedly subjected to bouts of volatility. Hence, astute investors should place their bets on ultra-safe stocks that can counter such upheavals in the market and provide a steady stream of income.
To select such stocks, we have chosen those that have a low beta (ranges from 0 to 1), making them unperturbed to market vagaries. These stocks also provide dividends, meaning they have a solid business model that helps them counter market volatility. They have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Runway Growth Finance Corp. is an externally managed business development company. The company has a beta of 0.75 and a Zacks Rank #1.
RWAY has a dividend yield of 14.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 14% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 28.1%.
Cisco Systems is an IP-based networking company offering products and services to service providers, companies, commercial users and individuals. The company has a beta of 1 and a Zacks Rank #2.
CSCO has a dividend yield of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.5% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 11.9%.
Kimberly Clark is principally engaged in manufacturing and marketing a wide range of consumer products worldwide. The company has a beta of 0.41 and a Zacks Rank #2.
KMB has a dividend yield of 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 5.5%.
NiSource is an energy holding company and together with its subsidiaries provides natural gas, electricity, and other products and services in the United States. The company has a beta of 0.47 and a Zacks Rank #2.
NI has a dividend yield of 3.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 1.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 6.8%.
Omnicom Group is one of the largest advertising, marketing and corporate communications companies in the world. The company has a beta of 0.83 and a Zacks Rank #2.
OMC has a dividend yield of 3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 2.8% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 6.1%.
Why Haven’t You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +6.2 average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +46.4%, +49.5% and +55.2% per year. Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
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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.