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5 Broker-Favorite Stocks to Keep an Eye On Amid Current Volatility
U.S. equity markets have been gripped by extreme volatility lately, thanks to the DeepSeek-induced turbulence and escalating trade tensions. Concerns over the Federal Reserve’s rate cut plans have also contributed significantly to the volatility.
However, this volatile scenario does not mean that investors should shy away from investing in stocks. Broker-favored stocks like General Motors, Dana, Valero Energy, National Vision Holdings and Avis Budget Group are worth keeping on one’s radar for healthy returns despite this uncertainty.
We have designed a screen to shortlist stocks based on improving broker recommendations and upward revisions in earnings estimates over the past four weeks. Also, since the price/sales ratio is a strong complementary valuation metric in the presence of broker information, it has been included. The price/sales ratio takes care of the company’s top line, making the strategy a well-rounded one.
Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:
Based in Detroit, MI, General Motors is one of the world’s largest automakers. The company’s massive electric vehicle (EV) push is commendable. General Motors is advancing well in its electrification journey. It aims to achieve improved sales and profitability in its EV business by reducing battery costs, introducing new models and expanding scale.
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings has moved up 6.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for General Motors’ 2025 earnings indicates 6.7% growth from the 2024 actual. GM, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.8%, on average. GM shares have gained 29.6% in a year.
Dana is a provider of power conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery in North America, Europe, South America and the Asia Pacific. The company is headquartered in Maumee, OH.
DAN currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAN’s 2025 earnings has been revised 15.4% upward over the past 60 days.
Valero Energy operates an extensive refinery network across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, with a strategic infrastructure that supports diverse customer needs. Among all the independent refiners, Valero offers the most diversified refinery base.
Valero surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the last four reported quarters (missing the mark in the remaining quarter). The average beat is 101.2%. VLO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
National Vision is a leading optical retailer. It is deploying remote medicine technology in tandem with electronic health record technology to drive expanded capacity, improve in-store efficiencies and improve patient experience.
Following a comprehensive store fleet review, National Vision is taking actions to improve the overall health of the core business and deploy capital to growth initiatives. National Vision surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an earnings surprise of 93.7%, on average. EYE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.
Avis Budget is based in Parsippany, N.J. The car rental industry, particularly in North America, has been experiencing strong demand driven by changes in consumer behavior, including an emphasis on short-term vehicle access rather than ownership. Avis Budget’s strong market share positions it to capitalize on these trends.
Avis Budget's strategic management of its fleet, including acquiring vehicles at favorable prices and quickly adjusting its fleet size based on demand, has contributed to better operational efficiency. Avis Budget currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CAR’s 2025 earnings has remained stable at $3.69 per share over the past seven days.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for a 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software. You can also create your own strategies and test them first before making investments.
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.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
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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Zacks.com featured highlights General Motors, Dana, Valero, National Vision and Avis Budget
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – February 4, 2025 – Stocks in this week’s article are General Motors (GM - Free Report) , Dana (DAN - Free Report) , Valero Energy (VLO - Free Report) , National Vision Holdings (EYE - Free Report) and Avis Budget Group (CAR - Free Report) .
5 Broker-Favorite Stocks to Keep an Eye On Amid Current Volatility
U.S. equity markets have been gripped by extreme volatility lately, thanks to the DeepSeek-induced turbulence and escalating trade tensions. Concerns over the Federal Reserve’s rate cut plans have also contributed significantly to the volatility.
However, this volatile scenario does not mean that investors should shy away from investing in stocks. Broker-favored stocks like General Motors, Dana, Valero Energy, National Vision Holdings and Avis Budget Group are worth keeping on one’s radar for healthy returns despite this uncertainty.
We have designed a screen to shortlist stocks based on improving broker recommendations and upward revisions in earnings estimates over the past four weeks. Also, since the price/sales ratio is a strong complementary valuation metric in the presence of broker information, it has been included. The price/sales ratio takes care of the company’s top line, making the strategy a well-rounded one.
Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:
Based in Detroit, MI, General Motors is one of the world’s largest automakers. The company’s massive electric vehicle (EV) push is commendable. General Motors is advancing well in its electrification journey. It aims to achieve improved sales and profitability in its EV business by reducing battery costs, introducing new models and expanding scale.
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 earnings has moved up 6.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for General Motors’ 2025 earnings indicates 6.7% growth from the 2024 actual. GM, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.8%, on average. GM shares have gained 29.6% in a year.
You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Dana is a provider of power conveyance and energy-management solutions for vehicles and machinery in North America, Europe, South America and the Asia Pacific. The company is headquartered in Maumee, OH.
DAN currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for DAN’s 2025 earnings has been revised 15.4% upward over the past 60 days.
Valero Energy operates an extensive refinery network across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean, with a strategic infrastructure that supports diverse customer needs. Among all the independent refiners, Valero offers the most diversified refinery base.
Valero surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the last four reported quarters (missing the mark in the remaining quarter). The average beat is 101.2%. VLO currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
National Vision is a leading optical retailer. It is deploying remote medicine technology in tandem with electronic health record technology to drive expanded capacity, improve in-store efficiencies and improve patient experience.
Following a comprehensive store fleet review, National Vision is taking actions to improve the overall health of the core business and deploy capital to growth initiatives. National Vision surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, delivering an earnings surprise of 93.7%, on average. EYE currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.
Avis Budget is based in Parsippany, N.J. The car rental industry, particularly in North America, has been experiencing strong demand driven by changes in consumer behavior, including an emphasis on short-term vehicle access rather than ownership. Avis Budget’s strong market share positions it to capitalize on these trends.
Avis Budget's strategic management of its fleet, including acquiring vehicles at favorable prices and quickly adjusting its fleet size based on demand, has contributed to better operational efficiency. Avis Budget currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CAR’s 2025 earnings has remained stable at $3.69 per share over the past seven days.
You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for a 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software. You can also create your own strategies and test them first before making investments.
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.
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2408648/5-broker-favorite-stocks-to-keep-an-eye-on-amid-current-volatility
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Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.
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.