U.S. equity markets have been on the back foot ever since the war between Iran and Israel, backed by the United States, began. The geopolitical conflicts between the nations have resulted in soaring crude oil and natural gas prices. The major oil supply line — the Strait of Hormuz — controlled by Iran, remained severely disturbed. About 20% of globally traded oil passes through this critical shipping route. This disruption has raised concerns about global inflation. 

Moreover, highly elevated valuations of AI stocks and uncertainty surrounding the durability of large-scale AI investments have hurt the technology sector. The crisis in crypto, especially Bitcoin, has further exacerbated the uncertainty.

Despite this turbulent scenario, investors should not shy away from investing in stocks. Keeping a tab on broker-favored stocks like Cable One (CABO Quick QuoteCABO - Free Report) , Cooper-Standard (CPS Quick QuoteCPS - Free Report) , Phillips 66 (PSX Quick QuotePSX - Free Report) , AMN Healthcare Services (AMN Quick QuoteAMN - Free Report) and ArcBest Corporation (ARCB Quick QuoteARCB - Free Report) appears judicious.

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.

Screening Criteria

# (Up- Down Rating)/ Total (4 weeks) =Top #75: This gives the list of top 75 companies that have witnessed net upgrades over the last 4 weeks.

% change in Q (1) est. (4 weeks) = Top #10: This gives the top 10 stocks that have witnessed earnings estimate revisions over the past 4 weeks for the upcoming quarter.

To ensure that the strategy is a winning one, covering all bases, we have added the following screening parameters:

Price-to-Sales = Bot%10: The lower the ratio, the better. Companies meeting this criterion are in the bottom 10% of our universe of over 7,700 stocks with respect to this ratio.

Price greater than 5: A stock trading below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most investors.

Average Daily Volume greater than 100,000 shares over the last 20 trading days: Volume has to be significant to ensure that these are easily traded.

Market value ($ mil) = Top #3000: This gives us stocks that are the top 3000 if one judges by market capitalization.

Com/ADR/Canadian = Com: This takes out the ADR and Canadian stocks.

Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:

Cable One is poised for meaningful growth in 2026, driven by a series of strategic actions that strengthen its competitive foundation. In January 2026, the company announced a definitive agreement to acquire full ownership of Mega Broadband Investments (Vyve Broadband), adding approximately $310 million in annual revenues, 210,000 customers and 675,000 passings across 16 states. This deal deepens Cable One's rural broadband presence and unlocks meaningful operational efficiencies at scale.

Cable One currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company has an unimpressive surprise history, with its earnings surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate once in the last four quarters and missing thrice. The average miss is 55.4%.

You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Cooper-Standard’s continued progress in margin expansion underscores the effectiveness of its lean manufacturing, restructuring and cost discipline initiatives. CPS is capitalizing on the rising complexity of hybrid and battery electric vehicles, which require more advanced thermal and fluid management systems. 

Cooper-Standard’s current-year earnings are expected to soar 289% from the year-ago actuals. CPS currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). 

Phillips 66 is the leading player in each of its operations, like refining, chemicals and midstream, in terms of size, efficiency and strength. Diversification across multiple sectors tends to result in less volatile cash flows compared to companies focused solely on refining.

PSX is on track to enhance its potential in every business segment by streamlining its portfolio of assets and investing in growing developments. The leading refiner is pursuing a strategy focused on divesting assets outside its core operations, aiming to reallocate the proceeds to more strategic priorities like enhancing shareholder returns while reducing debt. Phillips 66 currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). PSX’s earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in three of the past four quarters and missed once, the average beat being 16.3%.

AMN Healthcare Services' business has evolved beyond traditional healthcare staffing and recruitment services, thereby becoming a strategic total talent solutions partner with its clients. Changes in demand for healthcare services, particularly at acute healthcare hospitals and other inpatient facilities, like skilled nursing facilities, affect the demand for AMN Healthcare’s services. 

AMN Healthcare’s unique MSP is helping the company gain market traction. Notably, the program helps streamline the entire workforce planning process, which facilitates the delivery of improved patient care. This has resulted in a large network of improved patient care and improved efficiency. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.

ArcBest provides freight transportation services and solutions. The company is based in Fort Smith, AR. ArcBest is being well-served by its efforts to control costs, improve productivity and enhance service quality.

The company expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 28.9% on a year-over-year basis. Its earnings have missed the consensus mark in three of the last four quarters and beat the mark in the remaining quarter. The average miss is 5.9%. ArcBest currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.