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5 Broker-Friendly Stocks to Keep an Eye On as Inflation Fears Persist
Inflation has climbed sharply in recent months, while ongoing geopolitical tensions have driven global oil prices higher. In March, inflation reached its highest level in nearly a year as the conflict with Iran triggered a surge in energy prices. Inflation had also increased in February. The spike in inflation further weakened expectations of an interest rate cut in the near term, with several Federal Reserve officials now even weighing the possibility of a rate hike.
Last month, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged amid growing investor concerns about the health of the economy. Despite this volatile environment, investors should not shy away from equities. Instead, they should keep an eye on broker-favored stocks such as Helen of Troy, Bunge Global, Avnet, Bloomin' Brands and Select Medical.
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:
Helen of Troy is advancing its growth strategy through a focused portfolio of Leadership Brands, including OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, which continue to deliver solid performance supported by innovation, new product launches and strong e-commerce execution across channels and key retail partners.
The company’s Elevate for Growth agenda, along with Project Pegasus, is driving efficiency, cost optimization and supply-chain improvements, helping mitigate tariff pressures and enhance long-term profitability. Strategic initiatives such as global expansion, digital commerce investments, social selling and active portfolio management are expected to support growth, while strong cash flow generation is aiding debt reduction and improving overall financial flexibility.
Helen of Troy, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), expects its current-quarter revenues to increase 0.9% year over year. HELE’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters, missed once and matched once. The average miss is 5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Bunge is a global agribusiness and food company worldwide. The company is executing a fundamental transformation anchored by the Viterra merger, expanding global origination, and processing scale and logistics efficiency. Management is prioritizing synergy capture, portfolio optimization and disciplined capital allocation to strengthen cash flows, reduce earnings volatility and enhance long-term returns across agricultural cycles.
Bunge, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. BG’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in each of the last four quarters, the average beat being 27.5%.
Avnet, a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 11.6% over the past 60 days.
Avnet is benefiting from the strength of the defense and data center end markets. A continued focus on enhancing IoT capabilities is helping it expand into newer markets and gain customers. Better sales execution is anticipated to aid revenue growth in the near term.
Bloomin’ Brands is one of the world’s largest casual and upscale dining restaurant operators. Bloomin’ Brands manages and operates nearly 1,500 restaurants in the United States and internationally.
Bloomin’ Brands, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), expects its 2026 earnings per share to decrease 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained stable over the past seven days.
Select Medical is benefiting from steady volume-led growth, supported by rising patient admissions, improving occupancy and disciplined capacity expansion across its specialty care platform. Strategic acquisitions, JVs, and planned facility additions are strengthening its market position and enhancing long-term revenue visibility. An aging population and increasing demand for post-acute care further support growth.
Select Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 7.4% over the past 60 days.
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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 include Helen of Troy, Bunge Global, Avnet, Bloomin' Brands and Select Medical
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – May 8, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are Helen of Troy (HELE - Free Report) , Bunge Global (BG - Free Report) , Avnet (AVT - Free Report) , Bloomin' Brands (BLMN - Free Report) and Select Medical (SEM - Free Report) .
5 Broker-Friendly Stocks to Keep an Eye On as Inflation Fears Persist
Inflation has climbed sharply in recent months, while ongoing geopolitical tensions have driven global oil prices higher. In March, inflation reached its highest level in nearly a year as the conflict with Iran triggered a surge in energy prices. Inflation had also increased in February. The spike in inflation further weakened expectations of an interest rate cut in the near term, with several Federal Reserve officials now even weighing the possibility of a rate hike.
Last month, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged amid growing investor concerns about the health of the economy. Despite this volatile environment, investors should not shy away from equities. Instead, they should keep an eye on broker-favored stocks such as Helen of Troy, Bunge Global, Avnet, Bloomin' Brands and Select Medical.
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:
Helen of Troy is advancing its growth strategy through a focused portfolio of Leadership Brands, including OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, which continue to deliver solid performance supported by innovation, new product launches and strong e-commerce execution across channels and key retail partners.
The company’s Elevate for Growth agenda, along with Project Pegasus, is driving efficiency, cost optimization and supply-chain improvements, helping mitigate tariff pressures and enhance long-term profitability. Strategic initiatives such as global expansion, digital commerce investments, social selling and active portfolio management are expected to support growth, while strong cash flow generation is aiding debt reduction and improving overall financial flexibility.
Helen of Troy, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), expects its current-quarter revenues to increase 0.9% year over year. HELE’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters, missed once and matched once. The average miss is 5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Bunge is a global agribusiness and food company worldwide. The company is executing a fundamental transformation anchored by the Viterra merger, expanding global origination, and processing scale and logistics efficiency. Management is prioritizing synergy capture, portfolio optimization and disciplined capital allocation to strengthen cash flows, reduce earnings volatility and enhance long-term returns across agricultural cycles.
Bunge, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. BG’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in each of the last four quarters, the average beat being 27.5%.
Avnet, a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 11.6% over the past 60 days.
Avnet is benefiting from the strength of the defense and data center end markets. A continued focus on enhancing IoT capabilities is helping it expand into newer markets and gain customers. Better sales execution is anticipated to aid revenue growth in the near term.
Bloomin’ Brands is one of the world’s largest casual and upscale dining restaurant operators. Bloomin’ Brands manages and operates nearly 1,500 restaurants in the United States and internationally.
Bloomin’ Brands, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), expects its 2026 earnings per share to decrease 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained stable over the past seven days.
Select Medical is benefiting from steady volume-led growth, supported by rising patient admissions, improving occupancy and disciplined capacity expansion across its specialty care platform. Strategic acquisitions, JVs, and planned facility additions are strengthening its market position and enhancing long-term revenue visibility. An aging population and increasing demand for post-acute care further support growth.
Select Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 7.4% over the past 60 days.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2917279/5-broker-friendly-stocks-to-keep-an-eye-on-as-inflation-fears-persist
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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.