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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Blucora, Limbach, Deluxe, Barrett Business and Insperity
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL –June 11, 2019 – 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: Blucora, Inc. , Limbach Holdings, Inc. (LMB - Free Report) , Deluxe Corporation (DLX - Free Report) , Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI - Free Report) and Insperity, Inc. (NSP - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
These 5 Stocks Defy Dismal Jobs Data
Job additions in the United States slowed significantly in May, raising fresh questions about the state of the economy. Wage increases also came in below expectations, leading economists to predict that a rate cut is in the offing. The broad-based decline in hiring occurred before a step-up in U.S.-China trade tensions, which is likely to act as a drag on the economy.
However, things aren’t as dismal as they seem at first glance. Firstly, unemployment remains at a 50-year low. A broader measure of joblessness declined to a near 20-year low. Further, layoffs remain low and the current pace of job gains is high enough to absorb the growth in the working-age population.
Professional and business services remain at the forefront of job gains. Adding stocks from this sector looks like a smart choice at this point. However, picking winning stocks may prove to be difficult.
Unemployment Remains at 50-Year Low
The U.S. economy added only 75,000 jobs in May, significantly lower than the consensus estimate of 180,000. This is the second time in four months that job additions have come in under the 100,000 mark. Further, job gains for the preceding two months were revised downward.
Job additions for March were reduced from 189,000 to 153,000. Meanwhile, April’s jobs numbers were lowered from 263,000 to 224,000. This has effectively resulted in a reduction of 75,000 jobs from the preceding two months.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom on the jobs front. In keeping with forecasts, the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%, the lowest level recorded since 1969. The U6 unemployment rate, which includes people forced into part-time work and people only sporadically looking for jobs, declined from 7.3% to 7.1%, the lowest level since December 2000.
Professional and Business Services Lead Gains
At the forefront of job gains were healthcare, and the leisure and hospitality sectors, which added 16,000, and 26,000 jobs, respectively. However, the largest contributor to job additions was professional and business services with 33,000 new jobs. The sector has added 498,000 jobs in the last 12 months.
These have been the three-fastest growing sectors for the economy during the current nearly decade-long economic expansion. This comes as no surprise as services have remained a bright spot even as trade-related conflicts weigh on the broader economy.
After two straight months of decline, the ISM services index staged a strong rebound in May. The gauge hit 56.9% last month, exceeding both the consensus estimate of 55% and April’s reading of 55.5%. It was also the second-highest reading for the year with 16 service-oriented industries registering an expansion.
Our Choices
May’s dismal job figures have come as a bolt from the blue, leading to fresh concerns about the U.S. economy. However, the unemployment rate remains at a 50-year low and other gauges of jobless have registered a decline. This could likely be a temporary blip before the jobs market resumes its robust trajectory.
Professional and business services remain at the forefront of job gains. Adding stocks from this sector looks like a smart choice at this point. However, picking winning stocks may prove to be difficult.
This is where our VGM Score comes in. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score.
We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and VGM Score.
Blucora, Inc. provides technology-enabled financial solutions to consumers, small businesses and tax professionals.
Blucora has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 15.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 8.9% over the past 60 days.
Limbach Holdings, Inc.is a provider of commercial specialty contract services.
Limbach Holdings has a Zacks Rank #1 and VGM Score of B. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 35.7% over the past 30 days.
Deluxe Corporation is a provider of forms, accessories, checks and marketing solutions, and related services and products.
Deluxe Corp has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 12.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 17.6% over the past 60 days. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Barrett Business Services, Inc. provides light industrial, clerical and technical employees to a wide range of businesses through staff leasing, contract staffing, site management and temporary staffing arrangements.
Barrett Business Services has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 10.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1.7% over the past 60 days.
Insperity, Inc. is an integrated human resources and business solutions provider.
Insperity has a Zacks Rank #2 and VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 25.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 2.2% over the past 60 days.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Blucora, Limbach, Deluxe, Barrett Business and Insperity
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL –June 11, 2019 – 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: Blucora, Inc. , Limbach Holdings, Inc. (LMB - Free Report) , Deluxe Corporation (DLX - Free Report) , Barrett Business Services, Inc. (BBSI - Free Report) and Insperity, Inc. (NSP - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
These 5 Stocks Defy Dismal Jobs Data
Job additions in the United States slowed significantly in May, raising fresh questions about the state of the economy. Wage increases also came in below expectations, leading economists to predict that a rate cut is in the offing. The broad-based decline in hiring occurred before a step-up in U.S.-China trade tensions, which is likely to act as a drag on the economy.
However, things aren’t as dismal as they seem at first glance. Firstly, unemployment remains at a 50-year low. A broader measure of joblessness declined to a near 20-year low. Further, layoffs remain low and the current pace of job gains is high enough to absorb the growth in the working-age population.
Professional and business services remain at the forefront of job gains. Adding stocks from this sector looks like a smart choice at this point. However, picking winning stocks may prove to be difficult.
Unemployment Remains at 50-Year Low
The U.S. economy added only 75,000 jobs in May, significantly lower than the consensus estimate of 180,000. This is the second time in four months that job additions have come in under the 100,000 mark. Further, job gains for the preceding two months were revised downward.
Job additions for March were reduced from 189,000 to 153,000. Meanwhile, April’s jobs numbers were lowered from 263,000 to 224,000. This has effectively resulted in a reduction of 75,000 jobs from the preceding two months.
But it isn’t all doom and gloom on the jobs front. In keeping with forecasts, the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%, the lowest level recorded since 1969. The U6 unemployment rate, which includes people forced into part-time work and people only sporadically looking for jobs, declined from 7.3% to 7.1%, the lowest level since December 2000.
Professional and Business Services Lead Gains
At the forefront of job gains were healthcare, and the leisure and hospitality sectors, which added 16,000, and 26,000 jobs, respectively. However, the largest contributor to job additions was professional and business services with 33,000 new jobs. The sector has added 498,000 jobs in the last 12 months.
These have been the three-fastest growing sectors for the economy during the current nearly decade-long economic expansion. This comes as no surprise as services have remained a bright spot even as trade-related conflicts weigh on the broader economy.
After two straight months of decline, the ISM services index staged a strong rebound in May. The gauge hit 56.9% last month, exceeding both the consensus estimate of 55% and April’s reading of 55.5%. It was also the second-highest reading for the year with 16 service-oriented industries registering an expansion.
Our Choices
May’s dismal job figures have come as a bolt from the blue, leading to fresh concerns about the U.S. economy. However, the unemployment rate remains at a 50-year low and other gauges of jobless have registered a decline. This could likely be a temporary blip before the jobs market resumes its robust trajectory.
Professional and business services remain at the forefront of job gains. Adding stocks from this sector looks like a smart choice at this point. However, picking winning stocks may prove to be difficult.
This is where our VGM Score comes in. Here V stands for Value, G for Growth and M for Momentum and the score is a weighted combination of these three scores. Such a score allows you to eliminate the negative aspects of stocks and select winners. However, it is important to keep in mind that each Style Score will carry a different weight while arriving at a VGM Score.
We have narrowed down our search to the following stocks based on a good Zacks Rank and VGM Score.
Blucora, Inc. provides technology-enabled financial solutions to consumers, small businesses and tax professionals.
Blucora has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 15.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 8.9% over the past 60 days.
Limbach Holdings, Inc.is a provider of commercial specialty contract services.
Limbach Holdings has a Zacks Rank #1 and VGM Score of B. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is more than 100%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 35.7% over the past 30 days.
Deluxe Corporation is a provider of forms, accessories, checks and marketing solutions, and related services and products.
Deluxe Corp has a VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 12.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 17.6% over the past 60 days. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Barrett Business Services, Inc. provides light industrial, clerical and technical employees to a wide range of businesses through staff leasing, contract staffing, site management and temporary staffing arrangements.
Barrett Business Services has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company has expected earnings growth of 10.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 1.7% over the past 60 days.
Insperity, Inc. is an integrated human resources and business solutions provider.
Insperity has a Zacks Rank #2 and VGM Score of B. The company has expected earnings growth of 25.1% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 2.2% over the past 60 days.
Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential
The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases.
Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better.
See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>
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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 http://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release