Back to top

Image: Bigstock

The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: M.D.C., NVR, KB Home, M/I Homes and Beazer

Read MoreHide Full Article

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –July 26, 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: M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. , NVR, Inc. (NVR - Free Report) , KB Home (KBH - Free Report) , M/I Homes, Inc. (MHO - Free Report) and Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (BZH - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:

5 Homebuilders to Buy as New Home Sales Rebound

In June, new home sales staged a strong rebound after two straight months of decline. However, sales for the three preceding months were revised downward. Additionally, the metric came in below expectations, leading to speculation that housing recovery had stalled once again.

However, enough evidence to the contrary is already available. For one, homebuilder sentiment ticked upward this month, boosted the level of supply of existing homes. More importantly, mortgage rates continue to plumb lower depths, raising the affordability of homes for prospective buyers.

If there is weakness in the housing market, it is largely temporary in nature. New home sales have increased over the first half of the current year, primarily due to the fall in real mortgage interest rates. Adding homebuilder stocks to your portfolio would make for a smart choice.  

New Home Sales Recover in June

New home sales increased 7% to clock a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 646,000 units in June. In doing so, the metric came in below the estimated level of 656,000. However, it still represents a recovery from two straight months of decline and an improvement from May’s level of 604,000.

At the same time, the figure for May has been revised downward from the earlier estimate of 626,000 units. Data for March and April were also revised lower. However, June’s new home sales registered a year-over-year increase of 4.5%. Some analysts have of course also emphasized the volatile nature of the metric.

Homebuilder Sentiment Trends Higher

In July, the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index inched up by 1 point to hit 65. Naysayers were quick to point out that the reading is well below the July 2018 level of 68. But any level above 50 denotes an expansion, in this case firm demand for single family homes.

A new report from realtor.com has stated that the supply of home for sales has slipped and inventories could hit a fresh low in October. However, this was not apparent from the new home sales data.

Even if only the current pace of sales is maintained, 6.3 months would elapse before supplies are exhausted. This is marginally higher than the level of 6 months which is considered the hallmark of a balanced housing market. 

Strong Labor Market, Low Rates to Fuel Home Buying

Going forward, the health of the housing market, as indeed of the entire economy, depends on the strength of the labor market. This in turn will likely fuel consumers’ confidence upward, resulting in higher sales. However, Josh Shapiro, chief economist at MFR Inc believes that “the current level of starts of single family homes is supported by final demand.”

And any weakness in the market is likely only temporary. Overall, the housing market has been on the mend since the beginning of the year. This is primarily attributable to the decline in real mortgage interest rates.

Americans have purchased around 54,000 new single-family homes since January. This represents a 2% improvement from the first half of 2018. As of now, this promises to be the best year for new home sales since 2007.

Our Choices

The solid rebound in new homes sales indicates that the housing recovery continues to chug along. Any weakness in the housing market is only temporary and sales are likely to be driven higher over the rest of the year by falling real mortgage rates. A strong labor market is also contributing to robust sentiment.

Investing in homebuilder stocks still looks prudent. 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.

M.D.C. Holdings, Inc. engages in the homebuilding and financial services businesses in the United States.

M.D.C. Holdings has a VGM Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 7.9% over the past 30 days. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

NVR, Inc. is engaged in the construction and sale of single-family detached homes, townhomes and condominium buildings.

NVR has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and VGM Score of A. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 4.1% over the past 30 days.

KB Home is a well-known homebuilder in the United States and one of the largest in the state of California.

KB Home has a Zacks Rank #2 and VGM Score of A. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 56.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 2% over the past 30 days.

M/I Homes, Inc. is one of the leading builders of single-family homes in the United States.

M/I Homes has a Zacks Rank #2 and VGM Score of B. The company’s expected earnings growth for the current year is 5.7%.

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. designs, builds and sells single family homes.

Beazer Homes has a Zacks Rank #2 and VGM Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 12% over the past 30 days.

This Could Be the Fastest Way to Grow Wealth in 2019

Research indicates one sector is poised to deliver a crop of the best-performing stocks you'll find anywhere in the market. Breaking news in this space frequently creates quick double- and triple-digit profit opportunities.

These companies are changing the world – and owning their stocks could transform your portfolio in 2019 and beyond. Recent trades from this sector have generated +98%, +119% and +164% gains in as little as 1 month.

Click here to see these breakthrough stocks now >>

Media Contact

Zacks Investment Research

800-767-3771 ext. 9339

support@zacks.com                                      

http://www.zacks.com

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.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


KB Home (KBH) - free report >>

Beazer Homes USA, Inc. (BZH) - free report >>

NVR, Inc. (NVR) - free report >>

M/I Homes, Inc. (MHO) - free report >>

Published in