WBD - 5 Broker-Loved Stocks to Keep an Eye on in the Current Scenario | Benzinga
The U.S. equity markets are in good shape driven by the artificial intelligence rally. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 18.1% in the year's first half. The S&P 500 gained 14.5%, while the tech-light Dow Jones index appreciated only 3.8%. The decline in inflation is another major tailwind. The annual inflation rate in the United States slowed to 3.3% in May 2024, the lowest in three months compared to 3.4% in April.
Given this improving scenario, investors would like to design a winning portfolio of stocks for healthy returns. However, with many stocks present in the market at any point, spotting potential outperformers is tough for individual investors. In the absence of proper guidance, identifying a winning stock is akin to searching for a needle in a haystack. Given this backdrop, it is in the best interest of investors to seek guidance from "experts in the field." The concerned experts are brokers. Brokers have a deeper insight into what's happening in a particular company along with a better understanding of the overall sector and the industry.
Keeping this in mind, we designed a screen to shortlist stocks based on improving analyst 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 analyst information, it has been included. The price/sales ratio takes care of the company's top line, making the strategy more effective.
Screening Criteria
# (Up- Down Rating)/ Total (4 weeks) =Top #75 (This gives the list of the top 75 companies that have witnessed net upgrades over the last 4 ...