The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: AstroNova, Astec Industries, Brinks Co, TopBuild and Estee Lauder
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – April 19, 2021 – 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: AstroNova, Inc. ALOT, Astec Industries, Inc. ASTE, The Brinks Company BCO, TopBuild Corp. BLD and The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. EL.
Here are highlights from Friday’s Analyst Blog:
Barrage of Strong Economic Data to Power Markets: 5 Picks
The month of April has been traditionally encouraging for stocks. And this time around, it’s no different. In fact, the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished above the 34,000 mark for the first time on Apr 15, while the broader S&P 500 closed at a record high, its 22nd time this year.
U.S. stocks are actually scaling northward on a slew of upbeat economic reports, a tell-tale sign that the economy has been able to recuperate from the drubbing it took due to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly last year. What’s more, such promising economic developments are widely expected to help the stock market maintain its bullish trend in the near future.
As rollout of coronavirus vaccinations picked up pace and businesses started to reopen, there has been a momentous surge in consumer outlay. As mentioned in a WallStreet Journal article, per the Commerce Department, sales at U.S. retailers climbed 9.8% last month. Sales at stores, restaurants, and even online purchases witnessed the largest gain since last May, thanks to the government’s stimulus measures and $1400 checks provided to households.
Additionally, household outlays are expected to improve as consumers’ confidence touched a one-year high last month. As mentioned in a Bloomberg article, per the Conference Board, its consumer confidence index touched 109.7 last month from 90.4 in February, the sharpest one-month jump in nearly 18 years.
In the meantime, the labor market is up and running. The Labor Department said that jobless claims declined to 576,000 last week compared to 769,000 the previous week, as cited in the Wall Street Journal article. In March, the jobless rate fell to 6%, as cited in another Bloomberg article. Simultaneously, U.S. employers added a whopping 916,000 new jobs last month, the Labor department added, citing a MarketWatch article.
At the same time, the manufacturing and service sectors of the U.S. economy have been expanding for quite some time now. U.S. industrial production that mostly measures factory, utility, and mining output bounced back in March following a decline in February.
As quoted in a CNBC article, the manufacturing index of the Institute of Supply Management climbed to 64.7% in March from 60.9% in February. ISM’s non-manufacturing activity index also increased to its highest reading of 63.7% last month (read more: 5 Stocks to Gain From Sharp Pick-Up in Service Sector Activity).
Hence, with the economy recouping from the coronavirus onslaught, the stock market is expected to move upward in the near term. Thus, investing in solid growth stocks at the moment seems judicious. We have selected five such stocks that currently possess a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and a Growth Score of A or B.
AstroNova provides data visualization technologies. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 36% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 88.9%.
Astec Industries is a leading manufacturer and marketer of road building equipment. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 6.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 14.3%.
The Brinks Company is the global leader in total cash management, secure route-based logistics and payment solutions including cash-in-transit, ATM services, cash management services (including vault outsourcing, money processing and intelligent safe services), and international transportation of valuables. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #1 and a Growth Score of B.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 16.5% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 23.9%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
TopBuild Corp. is an installer and distributor of insulation and other building products to the U.S. construction industry. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of B. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved 13.1% north over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 33.2%.
The Estee Lauder Companies is one of the world's leading manufacturers and marketers of skin care, makeup, fragrance and hair care products. The company currently has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Growth Score of A. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 0.3% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 44.7%.
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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 https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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Astec Industries, Inc. (ASTE) : Free Stock Analysis Report
The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (EL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
AstroNova, Inc. (ALOT) : Free Stock Analysis Report
TopBuild Corp. (BLD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Brinks Company The (BCO) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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