Top executives and analysts are interested in consistent earnings growth, which signifies a company’s profitability. However, earnings acceleration has an even greater effect on increasing stock prices. Studies indicate that successful stocks experience an acceleration in earnings before a rise in stock value.
To that end, Lam Research Corporation LRCX, Unity Software Inc. U and Gulfport Energy Corporation GPOR are exhibiting strong earnings acceleration this month.
What is Earnings Acceleration?
Earnings acceleration is the incremental growth in a company’s earnings per share (EPS). In other words, if a company’s quarter-over-quarter earnings growth rate increases within a stipulated time frame, it can be called earnings acceleration.
In the case of earnings growth, you pay for something that is already reflected in the stock price. However, earnings acceleration helps spot stocks that haven’t yet caught the attention of investors and, once secured, will invariably lead to a rally in the share price. This is because earnings acceleration considers both the direction and magnitude of growth rates.
An increasing percentage of earnings growth means that the company is fundamentally sound and has been on the right track for a considerable period. Meanwhile, a sideways percentage of earnings growth indicates a period of consolidation or slowdown, while a decelerating percentage of earnings growth may drag prices down.
Screening Parameters Using Research Wizard:
Look at stocks for which the last two quarter-over-quarter percentage earnings per share (EPS) growth rates exceed the previous periods’ growth rates. The projected EPS growth rates for the upcoming quarter are expected to exceed those of prior periods.
EPS % Projected Growth (Q1)/(Q0) greater than EPS % Growth (Q0)/(Q-1): The projected growth rate for the current quarter (Q1) over the completed quarter (Q0) has to be greater than the growth rate from the completed quarter (Q0) over one quarter ago (Q-1).
EPS % Growth (Q0)/(Q-1) greater than EPS % Growth (Q-1)/(Q-2): The growth rate for the completed quarter (Q0) over one quarter ago (Q-1) has to be greater than the growth rate from one quarter ago (Q-1) over two quarters ago (Q-2).
EPS % Growth (Q-1)/(Q-2) greater than EPS % Growth (Q-2)/(Q-3): The growth rate from one quarter ago (Q-1) over two quarters ago (Q-2) has to be greater than the growth rate from two quarters ago (Q-2) over three quarters ago (Q-3).
In addition to this, we have added the following parameters:
Current Price greater than or equal to $5: This screens out low-priced stocks.
Average 20-day volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity.
The above criteria narrowed the universe of around 7,735 stocks to only four. Here are the top three stocks:
Lam Research Stock
Lam Research designs and services semiconductor processing equipment for integrated circuit fabrication. Lam Research has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). LRCX’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 32.8%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Unity Software Stock
Unity Software operates a platform for creating and expanding games and interactive experiences worldwide across various devices. Unity Software sports a Zacks Rank #1, with an anticipated earnings growth rate of 34.5% for the current year.
Gulfport Energy Stock
Gulfport Energy explores and produces natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids in the United States. Gulfport Energy has a Zacks Rank #1. GPOR’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 85.3%.
You can sign up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.
The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.
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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.
Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.
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Lam Research Corporation (LRCX): Free Stock Analysis Report Gulfport Energy Corporation (GPOR): Free Stock Analysis Report Unity Software Inc. (U): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
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