5 Broker Liked Stocks to Keep an Eye on After Recent Analyst Upgrades

After performing impressively in September, volatility returned to grip the U.S. equity markets in October. The hotter-than-expected inflation reading for September has reignited recession fears. In September, the consumer price index rose 0.2% month over month, beating the consensus estimate of a 0.1% rise. These matters have not improved as geopolitical woes in the Middle East have intensified.Given these headwinds, investors are well-advised to get help from brokers, who are experts in the field of investing, to design a winning portfolio of stocks. Broker-favorite stocks such as American Airlines AAL, Air Canada ACDVF, EmergentBioSolutions EBS, Berry Corporation BRY and Cracker Barrel Old Country Store CBRL should be monitored for this purpose.We have designed a screen to shortlist stocks based on improving broker 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 broker information, it has been included. The price/sales ratio takes care of the company’s top line, making the strategy a well-rounded one.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 weeks).% change in Q (1) est. (4 weeks) = Top #10 (This gives the top 10 stocks that have witnessed earnings estimate revisions over the past 4 weeks for the upcoming quarter).Price-to-Sales = Bot%10 (The lower the ratio, the better. Companies meeting this criterion are in the bottom 10% of our universe of over 7,700 stocks with respect to this ratio).Price greater than 5 (as a stock trading below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most of the investors).Average Daily Volume greater than 100,000 shares over the last 20 trading days (Volume has to be significant to ensure that these are easily traded).Market value ($ mil) = Top #3000 (This gives us stocks that are the top 3000 in terms of market capitalization).Com/ADR/Canadian = Com (This takes out the ADR and Canadian stocks).Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:American Airlines is based in Fort Worth, TX. The gradual increase in air travel demand (particularly leisure) aids AAL. However, high operating costs are hurting its bottom line.Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings has increased 25.8%. AAL currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks hereAir Canada, Canada’s leading airline, is benefitting from the buoyant scenario concerning air travel demand. Driven by this tailwind, shares of this carrier have gained 16% in the past three months.Over the past seven days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings has inched up 0.6%. ACDVF currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Emergent BioSolutions, headquartered in Gaithersburg, MD, is a life sciences company. EBS currently has a Zacks Rank #2.Emergent BioSolutions’ shares have lost 35.2% over the past three months, underperforming the industry’s 3% decline. Bottom-line estimates for EBS have narrowed to a loss of $1.30 per share from a loss of $1.98 for 2024 in the past 30 days. The company has a favorable VGM Score of B.Berry is primarily involved in exploration and production activities, with its operations spreading across low-decline, long-lived oil and gas reserves in California and Utah. BRY can comfortably sail through a volatile energy business environment, banking on its strong liquidity and fortress balance sheet.BRY shares have gained 6.2% over the past month. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has increased 4.9%. BRY currently carries a Zacks Rank #3. Cracker Barrel is prioritizing menu innovation and strategic pricing to drive growth. The company is introducing the latest offerings, including shareable starters and specialty beverages, while optimizing pricing to enhance value. These initiatives aim to attract customers and support profitability.CBRL has outpaced the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in two of the last four quarters, missing the mark on two other occasions. The average beat is 3.1%. CBRL shares have gained 10.8% over the past three months. CBRL currently carries a Zacks Rank #3.You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for a 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard stock picking and backtesting software. You can also create your own strategies and test them first before making investments.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.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.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 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.7% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (CBRL): Free Stock Analysis Report American Airlines Group Inc. (AAL): Free Stock Analysis Report Emergent Biosolutions Inc. (EBS): Free Stock Analysis Report Berry Corporation (BRY): Free Stock Analysis Report Air Canada (ACDVF): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks