Zacks.com featured highlights include Janus Henderson, Coastal Financial, Novartis, Apogee and InterDigital

For Immediate ReleaseChicago, IL – November 14, 2024 – Stocks in this week’s article are Janus Henderson Group JHG, Coastal Financial CCB, Novartis NVS, Apogee Enterprises APOG and InterDigital IDCC.5 Low-Leverage Stocks to Buy Amid the Focus on Inflation DataThe majority of U.S. stock indices ended lower on Nov. 12, as rising U.S. treasury yields posed a headwind to the equities’ rally witnessed over the past few days following the election results. The dismal performance of the bourses also reflected investors’ concern regarding U.S. inflation data, which is set to be released today.In such a situation, an investor might not feel confident enough to invest in the stock market. However, a prudent investor knows that this is the right time to buy stocks that are safe bets. To this end, we recommend stocks like Janus Henderson Group, Coastal Financial, Novartis, Apogee Enterprises and InterDigital. These stocks bear low leverage and, therefore, should be a safer option for investors if they don’t want to lose big in times of market turmoil.Now, before selecting low-leverage stocks, let’s explore what leverage is and how choosing a low-leverage stock helps investors.What’s the Significance of Low-Leverage Stocks?In finance, leverage is a term used to denote the practice of borrowing capital by companies to run their operations smoothly and expand the same. Such borrowings are done through debt financing. But there remains an option for equity finance. This is probably due to the cheap and easy availability of debt over equity financing.However, debt financing has its share of drawbacks. Particularly, it is desirable only as long as it successfully generates a higher rate of return compared to the interest rate. So, to avoid considerable losses in your portfolio, one should always avoid companies that resort to excessive debt financing.The crux of safe investment lies in choosing a company that is not burdened with debt, as a debt-free stock is almost impossible to find.The equity market can be volatile at times, and, as an investor, if you don’t want to lose big time, we suggest you invest in stocks that bear low leverage and are, hence, less risky.To identify such stocks, historically, several leverage ratios have been developed to measure the amount of debt a company bears. The debt-to-equity ratio is one of the most common ratios.Analyzing Debt/EquityDebt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities/Shareholders’ EquityThis metric is a liquidity ratio that indicates the amount of financial risk a company bears. A lower debt-to-equity ratio reflects improved solvency for a company.With the third-quarter earnings season in its last lap, investors must be eyeing stocks that have exhibited solid earnings growth in the recent past. But if a stock bears a high debt-to-equity ratio in times of economic downturn, its so-called booming earnings picture might turn into a nightmare.The Winning StrategyConsidering the factors above, it is prudent to choose stocks with a low debt-to-equity ratio to ensure steady returns.Yet, an investment strategy based solely on the debt-to-equity ratio might not fetch the desired outcome. To choose stocks that have the potential to give you steady returns, we have expanded our screening criteria to include some other factors.Excluding stocks that have a negative or a zero debt-to-equity ratio, here we present our five picks out of the 13 stocks that made it through the screen.Janus Henderson: It is an investment management company. It provides investment advisors for equities, fixed income, property and private equity sectors. On Oct. 31, 2024, Janus Henderson announced its third-quarter 2024 results. Its adjusted revenues improved 6.5% year over year in the reported quarter, while adjusted earnings per share rose 7.1%.The company boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 22.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for JHG’s 2024 sales suggests an 18% improvement from the 2023 actuals. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.Coastal Financial: It is a bank holding company that provides accounts checking, savings deposits, money market, mortgage and term loans services, as well as card facilities and Internet banking services, through its subsidiaries. On Oct. 28, 2024, Coastal Financial reported its third-quarter 2024 results. Its return on average assets ("ROA") was 1.34% compared with 1.13% for the third quarter of 2023.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CCB’s 2024 earnings suggests a 6.4% improvement from the 2023 reported number. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CCB’s 2024 sales suggests a 31.4% improvement from the 2023 reported number. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.Novartis: It is a pharmaceutical company with experience in core therapeutic areas like cardiovascular, renal and metabolic, immunology, neuroscience and oncology across geographies like the United States, China, Germany and Japan. On Oct. 29, 2024, Novartis announced that its Scemblix (asciminib) has been granted accelerated approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adult patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in the chronic phase.The company boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 9.1%. The stock delivered a four-quarter average earnings surprise of 2.2%. NVS currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Apogee Enterprises: It is a leader in architectural products and services, providing architectural glass, aluminum framing systems and installation services for buildings as well as value-added glass and acrylic for custom picture framing and displays. On Nov. 4, 2024, Apogee Enterprises announced the completion of the previously announced acquisition of UW Interco, LLC (“UW Solutions”), a vertically integrated manufacturer of high-performance coated substrates used in graphic arts, building products, and other applications, for $242 million in cash. The company expects the acquisition to contribute incremental net sales of approximately $30 million in fiscal 2025.It delivered a four-quarter average earnings surprise of 19.7%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for APOG’s fiscal 2025 earnings has improved 3.6% in the past 60 days. It currently sports a Zacks Rank #1.InterDigital: It is a pioneer in advanced mobile technologies that enables wireless communications and capabilities. On Oct. 31, 2024, the company released its third-quarter 2024 results. The company delivered revenues of $128.7 million, which exceeded the top end of its guidance, driven by the strong performance of its consumer electronics and IoT licensing program.IDCC currently sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company boasts a long-term earnings growth rate of 17.4%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for IDCC’s 2024 sales suggests a 56.4% improvement from the 2023 reported figure.You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing 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 strategies and backtest 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.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2369506/5-low-leverage-stocks-to-buy-amid-the-focus-on-inflation-dataZacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.Contact: Jim GiaquintoCompany: Zacks.comPhone: 312-265-9268Email: pr@zacks.comVisit: https://www.zacks.com/Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.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.Free: 5 Stocks to Buy As Infrastructure Spending SoarsTrillions of dollars in Federal funds have been earmarked to repair and upgrade America’s infrastructure. In addition to roads and bridges, this flood of cash will pour into AI data centers, renewable energy sources and more.In, you’ll discover 5 surprising stocks positioned to profit the most from the spending spree that’s just getting started in this space.Download How to Profit from the Trillion-Dollar Infrastructure Boom absolutely free today.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 Novartis AG (NVS): Free Stock Analysis Report Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (APOG): Free Stock Analysis Report InterDigital, Inc. (IDCC): Free Stock Analysis Report Janus Henderson Group plc (JHG): Free Stock Analysis Report Coastal Financial Corporation (CCB): 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