Investors generally consider a 52-week high a good criterion for determining an entry or exit point for a given stock. However, stocks touching new 52-week highs are often predisposed to profit-taking, resulting in pullbacks and trend reversals. 

Moreover, given the high price, investors often wonder if the stock is overpriced. While the speculation is not absolutely baseless, all stocks hitting a 52-week high are not necessarily overpriced.

In fact, investors might lose out on top gainers in an attempt to avoid the steep prices.

Stocks such as Century Communities CCS, Powell Industries POWL, Sylvamo SLVM, IAMGOLD IAG and Universal Health Services UHS are expected to maintain their momentum and keep scaling new highs. More information on a stock is necessary to understand whether or not there is scope for further upside.

Here, we discuss a strategy to find the right stocks. The technique borrows from the basics of momentum investing and bets on “buy high, sell higher.”

52-Week High: A Good Indicator

Many times, stocks that hit a 52-week high fail to scale higher despite having potential. This is because investors fear that the stocks are overvalued and expect the price to crash.

Overvaluation is natural for most of these stocks as investors’ focus (or willingness to pay the premium) has helped them reach the level. But that does not always indicate an impending decline. Factors such as robust sales, surging profit levels, earnings growth prospects and strategic acquisitions that encouraged investors to bet on these stocks could keep them motivated if there is no tangible negative. In other words, the momentum might continue.

Also, when a string of positive developments dominates the market, investors find their under-reaction unwarranted, even if there are no company-specific driving forces.

Setting the Right Filters

We ran a screen to zero in on 52-week high stocks (trading near the high level) that hold tremendous upside potential. The screen includes parameters to shortlist stocks with strong earnings growth expectations, sturdy value metrics and price momentum.

Moreover, the screen filters stocks that are relatively undervalued compared to their peers in terms of earnings as well as sales, ensuring the continuation of their rally for some time.

Current Price/52 Week High >= .80

This is the ratio between the current price and the highest price at which the stock has traded in the past 52 weeks. A value greater than 0.8 implies the stock is trading within 20% of its 52-week high range.

% Change Price – 4 Weeks > 0

It ensures that the stock price has moved north over the past four weeks.

% Change Price – 12 Weeks > 0

This metric guarantees a continued upward price momentum for the stock over the past three months as well.

Price/Sales <= XIndMed

The lower, the better.

P/E using F(1) Estimate <= XIndMed

This metric measures the amount an investor puts into a company to obtain one dollar of earnings. It narrows down the list of stocks to those that are undervalued compared to the industry.

One-Year EPS Growth F(1)/F(0) >= XIndMed

This helps choose stocks that have higher growth rates than the industry. This is a meaningful indicator, as decent earnings growth adds to investor optimism.

Zacks Rank =1

No screening is complete without the Zacks Rank, which has proved its worth since its inception. It is a fundamental truth that stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) have always managed to brave adversities and beat the market average. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Current Price >= 5

This parameter will help screen stocks that are trading at $5 or higher.

Volume – 20 days (shares) >= 100000

The inclusion of this metric ensures that there is a substantial volume of shares, so trading is easier.

Here are our five picks out of the 13 stocks that made it through the screen:

Century Communities is a home building and construction company. Its activities comprise land acquisition, development and entitlements, and the acquisition, development, construction, marketing, and sale of various single-family detached and attached residential home projects. The company’s initiative of offering affordable homes along with several incentive offerings, including lot premiums, interest rate buydowns and discounts on base home prices, is expected to be a tailwind. Also, its focus on building homes on a spec basis bodes well. This initiative of the company helps in direct cost control, sparks the availability of quick move-ins and assures buyers of financing certainty.

Furthermore, despite the improving inventory of existing home sales, the company is likely to benefit from increasing new home contracts, thanks to its improved cycle times and increased level of home starts. The company’s focus on affordability, along with the reduced cycle times and cost-reduction initiatives, positions it well for the rest of 2024.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings has moved north by 0.8% to $10.72 per share in the past 30 days. CCS surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 35.57%.

Powell Industries is a prominent electrical equipment manufacturer, riding on its strong foothold and improving conditions in two key markets — oil and gas and petrochemical. The company’s efforts to strengthen its project portfolio beyond the core oil and gas, and petrochemical end markets have also enhanced its market share across the utility, commercial and other industrial markets. POWL is also benefiting from increased demand for electrical power from data centers. 

Powell is strengthening its participation across the electrical power value chain and benefiting from solid momentum in data center and utility markets. The company witnessed strong bookings in electric utility and commercial markets in the first nine months of fiscal 2024 in the United States. Powell’s capacity expansion initiatives, particularly at the product factory in Houston, bode well. The expansionary efforts have been enabling the company to better serve its customers with enhanced offerings across data centers, hydrogen, carbon capture and other transitional energy markets.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2024 earnings has remained steady at $12.01 per share over the past 30 days. POWL surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 69.88%.

Sylvamo produces and markets uncoated freesheet for cut size, offset paper and pulp. Stronger order books and higher pulp and paper prices are likely to aid its top-line growth in the near term. The company has initiated a cost-reduction program called Project Horizon, which is focused on streamlining its organization and cost structures in an effort to make a leaner, stronger company.

SLVM is on track to realize savings of at least $110 million by the end of 2024. Around $80 million of the target will come from operational improvements in its mills and supply chains and the balance from the reduction in selling and administrative expenses. The company continues to lower its debt levels and maintains a strong financial position that enables it to invest in its business. It has a pipeline of more than $200 million of high-return capital projects, which will boost its earnings and cash flow profile.

Earnings estimates for Sylvamo’s fiscal 2024 have remained steady at $7.40 per share over the past 30 days. SLVM surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 23.97%.

IAMGOLD is an international gold exploration and mining company based in Canada. IAG is poised for growth, supported by an upward trend in gold prices, the ongoing ramp-up at Côté Gold, and the established portfolio of early-stage and advanced exploration projects within high-potential mining districts. IAG continues to invest in maximizing production and increasing the life of its existing mines, advancing development and exploration projects. 

IAMGOLD expects production from the Côté Gold mine in 2024 to be near the lower end of 130,000-175,000 ounces (on a 60.3% basis). IAG has the financing in place and is set to buy a 9.7% interest in Côté Gold on Nov. 30, 2024. This will take its stake in the project to 70%. We expect the contribution from the mine to IAG’s production in 2024 to be higher once this deal is completed. Significant operational projects planned for the next years include the Westwood ramp-up to safely access other mining areas that were affected by the seismic activity in 2020.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2024 earnings has moved north by 5.1% to 41 cents per share in the past 30 days. IAG surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 200%.

Universal Health Services owns and operates (through its subsidiaries) acute care hospitals, behavioral health centers, surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and radiation oncology centers. Universal Health's Acute Care and Behavioral Health segments have been pivotal in driving top-line growth, fueled by expansions in licensed bed capacity. The company anticipates positive impacts on its Acute Care unit from Medicaid supplemental programs. Strategic buyouts have played a significant role in augmenting its growth trajectory by broadening its portfolio of facilities. It beat second-quarter earnings estimates on Acute Care strength. The company maintains a robust liquidity position, enabling it to pursue growth initiatives and distribute capital through buybacks and dividends. It has resorted to a constant dividend payout of 20 cents per share since 2019. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for UHS’ 2024 earnings has remained steady at $15.91 per share in the past 30 days. The company surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 14.58%.

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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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Universal Health Services, Inc. (UHS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Century Communities, Inc. (CCS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Iamgold Corporation (IAG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Powell Industries, Inc. (POWL) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Sylvamo Corporation (SLVM) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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