5 ROE Stocks to Profit as Rise in Jobless Claims Hit Market

The U.S. equity markets continued its downtrend in the past few trading sessions with fading hopes of more fiscal aid due to lack of consensus on additional stimulus package, at least until the Presidential elections. To add to the woes, an unexpected rise in weekly jobless claims fueled concerns regarding a halting economic recovery and stoked fears about a lasting impact on the labor market by the coronavirus-induced turmoil. With the earnings season gradually picking up steam, the markets await a rebound in the overall quarterly performance across the board to bring the growth momentum back on track.

As investors employ a wait-and-see approach in a classic example of “backing and filling” in the market, they can benefit from ‘cash cow’ stocks that garner higher returns. However, identifying cash-rich stocks alone does not make for a solid investment proposition unless it is backed by attractive efficiency ratios like return on equity (ROE). A high ROE ensures that the company is reinvesting cash at a high rate of return.

ROE: A Key Metric

ROE = Net Income/Shareholders’ Equity

ROE helps investors distinguish profit-generating companies from profit burners and is useful in determining the financial health of a company. In other words, this financial metric enables investors to identify stocks that diligently deploy cash for higher returns.

Moreover, ROE is often used to compare the profitability of a company with other firms in the industry — the higher, the better. It measures how well a company is multiplying its profits without investing new equity capital and portrays management’s efficiency in rewarding shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Parameters Used for Screening

In order to shortlist stocks that are cash-rich with high ROE, we have added Cash Flow greater than $1 billion and ROE greater than X-Industry as our primary screening parameters. In addition, we have taken a few other criteria into consideration to arrive at a winning strategy.

Price/Cash Flow lesser than X-Industry: This metric measures how much investors pay for $1 of free cash flow. A lower ratio indicates that investors need to pay less for a better cash flow-generating stock.

Return on Assets (ROA) greater than X-Industry: This metric determines how much profit a company earns for every dollar of asset, which includes cash, accounts receivable, property, equipment, inventory and furniture. The higher the ROA, the better it is for the company.

5-Year EPS Historical Growth greater than X-Industry: This criterion indicates that continued earnings momentum has translated into solid cash strength.   

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.

Here are five of the 19 stocks that qualified the screen:

The Sherwin-Williams Company SHW: Founded in 1866 and headquartered in Cleveland, OH, The Sherwin-Williams Company manufactures paints, coatings and related products, primarily in the North and South America. It also has operations in the Caribbean region, Europe and Asia. This Zacks #2 Ranked company has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 9.4%. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 6.6%, on average.

Best Buy Co., Inc. BBY: Incorporated in 1966 and headquartered in Richfield, MN, Best Buy is a multinational specialty retailer of consumer electronics, home office products, entertainment software, communication, food preparation, wellness, heath, security, appliances and related services. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 33.5%, on average. The Zacks Rank #1 company has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 7.7%.

O-I Glass, Inc. OI: Perrysburg, OH-based O-I Glass, Inc. is the largest manufacturer of glass containers in the world. It competes in the glass container segment of the rigid packaging market. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 3.6%, on average. It has a long-term earnings growth projection of 14.9%. O-I Glass has a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

ViacomCBS Inc. VIAC: Headquartered in New York, NY, ViacomCBS was created from the merger of erstwhile Viacom and CBS Corporation on Dec 4, 2019. It operates as a leading global media and entertainment company. This Zacks #2 Ranked firm delivered a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 7.1%, on average. It has a long-term earnings growth projection of 9.7%.

Whirlpool Corporation WHR: Benton Harbor, MI-based Whirlpool Corporation, founded in 1955, is one of the largest manufacturers of home appliances in the world. The company delivered a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 53.3%, on average. This Zacks Rank #2 company has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 16.7%.

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 own 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.

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.

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
 
The SherwinWilliams Company (SHW) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Whirlpool Corporation (WHR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
OI Glass, Inc. (OI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Best Buy Co., Inc. (BBY) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ViacomCBS Inc. (VIAC) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research