Credit: Shutterstock photoMany investors attempt to find growth stocks, but how does an individual investor seek out and identify the best and brightest growth stocks for their portfolio? A savoy investor looks for specific fundamental characteristics to unearth these companies.
First, growth traders look for companies that are expected to grow at an above average rate, corresponding to the market as a whole. Further, analysts look for better than average cash flows, earnings, and or revenue growth.
By their nature, growth stocks tend to have higher volatility risk, and rarely issue dividends. But, growth stocks tend to produce higher returns, and they typically reinvest their capital into further growth opportunities (acquisitions, or expansion projects), compounding the future growth potential.
What people tend to do wrong
Without a research platform some investors will look for companies that are outperforming the market on a single day or at most over a few days' time. If the investor is not looking at specific items like earnings, sales, or revenue growth the investor will be missing the key fundamentals of growth trading. This unbalanced approach to investing, almost always goes bad.
The correct way to pick growth stocks
By utilizing key factors like Zacks Rank, and Zacks Style Score the investor is able to better narrow down the well performing companies from the universe of available stocks to purchase. Further, by combining key fundamentals with the Zacks factors, the investor can isolate the best and brightest stocks.
For Growth stocks, I have built a simple screen that marries fundamentals with Zacks Rank and Zacks Style scores. This combination identifies the best companies exhibiting growth characteristics.
Screen Parameters:
- Volume 20 Days > 1 million shares
(To ensure large volume and not a small stock that is lightly traded)
- Zacks Rank
(No Holds, Sells, or Strong Sells)
- Growth Score
(Screen will only grab A's and B's that have the highest probability of success)
- % Change in Price 1 Week > 4
- % Change in Price 4 Weeks > 4
(This captures stocks that have been consistently going up by 4% or more for the 1, and 4 week time frame)
Stocks
This screen produced 13 stocks. Here are 5 stocks that made it in this week's screen
Post Holdings ( POST )
Carnival Corp ( CCL )
Anthem ( ANTM )
Target Corp ( TGT )
Aetna Inc. ( AET )
Each pick has significant potential. Yet the entire list is worth a thorough analysis.
I would not suggest filing your entire portfolio with Growth stocks, rather, a well-rounded diversified stock portfolio would be more advantageous. But, adding a few top notch growth stocks could bolster anyone's portfolio.
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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: http://www.zacks.com/performance .
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TARGET CORP (TGT): Free Stock Analysis Report
POST HOLDINGS (POST): Free Stock Analysis Report
CARNIVAL CORP (CCL): Free Stock Analysis Report
ANTHEM INC (ANTM): Free Stock Analysis Report
AETNA INC-NEW (AET): Free Stock Analysis Report
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
