Validea's Top Financial Stocks Based On Martin Zweig - 7/9/2025

The following are the top rated Financial stocks according to Validea's Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.

SHORE BANCSHARES INC (SHBI) is a small-cap value stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 85% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Shore Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company conducts business primarily through two wholly owned subsidiaries, Shore United Bank, N.A. (the Bank) and Mid-Maryland Title Company, Inc. (the Title Company). The Bank provides consumer and commercial banking products and services and secondary mortgage lending, trust, wealth management and financial planning services. The Bank is a national banking association chartered, which operates over 40 full-service branches, 39 automatic teller machines (ATM), three interactive teller machines, and 10 loan production offices. The Bank provides a full range of commercial and consumer banking products and services to individuals, businesses, and other organizations in Baltimore County, Howard County, Kent County, Queen Annes County, Caroline County, Talbot County, Dorchester County, Anne Arundel County, Charles County, St Marys County, and others. The Title Company engages in title work related to real estate transactions.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of SHORE BANCSHARES INC

SHBI Guru Analysis

SHBI Fundamental Analysis

FIRST HORIZON CORP (FHN) is a large-cap growth stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: First Horizon Corporation is a regional financial services company. The Company is a financial holding company. The Companys principal subsidiary, and only banking subsidiary, is First Horizon Bank (the Bank). Through the Bank and other subsidiaries, it offers commercial, private banking, consumer, small business, wealth and trust management, retail brokerage, capital markets, fixed income, and mortgage banking services. Its segments include Commercial, Consumer & Wealth; Wholesale; and Corporate. The Commercial, Consumer & Wealth segment offers financial products and services, including traditional lending and deposit taking, to commercial and consumer clients primarily in the southern United States and other selected markets. The Wholesale segment includes mortgage warehouse lending, franchise finance, correspondent banking, and mortgage. Additionally, the Wholesale segment has a line of business focused on fixed-income securities sales, trading, underwriting, and others.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of FIRST HORIZON CORP

FHN Guru Analysis

FHN Fundamental Analysis

BANK OF HAWAII CORP (BOH) is a mid-cap growth stock in the Money Center Banks industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Bank of Hawaii Corporation is a bank holding company. The Company provides a range of financial products and services primarily to customers in Hawaii, Guam, and other Pacific Islands. It is also engaged in securities brokerage, investment advisory services and providing credit insurance. It operates through three segments: Consumer Banking, Commercial Banking, and Treasury and Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers a range of financial products and services, including loan, deposit and insurance products; private banking and international client banking services; trust services; investment management; and institutional investment advisory services. The Commercial Banking segment offers products, including corporate banking, commercial real estate loans, commercial lease financing, auto dealer financing and deposit products. The Treasury consists of corporate asset and liability management activities, including interest rate risk management and a foreign currency exchange business.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of BANK OF HAWAII CORP

BOH Guru Analysis

BOH Fundamental Analysis

BREAD FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC (BFH) is a mid-cap value stock in the Consumer Financial Services industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: Bread Financial Holdings, Inc. is a tech-forward financial services company, which is engaged in providing simple, personalized payment, lending, and saving solutions. The Company's product offerings consist of private label and co-brand credit card programs with retailers and other brand partners; direct-to-consumer (DTC) credit cards; Bread Pay products; and Bread Savings products. Its payment solutions, including Bread Financial general purpose credit cards and savings products. Its private label credit cards are partner-branded credit cards used by consumers for the purchase of goods and services from that partner. Bread Pay is its payment technology solution for pay-over-time products. The Company's products are supported by various services and capabilities, including risk management, account origination and funding services; credit card and other loan processing and servicing; fraud prevention; marketing, and data and analytics; and digital and mobile capabilities.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of BREAD FINANCIAL HOLDINGS INC

BFH Guru Analysis

BFH Fundamental Analysis

METLIFE INC (MET) is a large-cap value stock in the Insurance (Life) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 77% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.

Company Description: MetLife, Inc. is a financial services company, providing insurance, annuities, employee benefits and asset management to individual and institutional customers. Its segments include Group Benefits; Retirement and Income Solutions (RIS); Asia; Latin America; Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA); and MetLife Holdings. Group Benefits segment offers life insurance, dental, group short- and long-term disability, paid family and medical leave, individual disability, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, accident and health insurance, and vision, as well as prepaid legal plans and pet insurance. RIS segment provides funding and financing solutions that help institutional customers mitigate and manage liabilities primarily associated with their employee benefit programs using a spectrum of life and annuity-based insurance and investment products. It operates across EMEA in both developed (Western Europe) and emerging (Central and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa) markets.

The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.

Detailed Analysis of METLIFE INC

MET Guru Analysis

MET Fundamental Analysis

Martin Zweig Portfolio

About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.

About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here

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