The U.S. stock market enters August on a positive note despite a mix of economic and geopolitical challenges. Investors drew confidence from stronger-than-expected manufacturing data, with the ISM index rising to its highest level since 2022, reinforcing expectations that business activity remains resilient. The earnings season has also delivered encouraging results so far, providing another source of support for equities.
Markets continue to watch inflation, interest rates and developments in the Middle East. The Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged, while a softer Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) reading helped ease inflation concerns. Meanwhile, hopes for easing tensions between the United States and Iran, including progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz, have improved sentiment by raising expectations of lower oil prices and reduced inflation pressures.
In this environment, focusing on stocks showing strong relative price strength appears to be a sensible strategy. Companies consistently outperforming the broader market often reflect solid fundamentals and sustained investor confidence, making them well positioned if the market's upward trend continues.
At this stage, investors would be wise to consider companies such as Enova International ENVA, Invesco Ltd. IVZ, PBF Energy PBF, Huron Consulting Group Inc. HURN and The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated CAKE.
Relative Price Strength Strategy
Investors generally gauge a stock’s potential returns by examining earnings growth and valuation multiples. At the same time, it’s essential to measure the performance of such a stock relative to its industry, peers, or an appropriate benchmark.
If you see that a stock is underperforming on fundamental factors, it would be prudent to move on and find a better alternative. However, those outperforming their respective sectors in terms of price should be selected because they stand a better chance of providing considerable returns.
Then again, it is imperative that you determine whether or not an investment has relevant upside potential when considering stocks with significant relative price strength. Stocks delivering better than the S&P 500 for 1 to 3 months, at least, and having solid fundamentals, indicate room for growth and the best way to go about this strategy.
Finally, it is crucial to find out whether analysts are optimistic about the upcoming earnings of these companies. In order to do this, we have added positive estimate revisions for the current quarter’s (Q1) earnings to our screen. When a stock undergoes an upward revision, it leads to additional price gains.
Screening Parameters
Relative % Price change – 12 weeks greater than 0
Relative % Price change – 4 weeks greater than 0
Relative % Price change – 1 week greater than 0
(We have considered those stocks that have been outperforming the S&P 500 over the last 12 weeks, four weeks and one week.)
% Change (Q1) Est. over 4 Weeks greater than 0: Positive current-quarter estimate revisions over the last four weeks.
Zacks Rank equal to 1: Only Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks — that have returned more than 26% annually over the last 26 years and surpassed the S&P 500 in 23 of the last 26 years — can get through. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Current Price greater than or equal to $5 and Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: A minimum price of $5 is a good standard to screen low-priced stocks, while a high trading volume would imply adequate liquidity.
VGM Score less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy), offer the best upside potential.
Here are five of the 15 stocks that made it through the screen:
Enova International: It is a digital financial services company providing online loans and credit solutions to non-prime consumers and small and medium businesses. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Enova’s 2026 earnings indicates 34% growth. ENVA has a VGM Score of A.
Enova Hunt beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 8%, on average. ENVA shares have surged 148.8% in a year.
Invesco: Founded in 1935, Invesco is an independent investment manager serving clients in more than 120 countries with $2.5 trillion in assets under management as of June 30, 2026. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings of Invesco indicates 38.4% growth. IVZ has a VGM Score of A.
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Invesco’s 2026 earnings has moved up 8.9%. The company has a market capitalization of more than $13 billion. IVZ shares have gone up 46% in a year.
PBF Energy: PBF Energy is a leading independent refiner of crude oil based in Parsippany, NJ. The company’s expected EPS growth rate for three to five years is currently 56%, which compares favorably with the industry's growth rate of 30.5%. PBF Energy has a VGM Score of A.
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for PBF Energy’s 2026 earnings has moved up 56.5%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings indicates 364.9% growth. PBF shares have gained 187.1% in a year.
Huron Consulting Group: It is a global professional services firm helping public and private organizations solve complex challenges, improve performance, accelerate transformation and turn strategy, technology and analytics into lasting value. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Huron’s 2026 earnings indicates 14.9% growth. HURN has a VGM Score of A.
Huron beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of roughly 12.4%, on average. HURN shares have gained 17.3% in a year.
The Cheesecake Factory: The company operates a diverse restaurant portfolio across the United States and Canada, led by its namesake brand, North Italia, Flower Child and Fox Restaurant Concepts. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 earnings of Cheesecake Factory indicates 17.5% growth. CAKE has a VGM Score of B.
Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Cheesecake Factory’s 2026 earnings has moved up 10.5%. The company has a market capitalization of around $5 billion. CAKE shares have gone up 70.2% in a year.
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The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Invesco Ltd. (IVZ): Free Stock Analysis Report
Huron Consulting Group Inc. (HURN): Free Stock Analysis Report
PBF Energy Inc. (PBF): Free Stock Analysis Report
Enova International, Inc. (ENVA): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).