Zacks.com featured highlights include Five Below, Permian Resources and Alcoa

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Zacks.com featured highlights include Five Below, Permian Resources and Alcoa

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 16, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are Five Below, Inc. FIVE, Permian Resources Corp. PR and Alcoa Corp. AA.

Buy 3 Momentum Anomaly Stocks as Potential Truce Propels Markets

The broader U.S. equity markets witnessed a strong rally this week, with benchmark indices within touching distance of an all-time high that wiped out the losses stemming from the Iran war. The uptrend was largely buoyed by optimism regarding a likely truce deal between the United States and Iran, despite no breakthrough in the initial discussions. With investors pinning hopes on a possible win-win deal between the two warring parties as negotiations continued, markets were further propelled by a relatively healthy start to the earnings season.

As the saga unfolds, it is likely to minimize the uncertainty that has affected the global energy market, with crude oil prices remaining highly volatile. Amid the vagaries of the market, investors often seek to employ time-tested winning strategies to fetch sustained profits. One of the most successful game plans to beat the blues is to bet on momentum stocks, like Five Below, Inc., Permian Resources Corp. and Alcoa Corp. when value or growth investing fails to generate the desired profits.

This approach primarily tends to follow the adage, “the trend is your friend.” At its core, momentum investing is “buying high and selling higher.” It is based on the idea that once a stock establishes a trend, it is more likely to continue in that direction because of the momentum that is already behind it. Momentum investing is a way to profit from the general human tendency to extrapolate current trends into the future. It is based on that gap in time before the mean reversion occurs, i.e., before prices become rational again.

Momentum strategies have been known to be alpha-generative over a long period and across market stages. Therefore, this strategy is quite tricky to implement, as detecting these trends is not easy. Here, we have created a strategy to help investors get in on these fast movers and rake in handsome gains. Our screen will help you benefit from long-term price momentum and a short-term pullback in price.

Here are three of the five stocks that made it through this screen:

Based in Pennsylvania, Five Below is a specialty value chain retailer that offers a wide range of premium-quality, trendy merchandise for $5 or less. The company mainly targets teenagers or pre-teen shoppers for its products, which include certain brands and licensed merchandise. Notably, these products belong to categories such as Style, Room, Sports, Tech, Create, Party, Candy and Now.

The stock has jumped a whopping 250.8% in the past year but declined 2.9% in the past week. Five Below has a Momentum Score of A.

Headquartered in Midland, TX, Permian Resources is an independent oil and gas company formed through the consolidation of Colgate Energy in 2022 and Earthstone Energy in 2023. These strategic mergers significantly expanded the company’s footprint in the Permian Basin, solidifying its presence as a major operator in one of the most productive oil regions in the United States.

The stock has soared 81.6% over the past year but has lost 6.5% over the past week. Permian Resources has a Momentum Score of B.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Alcoa engages in active mining of bauxite and other aluminous ores. It also generates electricity that is sold to large industrial consumers, distribution firms and other power generation companies.

The stock has surged 191.1% over the past year but has lost 1.5% over the past week. Alcoa has a Momentum Score of A.

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For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2900755/buy-3-momentum-anomaly-stocks-as-potential-truce-deal-propels-markets

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.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.

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Alcoa (AA): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Five Below, Inc. (FIVE): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Permian Resources Corporation (PR): Free Stock Analysis Report

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