Inflation has climbed sharply in recent months, while ongoing geopolitical tensions have driven global oil prices higher. In March, inflation reached its highest level in nearly a year as the conflict with Iran triggered a surge in energy prices. Inflation had also increased in February. The spike in inflation further weakened expectations of an interest rate cut in the near term, with several Federal Reserve officials now even weighing the possibility of a rate hike.
Last month, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged amid growing investor concerns about the health of the economy. Despite this volatile environment, investors should not shy away from equities. Instead, they should keep an eye on broker-favored stocks such as Helen of Troy HELE, Bunge Global BG, Avnet AVT, Bloomin' Brands BLMN and Select Medical SEM,
We have designed a screen to shortlist stocks based on improving broker recommendations and upward revisions in earnings estimates over the past four weeks. Also, since the price/sales ratio is a strong complementary valuation metric in the presence of broker information, it has been included. The price/sales ratio takes care of the company’s top line, making the strategy a well-rounded one.
Screening Criteria
# (Up- Down Rating)/ Total (4 weeks) =Top #75: This gives the list of top 75 companies that have witnessed net upgrades over the last 4 weeks.
% change in Q (1) est. (4 weeks) = Top #10: This gives the top 10 stocks that have witnessed earnings estimate revisions over the past 4 weeks for the upcoming quarter.
To ensure that the strategy is a winning one, covering all bases, we have added the following screening parameters:
Price-to-Sales = Bot%10: The lower the ratio, the better. Companies meeting this criterion are in the bottom 10% of our universe of over 7,700 stocks with respect to this ratio.
Price greater than 5: A stock trading below $5 will not likely create significant interest for most investors.
Average Daily Volume greater than 100,000 shares over the last 20 trading days: Volume has to be significant to ensure that these are easily traded.
Market value ($ mil) = Top #3000: This gives us stocks that are the top 3000 if one judges by market capitalization.
Com/ADR/Canadian= Com: This takes out the ADR and Canadian stocks.
Here are five of the 10 stocks that made it through the screen:
Helen of Troy is advancing its growth strategy through a focused portfolio of Leadership Brands, including OXO, Hydro Flask and Osprey, which continue to deliver solid performance supported by innovation, new product launches and strong e-commerce execution across channels and key retail partners.
The company’s Elevate for Growth agenda, along with Project Pegasus, is driving efficiency, cost optimization and supply-chain improvements, helping mitigate tariff pressures and enhance long-term profitability. Strategic initiatives such as global expansion, digital commerce investments, social selling and active portfolio management are expected to support growth, while strong cash flow generation is aiding debt reduction and improving overall financial flexibility.
Helen of Troy, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), expects its current-quarter revenues to increase 0.9% year over year. HELE’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in two of the last four quarters, missed once and matched once. The average miss is 5%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Bunge is a global agribusiness and food company worldwide. The company is executing a fundamental transformation anchored by the Viterra merger, expanding global origination, and processing scale and logistics efficiency. Management is prioritizing synergy capture, portfolio optimization and disciplined capital allocation to strengthen cash flows, reduce earnings volatility and enhance long-term returns across agricultural cycles.
Bunge, currently sporting a Zacks Rank #1, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 26.4% on a year-over-year basis. BG’s earnings surpassed the consensus mark in each of the last four quarters, the average beat being 27.5%.
Avnet, a leading global technology distributor and solutions provider, sports a Zacks Rank #1. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 9.5%, on average. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 11.6% over the past 60 days.
Avnet is benefiting from the strength of the defense and data center end markets. A continued focus on enhancing IoT capabilities is helping it expand into newer markets and gain customers. Better sales execution is anticipated to aid revenue growth in the near term.
Bloomin’ Brands is one of the world’s largest casual and upscale dining restaurant operators. Bloomin’ Brands manages and operates nearly 1,500 restaurants in the United States and internationally.
Bloomin’ Brands, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), expects its 2026 earnings per share to decrease 28.1% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained stable over the past seven days.
Select Medical is benefiting from steady volume-led growth, supported by rising patient admissions, improving occupancy and disciplined capacity expansion across its specialty care platform. Strategic acquisitions, JVs, and planned facility additions are strengthening its market position and enhancing long-term revenue visibility. An aging population and increasing demand for post-acute care further support growth.
Select Medical, currently carrying a Zacks Rank #3, expects its 2026 earnings per share to increase 9.5% on a year-over-year basis. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current quarter has increased 7.4% over the past 60 days.
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Avnet, Inc. (AVT): Free Stock Analysis Report
Bunge Global SA (BG): Free Stock Analysis Report
Helen of Troy Limited (HELE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM): Free Stock Analysis Report
Bloomin' Brands, Inc. (BLMN): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).