The three most widely followed indexes declined on Friday to close the last week of 2022 with a loss. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 0.3% in the week, while the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 0.1% and 0.2%, respectively.
December is usually one of the best months for the market, but this year, there was no Santa Claus rally. Wall Street fell on apprehensions of a still hawkish Fed looking to continue its tight monetary policy to curb inflation, a suddenly escalating Russia-Ukraine war and rising covid cases in China.
The S&P 500 declined 19.4% in 2022 and is in the bear market territory, falling 20% below its record high. The Nasdaq Composite is down 33.1%, with growth stocks getting a beatdown. Dow has fared relatively better with a “modest” 8.8% fall. All eyes will be on the Fed in the days and weeks to come and the direction it gives to the economy. Its failure to achieve a soft landing might have cataclysmic repercussions for the market.
Regardless of market conditions, we, here at Zacks, provide investors with unbiased guidance on how to beat the market.
As usual, Zacks Research guided investors over the past three months with its time-tested methodologies. Given the prevailing market uncertainty, you may want to look at our feats to prepare better for your next action.
Here are some of our key achievements:
BioVie, MainStreet Bancshares Soar Following Zacks Rank Upgrade
Shares of
BioVie Inc.
BIVI
have surged 173.6% since it was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) on Oct 19.
Another stock,
MainStreet Bancshares, Inc.
MNSB
, was upgraded to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) on Oct 17 and has returned 19.5% since then.
Zacks Rank, our short-term rating system, has earnings estimate revisions at its core. Empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
This stock-rating system, which uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive externally audited track record, with Zacks Rank #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +24.8% since 1988.You can see
the complete list of today’s Zacks Rank #1 stocks here >>>
Check BioVie’s historical EPS and Sales here>>>
Check MainStreet Bancshares’ historical EPS and Sales here>>>
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Zacks Recommendation Upgrade Drives Vital Farms and Hyatt Hotels Higher
Shares of
Vital Farms, Inc.
VITL
and
Hyatt Hotels Corporation
H
have soared 19.3% and 9.3% since their Zacks Recommendation was upgraded to Outperform on Oct 26 and Oct 10, respectively.
While the Zacks Rank is our short-term rating system that is most effective over the one- to three-month holding horizon, the Zacks Recommendation aims to predict performance over the next 6 to 12 months. However, just like the Zacks Rank, the foundation for the Zacks Recommendation is trends in earnings estimate revisions.
The Zacks Recommendation classifies stocks into three groups — Outperform, Neutral and Underperform. While these recommendations are determined quantitatively, our analysts have the flexibility to override them for the 1100+ stocks they closely follow based on their better judgment of factors such as valuation, industry conditions and management effectiveness than the quantitative model.
To access our research reports with Zacks Recommendations for the 1100+ stocks we cover,
click here>>>
Zacks Focus List Model Portfolio JPMorgan Chase, Procter & Gamble Surge Ahead
Shares of
JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPM
, which belongs to the Zacks Focus List, have surged 26.5% over the past 12 weeks. The stock was added to the Focus List on Oct 10, 2016. Another Focus-List holding,
The Procter & Gamble Company
PG
, which was added to the portfolio on Mar 23, 2020, has returned 22% over the past 12 weeks.
The Zacks Focus List is a model portfolio of 50 hand-picked stocks that possess the right fundamental ingredients to outperform the market over the next 12 months. These 50 stocks are picked from a long list of stocks with the highest Zacks Rank.
Since its inception on Feb 1, 1996, the Focus List portfolio has delivered an annualized return of +12.9%.
Unlock all of our powerful research, tools and analysis, including the Focus List, Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research Reports, Zacks Earnings ESP Filter, Premium Screener and more, as part of Zacks Premium.
Gain full access now >>
Zacks ECAP Stocks Novo Nordisk, Oracle Soar
Novo Nordisk A/S
NVO
, a component of our Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP), jumped 30.1% over the past 12 weeks.
Oracle Corporation
ORCL
followed Novo Nordisk with 29.2% returns.
ECAP is a model portfolio of 30 concentrated, ultra-defensive, long-term Buy and Hold stocks.
With little to no turnover and annual rebalance periodicity, the ECAP seeks to minimize capital loss by holding shares of companies whose earnings streams exhibit a proven 20+ year track record of surviving recessionary periods with minimal impact on aggregate earnings growth relative to the overall S&P 500.
The ECAP and many other model portfolios are available as part of Zacks Advisor Tools, a cloud-based solution to access Zacks award-winning stock, mutual fund and ETF research.
Click here to schedule a demo
.
Zacks ECDP Stocks Kimberly-Clark, Coca-Cola Outperform Peers
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
KMB
, which is part of our Earnings Certain Dividend Portfolio (ECDP), has returned 23.9% over the past 12 weeks. Another ECDP stock,
The Coca-Cola Company
KO
, has climbed 16.7% over the same time frame. Of course, the inclination of investors toward quality dividend stocks to secure an income stream amid the heightened market volatility contributed to this performance.
Check Kimberly-Clark’s dividend history here>>>
Check Coca-Cola’s dividend history here>>>
With an extremely low Beta and a history of minimum earnings variability over the last 20+ years, this 25-stock portfolio helps significantly mitigate risk. The ECDP has consistently outperformed the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF
NOBL
.
Click here to access this portfolio on
Zacks Advisor Tools
.
Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2023
In addition to the investment ideas discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2023? From inception in 2012 through November, the
Zacks Top 10 Stocks
portfolio has tripled the market, gaining an impressive +884.5% versus the S&P 500’s +287.4%.
Now our Director of Research is combing through 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 3.
Be First to New Top 10 Stocks >>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days.
Click to get this free report
