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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: SEM, GPK, ATCO, OSB and EHTH
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 28, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM - Free Report) , Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK - Free Report) , Atlas Corporation , Norbord Inc. and eHealth, Inc. (EHTH - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Long-Term Ideas Still Going Cheap
The markets continue to soar to unprecedented heights. While this is good news (it means most of us are sitting on some nice gains), it also means that there are fewer bargains out there.
And that’s not just the case for the tech high-flyers but also other industries as the euphoria continues to spread.
Many of us are asking ourselves difficult questions about whether it’s time to take some gains or whether we should hang on. These are obviously individual decisions based on your personal circumstances.
But whatever you decide, if you are looking for stocks to buy or thinking about adjusting your portfolio, it’s always a good idea to take a look at names with long-term potential. And if they’re still cheap in this market, what could be better?
Select Medical Holdings Corporation
Select Medical owns critical illness recovery and rehabilitation hospitals. It also offers outpatient rehabilitation and occupational health services. As of Dec 31, 2019, it operated 101 critical illness recovery hospitals in 28 states, 29 rehabilitation hospitals in 12 states, and 1,740 outpatient rehabilitation clinics in 37 states and the District of Columbia.
The healthcare landscape is changing with new technologies facilitating therapies and procedures that could increase outpatient care, minimize hospital stay and lower healthcare costs by focusing on prevention.
Therefore, the company’s increased focus on the outpatient and occupational health (where employers take care of healthcare issues and often drive a hard bargain) segments is a positive. In 2019, more than 50% of revenue came from these segments.
Needless to say, COVID greatly boosted its performance in the last quarter, helping it generate earnings of 38 cents a share when the Zacks Consensus Estimate was a loss of 6 cents. Of course, the two analysts providing estimates on the stock immediately raised their 2020 estimates. But 2021 estimates also went up as growth is expected to continue.
So as of today, the earnings estimate for 2020 is 8.9% above 2019 levels while the 2021 estimate is 24.8% higher than the 2020 estimate.
On the revenue side, I’m still seeing a 2.4% decline this year that is however followed by a 6.6% increase in the next.
Additionally, earnings are expected to grow 15.0% over the next 5 years compared to the industry’s growth of 13.8%.
This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, with Value Score A and Growth Score A belongs to the Medical – HMOs industry, which is in the top 13% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
What’s more, it has a PEG of 0.97 and is trading below its median value on the basis of price-to-forward 12 months’ earnings. So the shares are undervalued.
Graphic Packaging Holding Company
Graphic Packaging is a leading provider of paperboard packaging solutions to consumer packaged goods and foodservice customers. It is one of the largest producers of folding cartons in the U.S. with leading market positions in the coated-recycled paperboard ("CRB"), coated unbleached kraft paperboard (“CUK”) and solid bleached sulfate paperboard ("SBS") categories. With operations across the Americas, Europe and Asia, it counts some of the most widely recognized companies in the world as its customers. These would be Anheuser-Busch, Inc., MillerCoors, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Heinz Company, General Mills, Nestlé USA, Kellogg Company, McDonald's, Wendy's, Panda Express, Dairy Queen, Chipotle, Panera and KFC.
There are pros and cons of paper packaging. In its favor are environmental factors such biodegradability, which is again offset by the environmental impact of deforestation and the emission of dioxins during the manufacture of paper.
Heightened consciousness about the harmfulness of plastic waste, especially as it gets in the water and alters hormonal balance in fish and other living creatures is the major force driving paper packaging. The deforestation issue is big, but can be handled by managing plant growth. That’s why paper packaging remains part of the sustainable future.
The company’s 36.8% earnings beat in the last quarter may not sound exceptional, especially when comparing with some of the others here, but it’s a solid beat nevertheless. And I do see an encouraging upward trend in estimates for 2020 and 2021.
At this point, its 2020 earnings are expected to grow 21.8% on revenue that’s expected to grow 4.5%. For 2021, the current expectation is for earnings growth of 7.6% and revenue growth of 1.5%.
The company is currently expected to grow its earnings 25.0% over the next five years, which is a significantly higher rate than the 9.5% expected for the industry.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, with Value Score A and Growth Score A operates in the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, which is in the top 39% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
And that isn’t all. With a PEG of 0.54, and trading below its median value over the past year on a price to forward earnings basis, GPK remains undervalued.
Atlas Corporation
Hong Kong-based Atlas Corp. is an asset manager and operator. The company's wholly-owned subsidiaries include Seaspan (the existing business) and APR Energy (acquired after the close of 2019). Seaspan is a containership owner/operator through long-term, fixed-rate time charters. APR is owner/operator of a fleet of capital-intensive assets, including gas turbines and other power generation equipment for lessees through medium-to-long-term contracts.
Given the nature of its business, the pandemic was supposed to have had a hugely negative impact on ATCO. But here’s why it didn’t.
First of all, most of its assets are operated on long-term contracts and second, asset purchases are made only if they are in good condition with good residual value and only if a customer wants them. This keeps utilization rates high and costs down.
As regards global trade volumes, which impact the industry, this is dependent on building supply chains. So while the go-local call is strong and valid, building/altering supply chains take time and by then, new opportunities come along. This keeps the business stable.
There was a 25.0% beat in the last quarter, followed by upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, earnings are currently expected to grow 39.3% this year on revenue that’s expected to grow 25.4%. In 2021, earnings are to grow 2.5% on revenue growth of 4.4%.
The next five years are expected to see earnings growth of 16.5%, better than the industry’s 9.5%.
This Zacks Rank #2 stock, with Value Score A, Growth Score C and Momentum Score A operates in the Financial - Investment Management industry, which is in the top 21% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.46, and trading below its median value over the past year on a price to forward earnings basis, ATCO remains undervalued.
Norbord Inc.
Norbord is a leading producer of wood-based panels, operating primarily in the U.S., Europe and Canada.
These panels are used mainly in the construction industry to provide structural durability to roofs and floors, walls, beams, doors and staircases. Therefore, growing populations, increased urbanization, modular building structures and infrastructure investments all drive demand. In terms of geography, the Asia/Pacific region is expected to remain the biggest driver with Africa and South America the weakest. Mordor Intelligence expects the wood-based panel market to grow at a CAGR of 6% from 2020 to 2025.
There was a solid beat of 170.1% in the last quarter, followed by significant upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, the company is expected to report earnings of $3.91 in 2020 up from a loss of 37 cents last year. Therefore, although growth will come down in 2021, the expected earnings of $3.30 will still be much higher than 2019’s estimated loss. Revenue is expected to grow 24.4% this year and 2.2% in the next.
The company is also expected to grow earnings stronger than the industry in the next five years: its estimated growth is 37.3% compared with the industry’s 22.2%.
This Zacks Rank #2 stock, with Value Score D, Growth Score C and Momentum Score B is part of the Building Products - Wood industry, which is in the top 2% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.24, and trading below its median P/E over the past year, OSB remains undervalued.
eHealth, Inc.
eHealth, Inc. is the parent company of eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses. eHealthInsurance presents complex health insurance information in an objective, user-friendly format, enabling the research, analysis, comparison and purchase of health insurance products that best meet consumers' needs. Its technology was responsible for the nation's first Internet-based sale of a health insurance policy.
Its per-share loss of 12 cents in the last quarter was significantly lower than the estimated 69 cents, so it was followed by significant upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, the company is expected to report earnings of $2.86 this year that is still lower than the 2019 earnings of $3.50. Revenue is however expected to grow 29.3%. In 2021 however, there will be a strong snapback with earnings growing 38.5% on revenue that will grow 27.8%. Both 2021 numbers are expected to be significantly higher than 2019.
Its long-term growth rate (over the next five years) is estimated growth at 21.0% nearly double the industry’s 10.6%.
This Zacks Rank #1 stock is part of the Industry: Insurance – Brokerage industry, which is in the top 12% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.74, and trading below its median P/E over the past year, OSB remains undervalued.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: SEM, GPK, ATCO, OSB and EHTH
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – August 28, 2020 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Select Medical Holdings Corporation (SEM - Free Report) , Graphic Packaging Holding Company (GPK - Free Report) , Atlas Corporation , Norbord Inc. and eHealth, Inc. (EHTH - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Thursday’s Analyst Blog:
5 Long-Term Ideas Still Going Cheap
The markets continue to soar to unprecedented heights. While this is good news (it means most of us are sitting on some nice gains), it also means that there are fewer bargains out there.
And that’s not just the case for the tech high-flyers but also other industries as the euphoria continues to spread.
Many of us are asking ourselves difficult questions about whether it’s time to take some gains or whether we should hang on. These are obviously individual decisions based on your personal circumstances.
But whatever you decide, if you are looking for stocks to buy or thinking about adjusting your portfolio, it’s always a good idea to take a look at names with long-term potential. And if they’re still cheap in this market, what could be better?
Select Medical Holdings Corporation
Select Medical owns critical illness recovery and rehabilitation hospitals. It also offers outpatient rehabilitation and occupational health services. As of Dec 31, 2019, it operated 101 critical illness recovery hospitals in 28 states, 29 rehabilitation hospitals in 12 states, and 1,740 outpatient rehabilitation clinics in 37 states and the District of Columbia.
The healthcare landscape is changing with new technologies facilitating therapies and procedures that could increase outpatient care, minimize hospital stay and lower healthcare costs by focusing on prevention.
Therefore, the company’s increased focus on the outpatient and occupational health (where employers take care of healthcare issues and often drive a hard bargain) segments is a positive. In 2019, more than 50% of revenue came from these segments.
Needless to say, COVID greatly boosted its performance in the last quarter, helping it generate earnings of 38 cents a share when the Zacks Consensus Estimate was a loss of 6 cents. Of course, the two analysts providing estimates on the stock immediately raised their 2020 estimates. But 2021 estimates also went up as growth is expected to continue.
So as of today, the earnings estimate for 2020 is 8.9% above 2019 levels while the 2021 estimate is 24.8% higher than the 2020 estimate.
On the revenue side, I’m still seeing a 2.4% decline this year that is however followed by a 6.6% increase in the next.
Additionally, earnings are expected to grow 15.0% over the next 5 years compared to the industry’s growth of 13.8%.
This Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock, with Value Score A and Growth Score A belongs to the Medical – HMOs industry, which is in the top 13% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
What’s more, it has a PEG of 0.97 and is trading below its median value on the basis of price-to-forward 12 months’ earnings. So the shares are undervalued.
Graphic Packaging Holding Company
Graphic Packaging is a leading provider of paperboard packaging solutions to consumer packaged goods and foodservice customers. It is one of the largest producers of folding cartons in the U.S. with leading market positions in the coated-recycled paperboard ("CRB"), coated unbleached kraft paperboard (“CUK”) and solid bleached sulfate paperboard ("SBS") categories. With operations across the Americas, Europe and Asia, it counts some of the most widely recognized companies in the world as its customers. These would be Anheuser-Busch, Inc., MillerCoors, PepsiCo, The Coca-Cola Company, Kraft Heinz Company, General Mills, Nestlé USA, Kellogg Company, McDonald's, Wendy's, Panda Express, Dairy Queen, Chipotle, Panera and KFC.
There are pros and cons of paper packaging. In its favor are environmental factors such biodegradability, which is again offset by the environmental impact of deforestation and the emission of dioxins during the manufacture of paper.
Heightened consciousness about the harmfulness of plastic waste, especially as it gets in the water and alters hormonal balance in fish and other living creatures is the major force driving paper packaging. The deforestation issue is big, but can be handled by managing plant growth. That’s why paper packaging remains part of the sustainable future.
The company’s 36.8% earnings beat in the last quarter may not sound exceptional, especially when comparing with some of the others here, but it’s a solid beat nevertheless. And I do see an encouraging upward trend in estimates for 2020 and 2021.
At this point, its 2020 earnings are expected to grow 21.8% on revenue that’s expected to grow 4.5%. For 2021, the current expectation is for earnings growth of 7.6% and revenue growth of 1.5%.
The company is currently expected to grow its earnings 25.0% over the next five years, which is a significantly higher rate than the 9.5% expected for the industry.
This Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock, with Value Score A and Growth Score A operates in the Containers - Paper and Packaging industry, which is in the top 39% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
And that isn’t all. With a PEG of 0.54, and trading below its median value over the past year on a price to forward earnings basis, GPK remains undervalued.
Atlas Corporation
Hong Kong-based Atlas Corp. is an asset manager and operator. The company's wholly-owned subsidiaries include Seaspan (the existing business) and APR Energy (acquired after the close of 2019). Seaspan is a containership owner/operator through long-term, fixed-rate time charters. APR is owner/operator of a fleet of capital-intensive assets, including gas turbines and other power generation equipment for lessees through medium-to-long-term contracts.
Given the nature of its business, the pandemic was supposed to have had a hugely negative impact on ATCO. But here’s why it didn’t.
First of all, most of its assets are operated on long-term contracts and second, asset purchases are made only if they are in good condition with good residual value and only if a customer wants them. This keeps utilization rates high and costs down.
As regards global trade volumes, which impact the industry, this is dependent on building supply chains. So while the go-local call is strong and valid, building/altering supply chains take time and by then, new opportunities come along. This keeps the business stable.
There was a 25.0% beat in the last quarter, followed by upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, earnings are currently expected to grow 39.3% this year on revenue that’s expected to grow 25.4%. In 2021, earnings are to grow 2.5% on revenue growth of 4.4%.
The next five years are expected to see earnings growth of 16.5%, better than the industry’s 9.5%.
This Zacks Rank #2 stock, with Value Score A, Growth Score C and Momentum Score A operates in the Financial - Investment Management industry, which is in the top 21% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.46, and trading below its median value over the past year on a price to forward earnings basis, ATCO remains undervalued.
Norbord Inc.
Norbord is a leading producer of wood-based panels, operating primarily in the U.S., Europe and Canada.
These panels are used mainly in the construction industry to provide structural durability to roofs and floors, walls, beams, doors and staircases. Therefore, growing populations, increased urbanization, modular building structures and infrastructure investments all drive demand. In terms of geography, the Asia/Pacific region is expected to remain the biggest driver with Africa and South America the weakest. Mordor Intelligence expects the wood-based panel market to grow at a CAGR of 6% from 2020 to 2025.
There was a solid beat of 170.1% in the last quarter, followed by significant upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, the company is expected to report earnings of $3.91 in 2020 up from a loss of 37 cents last year. Therefore, although growth will come down in 2021, the expected earnings of $3.30 will still be much higher than 2019’s estimated loss. Revenue is expected to grow 24.4% this year and 2.2% in the next.
The company is also expected to grow earnings stronger than the industry in the next five years: its estimated growth is 37.3% compared with the industry’s 22.2%.
This Zacks Rank #2 stock, with Value Score D, Growth Score C and Momentum Score B is part of the Building Products - Wood industry, which is in the top 2% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.24, and trading below its median P/E over the past year, OSB remains undervalued.
eHealth, Inc.
eHealth, Inc. is the parent company of eHealthInsurance, the leading online source of health insurance for individuals, families and small businesses. eHealthInsurance presents complex health insurance information in an objective, user-friendly format, enabling the research, analysis, comparison and purchase of health insurance products that best meet consumers' needs. Its technology was responsible for the nation's first Internet-based sale of a health insurance policy.
Its per-share loss of 12 cents in the last quarter was significantly lower than the estimated 69 cents, so it was followed by significant upward revision to estimates for both 2020 and 2021.
As a result, the company is expected to report earnings of $2.86 this year that is still lower than the 2019 earnings of $3.50. Revenue is however expected to grow 29.3%. In 2021 however, there will be a strong snapback with earnings growing 38.5% on revenue that will grow 27.8%. Both 2021 numbers are expected to be significantly higher than 2019.
Its long-term growth rate (over the next five years) is estimated growth at 21.0% nearly double the industry’s 10.6%.
This Zacks Rank #1 stock is part of the Industry: Insurance – Brokerage industry, which is in the top 12% of 250+ Zacks-ranked industries.
With a PEG of 0.74, and trading below its median P/E over the past year, OSB remains undervalued.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking.
Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>
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Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit http://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.