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4 Stocks With Solid Net Profit Margin to Enrich Your Portfolio

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Investors prefer to put their money in businesses that reap profits on a regular basis. In order to gauge the extent of profits, there is no better metric than net profit margin.

A higher net margin reflects a company’s efficiency in converting sales into actual profits. Encore Wire Corporation , Carlisle Companies Incorporated (CSL - Free Report) , RF Industries, Ltd. (RFIL - Free Report) and Franklin Covey Co. (FC - Free Report) boast solid net profit margins.

Net Profit Margin = Net profit/Sales * 100.

In simple terms, net profit is the amount a company retains after deducting all costs, interest, depreciation, taxes and other expenses. In fact, the net profit margin can turn out to be a potent point of reference to gauge the strength of a company’s operations and its cost-control measures.

Also, higher net profit is essential for rewarding stakeholders. Further, strength in the metric not only attracts investors but also draws well-skilled employees who eventually enhance a business’ value.

Moreover, a higher net profit margin compared with its peers provides the company with a competitive edge.

Pros and Cons

Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a company’s business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors.

However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. While net income is a key metric for investment measurement in traditional industries, it is not that important for technology companies.

In addition, the difference in accounting treatment of various items — especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation — makes comparison a daunting task.

Furthermore, for companies preferring to grow with debt instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective, while analyzing a company’s performance.

The Winning Strategy

A healthy net profit margin and solid EPS growth are the two most sought-after elements in a business model.

Apart from these, we have added a few criteria to ensure maximum returns from this strategy.

Screening Parameters

Net Margin 12 months – Most Recent (%) greater than equal to 0: High net profit margin indicates solid profitability.

Percentage Change in EPS F(0)/(F-1) greater than equal to 0: It indicates earnings growth.

Average Broker Rating (1-5) equal to 1: A rating of #1 indicates brokers’ extreme bullishness on the stock.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) generally perform better than their peers in all types of market environments. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

VGM Score of A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best upside potential.

Here we discuss our four picks from the 58 stocks that qualified the screen:

Encore Wire is a low-cost manufacturer of copper electrical building wire and cable. The company is a significant supplier of both residential wire for interior electrical wiring in homes, apartments and manufactured housing, as well as building wire for electrical distribution in commercial and industrial buildings. Encore Wire sports a Zacks Rank of 1, at present, and has a VGM Score of A.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Encore Wire’s 2022 earnings has been revised upward to $26.86 per share from $19.18 in the past seven days. WIRE surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 195%.

Carlisle Companies is a diversified, global portfolio of niche brands and businesses with highly engineered and high-margin products. It engages in the design, manufacture and sale of a wide range of roofing and waterproofing products, engineered products and finishing equipment. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of B.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.24 for Carlisle Companies’ current-year earnings has moved 14.5% north in the past seven days. CSL surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 28%.

RF Industries is engaged in the design, manufacture and distribution of coaxial connectors used in radio communications applications as well as in computers, test instruments, local area network and antenna devices. The company currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 and has a VGM Score of B.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for RF Industries’ fiscal 2022 earnings has been revised upward to 48 cents per share from 43 cents in the past 60 days. RFIL surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the trailing four quarters while missing the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 45.4%.

Franklin Covey is an international learning and performance solutions company dedicated to increasing the effectiveness of individuals and organizations. Franklin Covey sports a Zacks Rank of 1, at present, and has a VGM Score of B.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for FC’s fiscal 2022 earnings has been revised upward by 34 cents to $1.21 per share in the past 30 days. Franklin Covey surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the trailing four quarters while missing the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 237%.

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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.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks' portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance/.


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