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Zacks.com featured highlights Upbound, AES, Arch Capital, PulteGroup and Banco de Chile

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – August 19, 2024 – Stocks in this week’s article are Upbound Group, Inc. (UPBD - Free Report) , The AES Corp. (AES - Free Report) , Arch Capital Group Ltd. (ACGL - Free Report) , PulteGroup, Inc. (PHM - Free Report) and Banco de Chile (BCH - Free Report) .

Buy 5 High ROE Stocks as Low Inflation Data Steadies Markets

After a rocky start to the month that led to a global market rout, two major inflation data seemed to have steadied the ship as the broader equity markets inched closer to all-time highs reached in mid-July. While the producer price index (a measure of wholesale prices) was up 0.1% last month, the consumer price index (a broad-based measure of prices for goods and services) increased 0.2%. This put the 12-month inflation rate at 2.9% — the lowest since March 2021.

While the data gave an uncertain market some direction after the erratic movement last week, it also portrayed the resilience of the economy. This, in turn, led to optimism about a possible rate cut by the Federal Reserve next month, triggering an uptrend for the stocks. With a better-than-expected 2.8% annualized GDP growth in the second quarter and solid labor market conditions, it appeared that the economy was back on the growth track, cooling recessionary fears.

As investors employ a wait-and-see approach in a classic example of “backing and filling” in the market, they can benefit from “cash cow” stocks that garner higher returns. However, identifying cash-rich stocks alone does not make for a solid investment proposition unless it is backed by attractive efficiency ratios like return on equity (ROE). A high ROE ensures that the company is reinvesting cash at a high rate of return. Upbound Group, Inc., The AES Corp., Arch Capital Group Ltd., PulteGroup, Inc. and Banco de Chile are some of the stocks with high ROE to profit from.

ROE: A Key Metric

ROE = Net Income/Shareholders’ Equity

ROE helps investors distinguish profit-generating companies from profit burners and is useful in determining the financial health of a company. In other words, this financial metric enables investors to identify companies that diligently deploy cash for higher returns.

Moreover, ROE is often used to compare the profitability of a company with other firms in the industry — the higher, the better. It measures how well a company is multiplying its profits without investing new equity capital and portrays management’s efficiency in rewarding shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Here are five of the 11 stocks that qualified the screening:

Upbound Group: Headquartered in Plano, TX, Upbound Group (formerly Rent-A-Center, Inc.) is a leading lease-to-own provider with operations in the United States, Puerto Rico and Mexico. The company provides services to a large portion of consumers by providing them access and the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable products under a flexible lease purchase agreement with no long-term debt obligation.

The company delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 3.8%, on average. It has a VGM Score of B. Upbound Group carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

AES: Arlington, VA-based AES is a global power company. Its businesses are spread across four continents in 14 countries. The company has four Strategic Business Units located in the United States and other regions across the globe. AES remains one of the forerunners in the utility industry's transition to clean energy by investing in sustainable growth and innovative solutions while delivering superior results.

It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 19.2%, on average. AES carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Arch Capital: Headquartered in Pembroke, Bermuda, Arch Capital offers insurance, reinsurance and mortgage insurance across the world. It provides a wide range of products and services, which include primary and excess casualty coverages, professional indemnity, workers’ compensation and umbrella liability and employers’ liability insurance coverages. The company offers a full range of property, casualty and mortgage insurance and reinsurance lines while maintaining a focus on writing specialty lines of insurance and reinsurance.

It has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 6.1%. It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 28.9%, on average. It has a VGM Score of B. Arch Capital carries a Zacks Rank #2.

PulteGroup: Based in Atlanta, GA, PulteGroup engages in homebuilding and financial services businesses, primarily in the United States. The company conducts operations through two primary business segments – Homebuilding and Financial Services. The company engages in maintaining a 50/50 balance between build-to-order and spec sales, enabling it to meet immediate demand with spec homes while also accommodating buyers who prefer to customize their homes with build-to-order options.

The company has a long-term earnings growth expectation of 19% and delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10%, on average. It has a VGM Score of B. PulteGroup carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Banco de Chile: Headquartered in Santiago, Chile, Banco de Chile provides various banking services to customers in the Latin American country. These include deposit accounts, loans, payment-related cards and insurance solutions. The company also offers services such as cash management, treasury, financial advisory, trade finance, leasing, factoring, payment, payroll, collection, mutual fund management, securities brokerage, currency trading, investment management, collection, securitization and capital markets services.

It delivered a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 6.1%, on average. Banco de Chile carries a Zacks Rank #2.

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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/2322873/buy-5-high-roe-stocks-as-low-inflation-data-steadies-market

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.

Contact: Jim Giaquinto

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