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Zacks.com featured highlights: EarthLink, Electro Scientific, KEYW Holding, Oclaro and Teligent

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 20, 2016 - Stocks in this week’s article include: EarthLink (ELNK), Electro Scientific Inds. (ESIO), KEYW Holding Corp. (KEYW), Oclaro (OCLR) and Teligent ( TLGT).

Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:

A Company’s First Profit Can Mean Big Investor Profits

With earnings season in full swing, now is a great time to take a look at my 'First Profit' stock screen. The concept for this one is to identify companies that have recently shown their first quarterly profit within the last year.

More specifically, to find companies that have not shown a profit for at least the previous 4 quarters, but have just recently produced their first profit this last quarter.

I run this screen after every earnings season. And here we are again.

Some of these companies will be relatively new, and this recent profit may be the only profit in the company's history so far.

Other companies may have a long history of profitability, but for whatever reason haven't seen a profit in a while -- but has finally returned to profitability.

I like this concept because, if the trend has been one of improvement, there's a good chance the trend will continue. This is true whether you've been profitable or are just getting profitable.

But some people (like myself for example) dislike buying companies that cannot show a profit. And there are many others who won't even consider a stock unless it’s making money.

Losing less than the previous quarter is indeed an improvement. And in that respect, by definition, it is growth, i.e., they're growing less unprofitable. And it’s even better if the losses are less and less in each sequential quarter.

But there's something entirely different about growth AND being profitable. And those are the stocks that will likely see the best new demand from new investors; people who are now, all of a sudden, willing to take notice of, and pay attention to, the stock.

And that’s what we’re screening for today:

EPS for the previous 4 Quarters less than or equal to 0
(This means in each of the previous 4 quarters (except the most recently reported quarter) the company has reported earnings of less than or equal to zero, i.e., no profit.)

EPS for the recently reported quarter greater than 0
(This time, the company reported earnings greater than zero, meaning they finally showed a profit.)

Current Price greater than or equal to 5
(I prefer to only look at companies over $5. But if you drop this item from the screen, it'll currently produce three times as many stocks coming thru the screen.)

BTW – for those who have the Research Wizard and want to build this on their own – here’s what the screen looks like. You don’t have to use the calculation expression feature either. It can all be done from the main page. (See below.)

The screen is pretty simple yet pretty powerful.

Here are 5 stocks that made it thru this week’s screen:

(ELNK) EarthLink
(ESIO) Electro Scientific Inds.
(KEYW) The KEYW Holding Corp.
(OCLR) Oclaro
(TLGT) Teligent

Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start looking for the newest companies that fit this criteria. It's easy to do. And it could help you find your next 'best' stock. Start screening for these companies today with a free trial to the Research Wizard. You can do it.

Click here for your 2 week free trial to the Research Wizard.

Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published.

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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Sign up now for your free trial today and start picking better stocks immediately. And with the backtesting feature, you can test your ideas to see how you can improve your trading in both up markets and down markets. Don’t wait for the market to get better before you decide to do better. Start learning how to be a better trader today: https://at.zacks.com/?id=111
 

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.


About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here https://at.zacks.com/?id=112

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Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Click here for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros.

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Contact: Jim Giaquinto
Company: Zacks.com
Phone: 312-265-9268
Email: pr@zacks.com

Visit: www.Zacks.com

Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer .

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 https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.


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EARTHLINK HLDGS (ELNK): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
ELECTRO SCI IND (ESIO): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
KEYW HOLDING CP (KEYW): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
OCLARO INC (OCLR): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
TELIGENT INC (TLGT): Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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