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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: D.R. Horton, Armstrong World Industries, United Rentals, Patrick Industries and Masco

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – July 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: D.R. Horton Inc. DHI, Armstrong World Industries Inc. AWI, United Rentals Inc. URI, Patrick Industries Inc. PATK and Masco Corp. MAS.

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

Top 5 Construction Stocks to Buy Ahead of Q2 Earnings This Week

Second-quarter earnings estimates are rather disappointing at a glance. The pathetic performance can be blamed solely on the global outbreak of coronavirus and the consequent lockdowns. However, defying coronavirus-induced woes, five construction stocks with a favorable Zacks Rank are set to beat earnings estimates this week.

Pathetic Second-Quarter Earnings So Far

As of Jul 24, 128 S&P 500 members reported second-quarter 2020 earnings results. Total earnings of these companies are down 41.9% from the same period last year on 7.1% lower revenues. Of the total, 74.2% surpassed EPS estimates and 64.1% outpaced revenue estimates.

Overall, second-quarter  earnings for the S&P 500 Index are projected to be down 42.9% year over year on 9.6% lower revenues. Notably, first-quarter earnings of companies on the S&P 500 Index were down 13.5% on 1.4% higher revenues. (Read More: The Technology Sector Shows its Earnings Power Amid Coronavirus)

Construction Sector in Q2

The construction sector had a mixed last quarter. The sector suffered a setback in the first two months of the last quarter. However, situation took a positive turn in June as the U.S. economy started reopening from last week of May.

Strong pent-up demand and record-low mortgage rate resulted a jump in housing starts, building permits and demand for new and existing home sales. Consequently, for the construction sector, second-quarter earnings are expected to be down only 14.9% year over year on 5.1% lower revenues.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) plunged to 30 in April, the lowest since June 2012. Thereafter, it increased steadily to 37 in May and 58 in June. Notably, any reading above 50 is considered positive and signals improvement in builder's confidence. Moreover, ramp-up in projects related to 5G — the next generation of wireless connectivity — has benefitted the heavy construction in industry.

Our Top Picks

We have narrowed down our search to five construction stocks slated to release earnings results this week. Each of these stocks carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and has a positive Earnings ESP. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our research shows that for stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, the chance of an earnings beat is as high as 70%. These stocks are expected to soar after earnings release. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

D.R. Horton Inc. operates as a homebuilding company in East, Midwest, Southeast, South Central, Southwest, and West regions in the United States. It constructs and sells single-family detached homes, and attached homes, such as townhomes, duplexes and triplexes. The company has an Earnings ESP of +4.33% for the third quarter of fiscal 2020 (ended June 2020).

The Zacks Rank #1 company has an expected earnings growth rate of 14.5% for the current year (ending September 2020). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 3.6% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 12.6%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 28, before the opening bell.

Armstrong World Industries Inc. designs, manufactures, and sells ceiling systems primarily for use in the construction and renovation of residential and commercial buildings in the United States, Canada and Latin America. It operates through Mineral Fiber and Architectural Specialties segments. The company has an Earnings ESP of +13.97%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Armstrong World's current-year earnings has improved 4.5% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.2%, on average. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release earnings results on Jul 28, before the opening bell.

United Rentals Inc. operates as a rent equipment company to a diverse customer base including construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and government entities in the United States and Canada. The company has an Earnings ESP of +20.51%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for United Rentals' current-year earnings has improved 1.3% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 15.5%, on average. The Zacks Rank #2 company is set to release earnings results on Jul 29, after the closing bell.

Patrick Industries Inc. manufactures and distributes building products and materials for the recreational vehicle, marine, manufactured housing, and industrial markets in the United States and Canada. The company has an Earnings ESP of +12.50%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Patrick Industries' current-year earnings has improved 9.5% over the last 30 days. The Zacks Rank #1 company is set to release earnings results on Jul 30, before the opening bell.

Masco Corp. designs, manufactures, and distributes home improvement and building products in North America, Europe, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Plumbing Products and Decorative Architectural Products. The company has an Earnings ESP of +0.24%.

The Zacks Rank #1 company has an expected earnings growth rate of 6.2% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has improved by 0.8% over the last 7 days. It has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 8.9%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Jul 30, before the opening bell.

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020?

Last year's 2019 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio returned gains as high as +102.7%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.

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


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Masco Corporation (MAS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Armstrong World Industries, Inc. (AWI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
United Rentals, Inc. (URI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Patrick Industries, Inc. (PATK) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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