Zacks.com featured highlights include Jabil, Target Hospitality, AZZ and Harte Hanks
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 11, 2022 – Stocks in this week’s article are Jabil Inc. JBL, Target Hospitality Corp. TH, AZZ Inc. AZZ and Harte Hanks, Inc. HHS.
4 Stocks with Solid Net Profit Margins Worth Buying Now
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. Jabil Inc., Target Hospitality Corp., AZZ Inc. and Harte Hanks, Inc. 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's 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 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.
Here we discuss our four picks from the 42 stocks that qualified the screen:
Jabil is one of the largest global suppliers of electronic manufacturing services. The company offers electronics design, production, product management and after-market services to customers catering to aerospace, automotive, computing, consumer, defense, industrial, instrumentation, medical, networking, peripherals, storage and telecommunications industries. Jabil sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present and has a VGM Score of A.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Jabil’s fiscal 2023 earnings has been revised upward to $8.18 per share from $8.12 in the past seven days. JBL surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.3%.
Target Hospitality is the holding company for Target Lodging, Signor Lodging and their respective subsidiaries. The company, through Target Lodging and Signor Lodging, builds, owns and operates customized housing communities for hospitality solutions, including culinary, catering, concierge, laundry and security services as well as recreational facilities. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 and has a VGM Score of A.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.37 for Target Hospitality’s current-year earnings has moved 16.1% north in the past 60 days. TH surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate thrice in the trailing four quarters and missed the same on one occasion, the average surprise being 135.3%.
AZZ is a global provider of metal coating services, welding solutions, specialty electrical equipment and highly engineered services to the markets of power generation, transmission, distribution and industrial in protecting metal and electrical systems used to build and enhance the world's infrastructure. The company currently sports a Zacks Rank of 1 and has a VGM Score of B.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for AZZ’s fiscal 2023 earnings has been revised upward to $5.52 per share from $3.83 in the past 30 days. AZZ surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 47.8%.
Harte Hanks is a data-driven, omnichannel marketing company. The company offers customers data landscape as well as the executional know-how in database build and management, data analytics, data-driven creativity, digital media, direct mail, customer contact, client fulfillment, and marketing and product logistics. Harte Hanks sports a Zacks Rank of 1 at present and has a VGM Score of A.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HHS’s 2022 earnings has been revised upward by 31.8% to $1.70 per share in the past 60 days. Harte Hanks surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate in the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 494.2%.
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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/1989592/4-stocks-with-solid-net-profit-margin-worth-buying-now
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.
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AZZ Inc. (AZZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Jabil, Inc. (JBL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Harte Hanks, Inc. (HHS) : Free Stock Analysis Report
Target Hospitality Corp. (TH) : Free Stock Analysis Report
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