3 Banks to Buy After Earnings

Advertisement

Every quarter, I urge you to be locked and loaded with the very best stocks in you portfolio.  Focusing on those stocks that are ranked a “buy” or “strong buy” by Portfolio Grader puts you in the best position to profit from those companies most likely to show strong revenue and profit growth.

earnings season

Source: ©iStock.com/spectrelabs

As we move into earnings season, you also want to take notice of those stocks that do better than expected and see their rankings upgraded. If you have extra cash to invest or need to replace a stock that stumbled consider adding the newly minted buy or strong buy stocks to you portfolio.

There was a lot of guessing and speculating about the big banks as we came into this earnings season.  Many of them were ranked “hold” or “sell,” and I advised you to avoid joining the guessing game and see how they actually reported.

Morgan Stanley (MS)

Morgan Stanley (MS) came into the season as a “hold-rated” stock, but after turning in a strong quarter, MS stock has been upgraded in Portfolio Grader. Morgan Stanley reported earnings growth of 30% year over year and exceeded analyst estimates for the third quarter.

Morgan Stanley reported stronger trading revenues across the board and acting as co-manager on the hit Alibaba IPO helped drive underwriting profits in the quarter. Portfolio Grader upgraded MS stock to a “B” this week, and Morgan Stanley shares are now a “buy.”

Blackhawk Network Holdings (HAWK)

Blackhawk Network Holdings (HAWK) is in the prepaid debit card and prepaid mobile phone business. This is a strong business right now, and Blackhawk products like the Green Dot and NetSpend cards are seeing strong acceptance among the unbanked segment of the U.S. population.

In the latest earnings season, Blackhawk reported strong revenue growth and posted its second consecutive triple digit positive earnings surprise. Following the report, Portfolio Grader upgraded HAWK stock to an “A” last week, and Blackhawk Network Holdings is a “strong buy” at current levels.

Beneficial Mutual (BNCL)

Beneficial Mutual (BNCL) is a smaller bank located in Philadelphia and is seeing strong results as the economy continues to improve. Beneficial Mutual just reported its second large positive earnings surprise as strong commercial loan growth drive revenues and profits in the quarter.

Beneficial is seeing improvements across the board as nonperforming assets have dropped substantially and net interest margins have stabilized. Portfolio Grader upgraded BNCL stock back to an “A” last week, and Beneficial Mutual is a “strong buy” at current levels.

As we move deeper into earnings season, we will continue to see upgrades and downgrades as reports are released. Be sure to use Portfolio Grader to keep you portfolio full of the best stocks that will lead the market higher.

Louis Navellier is a renowned growth investor. He is the editor of five investing newsletters: Blue Chip GrowthEmerging GrowthUltimate GrowthFamily Trust and Platinum Growth. His most popular service, Blue Chip Growth, has a track record of beating the market 3:1 over the last 14 years. He uses a combination of quantitative and fundamental analysis to identify market-beating stocks. Mr. Navellier has made his proven formula accessible to investors via his free, online stock rating tool, PortfolioGrader.com. Louis Navellier may hold some of the aforementioned securities in one or more of his newsletters.


Article printed from InvestorPlace Media, https://investorplace.com/2014/10/morgan-stanley-ms-blackhawk-hawk-beneficial-mutual-bncl/.

©2024 InvestorPlace Media, LLC