The commercial banking, aerospace and defense, life science, biotechnology and auto parts sectors are on the rise this week on the Portfolio Grader database.
Commercial banking is excelling, with 100% of stocks in the sector (5 out of 5) rating a “buy”. Out of the commercial banking stocks, StellarOne Corporation (STEL) and Citizens Republic Bancorp (CRBC) are out front with B’s. Pacific Capital Bancorp (PCBC) also ranks a solid A.
With 74% of the sector’s stocks (31 out of 42) rating a “buy,” the aerospace and defense sector is one of the strongest. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII), Alliant Techsystem (ATK) and TASER International, Inc. (TASR) are paving the way for the sector with A grades. Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. is the best performer in this sector, with a 237.9% increase in the last 12 months.
Life science stands out with 71% of the sector’s stocks (17 out of 24) rating a “buy”. Among life science stocks, Wuxi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc. Sponsored ADR (WX), Covance (CVD) and Illumina, Inc. (ILMN) are leading the way with A’s. Over the last 12 months, Wuxi PharmaTech (Cayman) Inc. Sponsored ADR is the best performer in this sector, with a 231.6% increase.
The biotechnology sector’s track record is proving one of the best with 69% of its stocks (64 out of 93) rating a “buy”. Enanta Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (ENTA), Gentium S.p.A. Sponsored ADR (GENT) and Repligen Corporation (RGEN) are all currently earning A’s. Showing the most overall growth in its sector in the last 12 months, Repligen Corporation is the top stock, with a 483.1% increase.
Auto parts is thriving this week with 68% of stocks in the sector (17 out of 25) currently rating a “buy”. With overall grades of A, Dorman Products, Inc. (DORM), Magna International (MGA) and Cooper-Standard Holdings Inc. (CPS) are buoying the sector. The best performer in this sector is Magna International, which saw its price rise 243% in the last 12 months.
Louis Navellier’s proprietary Portfolio Grader stock ranking system assesses roughly 5,000 companies every week based on a number of fundamental and quantitative measures. Stocks are given a letter grade based on their results — with A being “strong buy,” and F being “strong sell.” Explore the tool here.
