Are You Looking for a Top Momentum Pick? Why Occidental Petroleum (OXY) is a Great Choice
Here is the article written on Oct. 25, 2021
Momentum investing revolves around the idea of following a
stock's recent trend in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will
be essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." With
this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a
stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving that way.
The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely
and profitable trades.
While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks,
this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which
metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of
future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style
Scores, helps address this issue for us.
Below, we take a look at Occidental Petroleum (OXY),
a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about
price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the
Momentum Style Score.
It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a
complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive
track record of outperformance. Occidental Petroleum currently has a Zacks Rank
of #1 (Strong Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong
Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the
following one-month period.
Set
to Beat the Market?
In
order to see if OXY is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum
Style elements to see if this oil and gas exploration and production company
holds up.
Looking
at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has
momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if
buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It's also helpful to
compare a security to its industry; this can show investors the best companies
in a particular area.
For
OXY, shares are up 7.17% over the past week while the Zacks Oil and Gas -
Integrated - United States industry is up 0.79% over the same time period.
Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly
price change of 20.75% compares favorably with the industry's 10.95%
performance as well.
Considering
longer term price metrics, like performance over the last three months or year,
can be advantageous as well. Shares of Occidental Petroleum have increased 30%
over the past quarter, and have gained 238.62% in the last year. On the other
hand, the S&P 500 has only moved 4.37% and 33.21%, respectively.
Investors
should also take note of OXY's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a
useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good
price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally
a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically
bearish. Right now, OXY is averaging 19,859,086 shares for the last 20 days.
Earnings
Outlook
The
Zacks Momentum Style Score encompasses many things, including estimate
revisions and a stock's price movement. Investors should note that earnings
estimates are also significant to the Zacks Rank, and a nice path here can be
promising. We have recently been noticing this with OXY.
Over
the past two months, 7 earnings estimates moved higher compared to none lower
for the full year. These revisions helped boost OXY's consensus estimate,
increasing from $0.96 to $1.59 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal
year, 7 estimates have moved upwards while there have been no downward
revisions in the same time period.
Bottom
Line
Taking
into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that OXY is a
#1 (Strong Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for
a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep Occidental
Petroleum on your short list.
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