Investors interested in Consumer Discretionary stocks should always be looking to find the best-performing companies in the group. Is American Woodmark (AMWD) one of those stocks right now? A quick glance at the company's year-to-date performance in comparison to the rest of the Consumer Discretionary sector should help us answer this question.American Woodmark is one of 286 companies in the Consumer Discretionary group. The Consumer Discretionary group currently sits at #15 within the Zacks Sector Rank. Th ...

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on "buying high and selling higher" rather than traditional strategies of "buying low and selling high" [1] Group 1: Momentum Investing Strategy - Momentum investors typically do not time the market, which can lead to risks if stocks lose momentum after their valuations exceed future growth potential [1] - Identifying the right entry point for fast-moving stocks is challenging, as they may become expensive with limited upside [1] Group 2: American Woodmark (AMWD) Analysis - AMWD has shown a four-week price change of 6%, indicating growing investor interest [2] - Over the past 12 weeks, AMWD's stock gained 12.4%, demonstrating its ability to deliver positive returns over a longer timeframe [3] - The stock has a beta of 1.73, suggesting it moves 73% higher than the market in either direction, indicating fast-paced momentum [3] Group 3: Earnings Estimates and Valuation - AMWD has a Momentum Score of B, suggesting it is a favorable time to invest [3] - The stock has a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) due to upward revisions in earnings estimates, which attract more investors [4] - AMWD is trading at a Price-to-Sales ratio of 0.86, indicating it is relatively cheap at present [4] Group 4: Additional Investment Opportunities - Besides AMWD, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the 'Fast-Paced Momentum at a Bargain' screen, which could be considered for investment [5] - The Zacks Premium Screens offer over 45 strategically created options to help identify potential winning stocks [5]

The most recent trading session ended with American Woodmark (AMWD) standing at $100.01, reflecting a -1.62% shift from the previouse trading day's closing. The stock fell short of the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.2% for the day. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.6%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, added 0.11%.Coming into today, shares of the cabinet maker had lost 0.6% in the past month. In that same time, the Consumer Discretionary sector gained 0.59%, while the S&P 500 gained 3.32%.The upcoming earn ...

Economic Overview - Americans are experiencing increased personal income and consumer spending as inflation pressures ease, complicating the Federal Reserve's efforts to control inflation [1] - The Commerce Department reported a $66.5 billion (0.3%) increase in personal income and a $145.5 billion (0.8%) rise in consumer spending in February [1] - The personal saving rate was recorded at 3.6% with total personal savings at $745.7 billion in February [1] Inflation and Federal Reserve Actions - The PCE price index rose 0.3% month over month in February, with core PCE also increasing by 0.3% [2] - Year-over-year, PCE increased by 2.5% and core PCE by 2.8% [2] - The Federal Reserve has maintained its benchmark policy rate at 5.25-5.5% since July 2023, after a series of rate hikes totaling 525 basis points since March 2022 [2] - The Fed is preparing to cut interest rates at least three times this year, which may boost consumer spending [2] Consumer Discretionary Stocks - Five consumer discretionary stocks have been identified with strong potential for 2024, all showing positive earnings estimate revisions [3] - Crocs, Inc. (CROX) has an expected earnings growth rate of 2.9% with a Zacks Rank 2 [3] - Interface, Inc. (TILE) has an expected earnings growth rate of 2% and a Zacks Rank 1, with a 32.5% improvement in earnings estimates [4] - Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) is projected to have a 47.9% earnings growth rate and a Zacks Rank 1, with a 9.4% improvement in earnings estimates [4] - American Woodmark Corporation (AMWD) has an expected earnings growth rate of 14.4% and a Zacks Rank 1, with a 3% improvement in earnings estimates [5]

Core Insights - American Woodmark (AMWD) is currently rated as a 1 (Strong Buy) by Zacks, indicating a stronger earnings outlook compared to WillScot (WSC), which holds a 3 (Hold) rating [1] - AMWD is identified as a superior value option based on various valuation metrics, including P/E and PEG ratios [3] Valuation Metrics - AMWD has a forward P/E ratio of 11.73, while WSC's forward P/E ratio is significantly higher at 22.11 [2] - The PEG ratio for AMWD is 0.90, indicating better value relative to its expected earnings growth compared to WSC's PEG ratio of 1.01 [2] - AMWD's P/B ratio stands at 1.81, contrasting with WSC's much higher P/B ratio of 7.03, further supporting AMWD's valuation advantage [3] Value Grades - AMWD has received a Value grade of A, while WSC has a Value grade of C, reflecting AMWD's stronger position in terms of valuation metrics [3]

Economic Overview - The U.S. economy expanded at an annualized pace of 3.3% in Q4 2023, with a total growth of 2.5% for the year [1] - The Federal Reserve maintained the benchmark overnight borrowing rate and indicated three quarter-percentage-point interest rate cuts by the end of 2023, marking the first cuts since March 2020 [1] Consumer Spending - Retail sales increased by 0.6% in February 2023, recovering from a 1.1% decline in January, with spending rising in seven of the past ten months [2] - The resilience in consumer spending is attributed to a strong labor market and rising average hourly earnings [2] Leading Economic Indicators - The Conference Board's leading indicator advanced by 0.1% in February 2023, marking its first increase since February 2022, suggesting economic improvement [3] Investment Opportunities - The stock market is positioned for growth, with recommendations to invest in growth stocks such as: - American Woodmark (AMWD): Zacks Rank 1, Growth Score B, expected earnings growth rate of 14.4% [4] - Burlington Stores (BURL): Zacks Rank 1, Growth Score A, expected earnings growth rate of 22.1% [4] - Central Garden & Pet (CENT): Zacks Rank 1, Growth Score B, expected earnings growth rate of 10.6% [4] - DHI Group (DHX): Zacks Rank 1, Growth Score B, expected earnings growth rate of 80% [5] - Amazon.com (AMZN): Zacks Rank 2, Growth Score A, expected earnings growth rate of 40.7% [5]

Group 1 - American Woodmark (AMWD) has reached a significant support level and shows potential as a good investment from a technical perspective [1] - AMWD recently broke through the 20-day moving average, indicating a short-term bullish trend [1] - The 20-day simple moving average (SMA) is a popular tool among traders for assessing stock price trends and smoothing out fluctuations [1] Group 2 - AMWD has moved 6% higher over the last four weeks, suggesting it may be on the verge of another rally [1] - The company currently holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), indicating strong investor interest [1] - Positive earnings estimate revisions have occurred, with no estimates decreasing in the past two months and one estimate increasing [2]

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Group 1 - American Woodmark (AMWD) is part of the Consumer Discretionary sector, which includes 292 individual stocks and holds a Zacks Sector Rank of 12 [1] - AMWD currently has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), indicating a favorable outlook based on earnings estimate revisions [2] - Over the past three months, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for AMWD's full-year earnings has increased by 7.1%, reflecting improved analyst sentiment [2] Group 2 - Year-to-date, AMWD has returned approximately 2.1%, outperforming the average return of 1.2% for Consumer Discretionary companies [2] - AMWD belongs to the Furniture industry, which includes 11 stocks and is currently ranked 78 in the Zacks Industry Rank; this industry has gained about 3.2% year-to-date, indicating AMWD is slightly underperforming its industry [3] - The RealReal (REAL), another Consumer Discretionary stock, has significantly outperformed with a year-to-date increase of 82.1% and has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy) [3]

Investors interested in Furniture stocks are likely familiar with American Woodmark (AMWD) and WillScot (WSC) . But which of these two stocks offers value investors a better bang for their buck right now? We'll need to take a closer look.We have found that the best way to discover great value opportunities is to pair a strong Zacks Rank with a great grade in the Value category of our Style Scores system. The Zacks Rank favors stocks with strong earnings estimate revision trends, and our Style Scores highlig ...