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Core Viewpoint - International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (ICAGY) has been upgraded to a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), indicating a positive outlook based on rising earnings estimates, which significantly influence stock prices [1][4]. Earnings Estimates and Revisions - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for ICAGY for the fiscal year ending December 2024 is projected at $1.07 per share, reflecting a 61% decrease from the previous year's reported figure [9]. - Over the past three months, analysts have increased their earnings estimates for ICAGY by 5.7% [9]. - The Zacks rating system emphasizes the importance of earnings estimate revisions, which are strongly correlated with near-term stock price movements [5][7]. Zacks Rating System - The Zacks Rank system classifies stocks into five groups based on earnings estimates, with Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank 5 (Strong Sell), and has shown a strong track record of performance [8][10]. - Only the top 20% of Zacks-covered stocks receive a 'Strong Buy' or 'Buy' rating, indicating superior earnings estimate revisions and potential for market-beating returns [10][11]. Market Implications - The upgrade to Zacks Rank 2 positions ICAGY in the top 20% of stocks covered by Zacks, suggesting potential upward movement in its stock price due to improved earnings outlook [11]. - Rising earnings estimates and the corresponding rating upgrade imply an overall improvement in ICAGY's underlying business, which could lead to increased investor interest and stock price appreciation [6].

Here at Zacks, we focus on our proven ranking system, which places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions, to find winning stocks. But we also understand that investors develop their own strategies, so we are constantly looking at the latest trends in value, growth, and momentum to find strong companies for our readers.Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue increased to €32 billion, a growth of 9% year-on-year, while operating profit rose to €4.4 billion, up nearly €1 billion [10][15] - Operating margin improved to 13.9%, with a return on invested capital of 17.3%, marking exceptional performance [11][15] - Free cash flow generated was almost €3.6 billion after investing €2.8 billion in the business [12][30] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - British Airways' profits increased by 15% to over £2 billion, with an operating margin of 14.2% [18] - Iberia achieved over €1 billion in operating profit for the first time, with a 9% profit increase and a high operating margin of 13.6% [19] - IAG Loyalty delivered £420 million in profit, continuing to show strong double-digit growth [20][54] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - North America, the largest market, saw unit revenue increase by 6.2%, with a strong performance in Q4 where unit revenue rose by 14% [22] - Europe experienced high single-digit revenue growth, particularly strong for British Airways and Aer Lingus [23] - The Asia Pacific market remains the smallest, with only 27% of pre-pandemic capacity recovered [25] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to strengthen its core business by adding destinations and improving schedules [7] - Focus on growing asset-light, higher-margin businesses, with IAG Loyalty being a key area of growth [8] - Strategic targets include operating margins of 12% to 15% and return on invested capital between 13% and 16% [9] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the ongoing recovery of business travel, with significant improvements in volume and revenue compared to 2023 [70] - The company anticipates strong demand continuing into 2025, despite some caution in specific sectors [70] - Management highlighted the importance of digital transformation and customer experience improvements as key drivers for future growth [51] Other Important Information - The company plans to return up to €1 billion of excess capital to shareholders over the next 12 months [12][38] - A significant focus on sustainability, with 1.9% of fuel used in 2024 being sustainable aviation fuel [59] Q&A Session Summary Question: Update on Loyalty scheme changes and customer reactions - Management noted no significant change in travel patterns since the rollout of the new loyalty program, with positive feedback as customers learn more about it [66] Question: Outlook on business travel trends - Business travel demand has improved, with varying performance across airlines; British Airways and Iberia showed strong recovery in both volume and revenue [70][72] Question: RASK impact of the new retailing platform - Management did not provide specific guidance on RASK but expressed confidence in the recovery and margin improvement [77][78] Question: Expectations on 777X deliveries - The first delivery is expected in 2027, with ongoing discussions about strengthening partnerships in Latin America [129] Question: Capacity growth expectations across operating companies - Capacity growth is projected at 2% to 4% per annum, with specific growth rates varying by airline [123][125]

Connecting people, businesses and countries 2024 Full Year results Disclaimer LEI: 959800TZHQRUSH1ESL13 Forward-looking statements: Certain statements included in this announcement are forward-looking. These statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate only to historical or current facts. By their nature, they involve risk and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that will occur in the future. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed ...

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.Even though momentum is a popular stock char ...

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 often face challenges in determining the right entry point, as stocks may lose momentum when their valuations exceed future growth potential [2] - Investing in bargain stocks that exhibit recent price momentum can be a safer strategy, utilizing tools like the Zacks Momentum Style Score to identify potential opportunities [3] Group 2: International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (ICAGY) - ICAGY has shown a four-week price change of 13.7%, indicating strong investor interest [4] - Over the past 12 weeks, ICAGY's stock has gained 41%, with a beta of 2.17, suggesting it moves 117% higher than the market in either direction [5] - ICAGY has a Momentum Score of B, indicating a favorable time to invest based on momentum [6] Group 3: Earnings Estimates and Valuation - An upward trend in earnings estimate revisions has contributed to ICAGY earning a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), which is associated with strong momentum effects [7] - ICAGY is currently trading at a Price-to-Sales ratio of 0.62, suggesting it is undervalued at 62 cents for each dollar of sales [7] Group 4: Additional Opportunities - Besides ICAGY, there are other stocks that meet the criteria of the 'Fast-Paced Momentum at a Bargain' screen, presenting further investment opportunities [8] - The Zacks Premium Screens offer over 45 different strategies to help identify potential winning stocks based on individual investing styles [9]

Core Insights - The stock price of International Airlines Group has increased by over 90% since the initiation of coverage in June 2024 [1] Group 1 - The buy rating for International Airlines Group was supported by buy-side hedge professionals conducting fundamental, income-oriented, long-term analysis across sectors globally in developed markets [1]

Core Viewpoint - The comparison between International Consolidated Airlines Group SA (ICAGY) and Southwest Airlines (LUV) indicates that ICAGY may offer better value for investors at this time due to its stronger Zacks Rank and favorable valuation metrics [1][3]. Group 1: Zacks Rank and Earnings Estimates - ICAGY has a Zacks Rank of 1 (Strong Buy), while LUV has a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold), suggesting that ICAGY is experiencing more positive earnings estimate revisions [3]. - The Zacks Rank system emphasizes companies with improving earnings outlooks, which positions ICAGY favorably for value investors [3]. Group 2: Valuation Metrics - ICAGY's forward P/E ratio is 6.15, significantly lower than LUV's forward P/E of 20.02, indicating that ICAGY may be undervalued relative to LUV [5]. - The PEG ratio for ICAGY is 0.63, compared to LUV's PEG ratio of 3.24, further suggesting that ICAGY is a more attractive investment based on expected earnings growth [5]. - ICAGY has a P/B ratio of 1.45, while LUV's P/B ratio is 1.89, reinforcing the notion that ICAGY is undervalued [6]. - Based on these valuation metrics, ICAGY holds a Value grade of B, whereas LUV has a Value grade of C, indicating that ICAGY is the better option for value investors [6].

Core Insights - The article discusses the performance and strategies of John Choong, the Head of Markets and Research at Investors Edge, who aims to outperform the market by identifying sectors and companies with consistent growth potential [2] Group 1 - John Choong is recognized for his comprehensive macroeconomic analysis and detail-oriented research, which have provided actionable insights to investors [2] - He is currently ranked as the number one analyst in the UK according to Stockomendation, a stock tip-recommendation website [2]