Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the importance of identifying and maintaining stock price trends for successful short-term investing, highlighting the use of a specific screening strategy to find stocks with strong fundamentals and positive price momentum [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Performance - Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS) has shown a solid price increase of 15.1% over the past 12 weeks, indicating strong investor interest [4]. - The stock has maintained a price increase of 1% over the last four weeks, suggesting that the upward trend is still intact [5]. - IFS is currently trading at 98.5% of its 52-week high-low range, indicating a potential breakout [5]. Group 2: Fundamental Strength - IFS holds a Zacks Rank 2 (Buy), placing it in the top 20% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises [6]. - The stock has an Average Broker Recommendation of 1 (Strong Buy), reflecting high optimism from the brokerage community regarding its near-term price performance [7]. Group 3: Investment Strategy - The "Recent Price Strength" screen is a useful tool for identifying stocks with sufficient fundamental strength to sustain their recent uptrends [3]. - The article suggests that there are several other stocks that also meet the criteria of the "Recent Price Strength" screen, providing additional investment opportunities [8].

Group 1 - Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS) has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), indicating a stronger earnings outlook compared to Blackstone Inc. (BX), which has a Zacks Rank of 3 (Hold) [3] - Value investors typically utilize various metrics such as P/E ratio, P/S ratio, earnings yield, and cash flow per share to identify undervalued stocks [4] - IFS has a forward P/E ratio of 7.88, significantly lower than BX's forward P/E of 28.09, suggesting IFS may be undervalued [5] Group 2 - The PEG ratio for IFS is 0.33, indicating a favorable valuation in relation to its expected earnings growth, while BX has a PEG ratio of 1.07 [5] - IFS's P/B ratio is 1.30, compared to BX's P/B of 6.37, further highlighting IFS's relative undervaluation [6] - IFS has a Value grade of B, while BX has a Value grade of D, reinforcing the perception that IFS is the better investment option for value investors [6]

Core Insights - WEL Networks has selected Copperleaf Decision Analytics to enhance its Asset Investment Planning processes, aiming for improved capital expenditure optimization and alignment with long-term strategic goals, including ESG objectives [1][2]. Group 1: Company Overview - WEL Networks is a leading provider of innovative and sustainable energy solutions and electricity distribution services in New Zealand [1]. - The organization is community-owned and focuses on improving safety, customer experience, cost efficiency, and asset performance for the benefit of its communities [4]. Group 2: Implementation of Copperleaf Solution - The implementation of Copperleaf Decision Analytics will enable WEL Networks to achieve a faster and more efficient planning process, reducing planning cycle time from months to weeks [3]. - The solution will enhance decision-making transparency and allow WEL Networks to assess a broader range of multi-year investment scenarios with greater accuracy [3]. Group 3: Strategic Goals and Benefits - WEL Networks aims to align its critical infrastructure plans with its vision and strategic goals through the Copperleaf solution [2]. - The partnership with Copperleaf is expected to unlock improved capital expenditure management and accelerate the planning cycle, providing insights and traceability for more transparent decision-making [5].

Core Viewpoint - Momentum investing focuses on following a stock's recent price trends, aiming to buy high and sell even higher, with the expectation that established trends will continue [1] Company Overview: Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS) - IFS currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B, indicating potential as a solid momentum pick [3][12] - The company has a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy), which is associated with a strong track record of outperformance [4][12] Performance Metrics - IFS shares have increased by 9.2% over the past week, while the Zacks Financial - Miscellaneous Services industry remained flat [6] - Over the past month, IFS's price change is 14.79%, significantly outperforming the industry's 3.99% [6] - In the last quarter, IFS shares rose by 14.91%, and over the past year, they gained 36.93%, compared to the S&P 500's increases of 1.24% and 22.19%, respectively [7] Trading Volume - The average 20-day trading volume for IFS is 183,952 shares, which serves as a bullish indicator when combined with rising stock prices [8] Earnings Outlook - In the past two months, two earnings estimates for IFS have increased, while none have decreased, raising the consensus estimate from $4.16 to $4.23 [10] - For the next fiscal year, one estimate has moved upwards with no downward revisions [10]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company achieved a net income of S/ 496 million in Q4 2024, representing a 71% increase year-over-year and a 26% increase compared to the previous quarter [32][37] - The return on equity (ROE) exceeded 18% in Q4 2024, marking a significant recovery from previous periods and aligning with mid-term targets [14][30] - The cost of risk decreased to 2.6%, which is 180 basis points lower than the previous year and 50 basis points lower than the previous quarter [33][51] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Interbank's net income nearly tripled year-over-year, driven by lower cost of risk and improved margins, achieving an ROE of 16% [38][41] - The Wealth Management segment, Inteligo, saw assets under management reach an all-time high, growing by 17% year-over-year [18][63] - The Insurance segment reported significant growth in individual life and annuities, maintaining market leadership in these areas [17][62] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - Peru's GDP growth for Q4 2024 was approximately 3.7%, with expectations of continued growth driven by private investment and consumption [22][24] - The Central Bank of Peru has successfully controlled inflation, with expectations of a stable inflation rate around 2% for 2025 [23][25] - The banking sector is projected to grow at a rate of 5% to 7%, which is expected to be outpaced by the company's growth [121] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to achieve digital excellence and become a leading digital platform, focusing on profitable growth and enhancing customer relationships [19][30] - The strategy includes strengthening the commercial and payments ecosystem, which has led to increased market share in commercial banking [34][57] - The company is focused on maintaining a significant market share in consumer banking loans and retail deposits, with a goal of continued growth in these areas [31][56] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed cautious optimism for 2025, anticipating continued recovery in the consumer portfolio and private investments, while acknowledging potential volatility due to the pre-electoral year [12][80] - The company is focused on rebuilding the consumer loan book and improving efficiency, with expectations of a gradual recovery in net interest margins [108][126] - Management highlighted the importance of monitoring external economic conditions, particularly U.S. economic policy, which could impact the business environment [26][28] Other Important Information - The company has a buyback program approved for up to $100 million, with approximately $75 million already purchased [82] - The company expects to maintain capital ratios above 15% and core equity Tier 1 ratios above 11% [77] Q&A Session Summary Question: Fee income growth expectations for 2025 - Management expects fee income to grow between high single-digits and low double-digits, driven by recovery in personal fees and digital channels [90][91] Question: Variables to monitor for Wealth Management recovery - Key variables include inflation rates and portfolio performance, with expectations for normalization in returns during 2025 [95][96] Question: Effective tax rate expectations for 2025 - The effective tax rate is expected to be slightly higher in 2025 compared to 2024, influenced by the mix of income sources [92][93] Question: Plans for Tier 2 bonds and call options - The company plans to execute the call option on the 2030 Tier 2 bonds in July, following the recent bond issuance [101] Question: Guidance on ROE for 2025 - Management provided guidance for a 2025 ROE of around 16%, with potential for higher returns depending on the recovery of the consumer portfolio [78][104] Question: Competitive outlook in the banking sector - The company aims to continue gaining market share in a competitive landscape, with expectations of growing faster than the overall market [118][121]

Intercorp Financial Services Inc. (IFS) could be a solid addition to your portfolio given its recent upgrade to a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). An upward trend in earnings estimates -- one of the most powerful forces impacting stock prices -- has triggered this rating change.A company's changing earnings picture is at the core of the Zacks rating. The system tracks the Zacks Consensus Estimate -- the consensus measure of EPS estimates from the sell-side analysts covering the stock -- for the current and follo ...

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.Of these, value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these ...

While "the trend is your friend" when it comes to short-term investing or trading, timing entries into the trend is a key determinant of success. And increasing the odds of success by making sure the sustainability of a trend isn't easy.The trend often reverses before exiting the trade, leading to a short-term capital loss for investors. So, for a profitable trade, one should confirm factors such as sound fundamentals, positive earnings estimate revisions, etc. that could keep the momentum in the stock aliv ...

Core Insights - TotalEnergies has selected IFS Cloud as the unified platform for managing its global operated asset portfolio, aiming to enhance asset performance and profitability [1][2][4] - The implementation will support over 13,500 users globally in maintaining assets across exploration, production, refining, and chemicals, thereby minimizing downtime and maximizing profitability [3][5] Group 1: Strategic Implementation - The strategic implementation of IFS Cloud is foundational to TotalEnergies' Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) project, which will streamline asset management and integrate with future ERP solutions [4][5] - The IFS.ai-fueled solution is designed to transform TotalEnergies' asset operations management process by leveraging a composable and scalable platform [2][7] Group 2: Company Background - IFS is recognized as a leading provider of Industrial AI and enterprise software, focusing on enhancing productivity, efficiency, and sustainability for businesses that manufacture goods and manage complex assets [6][8] - Founded in 1983, IFS has grown to employ over 7,000 people across 80 countries, emphasizing agility, customer-centricity, and trust in its operations [8]

While the proven Zacks Rank places an emphasis on earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find strong stocks, we also know that investors tend to develop their own individual strategies. With this in mind, we are always looking at value, growth, and momentum trends to discover great companies.Considering these trends, value investing is clearly one of the most preferred ways to find strong stocks in any type of market. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics ...