Investar (US:ISTR) ZACKS·2025-11-26 14:55Core Viewpoint - The article emphasizes the importance of identifying sustainable trends in short-term investing to maximize profits, highlighting the utility of a specific screening strategy to find stocks with strong fundamentals and positive price momentum [1][2]. Group 1: Stock Screening Strategy - The "Recent Price Strength" screen is designed to identify stocks with sufficient fundamental strength to maintain an upward price trend, focusing on those trading in the upper portion of their 52-week high-low range, indicating bullish sentiment [3]. - Investar (ISTR) is highlighted as a candidate that passed the screening criteria, showing a price increase of 7.1% over the past 12 weeks, reflecting investor confidence in its potential upside [4]. - A recent price increase of 1.4% over the last four weeks further supports the notion that the upward trend for ISTR is intact, with the stock currently trading at 91.5% of its 52-week high-low range, suggesting a potential breakout [5]. Group 2: Fundamental Strength - ISTR holds a Zacks Rank 1 (Strong Buy), placing it in the top 5% of over 4,000 ranked stocks based on earnings estimate revisions and EPS surprises, which are critical for near-term price movements [6]. - The Zacks Rank system has a proven track record, with Rank 1 stocks averaging an annual return of +25% since 1988, indicating a strong historical performance for stocks in this category [7]. - The Average Broker Recommendation for ISTR is also 1 (Strong Buy), reflecting high optimism from the brokerage community regarding its near-term price performance [7]. Group 3: Additional Insights - The article suggests that ISTR's price trend is likely to remain positive, and encourages investors to explore other stocks that meet the criteria of the "Recent Price Strength" screen [8]. - It also mentions the availability of over 45 Zacks Premium Screens tailored to different investing styles, which can assist in identifying potential winning stock picks [8].