As I’ve covered in the past , NN Group N.V. ( NNGPF ) ( NNGRY ) is an interesting income play in the European insurance sector, but following a strong share price rally in recent years its valuation is nowadays fair, and upsideLabutes IR is a Fund Manager/Analyst specialized in the financial sector, with more than 18 years of experience in the financial markets. I have worked at several type of institutions in the industry, always at the buy side and related to portfolio management. Associated with the exis ...

As I’ve covered in the past , NN Group N.V. ( NNGPF ) ( NNGRY ) is an interesting income play in the European insurance sector, but following a strong share price rally in recent years its valuation is nowadays fair, and upsideLabutes IR is a Fund Manager/Analyst specialized in the financial sector, with more than 18 years of experience in the financial markets. I have worked at several type of institutions in the industry, always at the buy side and related to portfolio management. Associated with the exis ...

Market Overview - The U.S. markets have shown an upward trend, with the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite reaching all-time highs, increasing by 1.32% and 0.64% respectively last week [1] - Positive corporate earnings and expectations of easing tariffs and trade policies have bolstered investor confidence [1] - Concerns over inflation and signs of a potential economic slowdown are influencing the Federal Reserve's cautious stance on interest rates [1] Economic Indicators - The Conference Board's Leading Economic Indicator fell by 0.3% in June, indicating early signs of a slowdown, with weakened consumer expectations and fewer manufacturing orders [2] - The S&P Global's U.S. flash PMI data for July indicated an acceleration in business activity driven by the services sector, while the manufacturing PMI dropped to 49.5 [2] - Initial jobless claims decreased by 4,000 to 217,000 for the week ending July 19, suggesting a resilient labor market with limited layoffs [2] Stock Performance - AngloGold Ashanti plc's shares increased by 23.1% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on May 19, outperforming the S&P 500's 7.2% increase [3][4] - NN Group N.V. saw a return of 12.1% since its upgrade to Zacks Rank 1 on May 29, compared to the S&P 500's 8.4% increase [4] - Zacks Rank 1 stocks returned +6.51% in May 2025, outperforming the S&P 500's +4.47% [5] Portfolio Performance - A hypothetical portfolio of Zacks Rank 1 stocks has outperformed the S&P 500 index by more than 12 percentage points since 1988 [6] - The Zacks Focus List portfolio returned +8.84% in 2025 (through June 30) compared to +6.21% for the S&P 500 [14] - The Zacks Earnings Certain Admiral Portfolio (ECAP) returned +3.20% in Q1 2025, outperforming the S&P 500's -4.30% decline [18] Notable Stocks - Intellia Therapeutics, Inc. gained 60.3% over the past 12 weeks, while Caterpillar Inc. returned 41.3% in the same period [13][14] - OptimizeRx Corporation and Artisan Partners Asset Management saw increases of 18.2% and 14.6% respectively since their upgrades to Outperform [10] - Hershey Company returned 17.8% over the past 12 weeks, benefiting from investor interest in quality dividend stocks [20]