Zacks.com featured highlights: Lear, International Consolidated Airlines Group, Monsanto, Applied Materials and Sandvik

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – June 09, 2017 - Stocks in this week's article include Lear Corporation LEA, International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. (OTCMKTS:ICAGY – Free Report ), Monsanto Company MON, Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT and Sandvik AB (OTCMKTS: SDVKY – Free Report ).

Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:

Top 5 ROE Stocks to Buy as Global Markets Remain Edgy

The equity markets remained relatively skittish in the past few days as various geopolitical issues took the center stage. These included President Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris accord, a breakdown in relationship between Persian Gulf countries with severance of Qatar ties and a deadly terror attack in London – the third in less than three months. As sublime tensions continue to raise an element of caution, investors are on the lookout for ‘cash cow' stocks that will offer high returns.

However, singling out cash-rich stocks alone does not make for a solid investment proposition unless they are backed by attractive efficiency ratios like return on equity (ROE). A high ROE ensures that the company is reinvesting its cash at a high rate of return.

Why ROE?

ROE=Net Income/Shareholders' Equity

ROE helps investors distinguish between profit-generating companies from profit burners and is useful for determining the financial health of a company. In other words, this financial metric enables investors to identify stocks that diligently deploy cash for higher returns.

Moreover, ROE is often used to compare the profitability of a company with other firms in the industry – the higher, the better. It measures how well a company is increasing its profits without investing new equity capital in the business and portrays management efficiency in rewarding shareholders with attractive risk-adjusted returns.

Parameters Used for Screening

In order to shortlist stocks that are cash rich with high ROE, we have added Cash Flow greater than $1 billion and ROE greater than X-Industry as our primary screening parameters. In addition, we have taken a few other criteria into consideration to arrive at a winning strategy.

Price/Cash Flow less than X-Industry: This metric measures how much investors pay for one dollar of free cash flow. A lower ratio indicates that investors need to pay less for a better cash flow generating stock.

Return on Assets (ROA) greater than X-Industry: This metric determines how much profit a company earns for every dollar of asset, which includes cash, accounts receivable, property, equipment, inventory and furniture. The higher the ROA, the better it is for the company.

5-Year EPS Historical Growth greater than X-Industry: This criterion indicates that continued earnings momentum has translated into solid cash strength.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.

Here are five of the 13 stocks that qualified the screen:

Lear Corporation LEA : Headquartered in Southfield, MI, Lear is one of the leading manufacturers of automotive seating, electrical distribution systems, and related components across the globe. The company is celebrating its centenary year in 2017. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 8.7% and long-term earnings growth expectation of 7.1%.

International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A. (OTCMKTS:ICAGY – Free Report ): Based in Madrid, Spain, International Consolidated Airlines Group is one of the world's largest airline groups with 547 aircraft flying to 268 destinations and carrying more than 100 million passengers each year. It is the third largest group in Europe and the sixth largest in the world, based on revenues. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a long-term earnings growth projection of 6.4%. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here .

Monsanto Company MON: Founded in 2000 and headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Monsanto is a leading global provider of agricultural products. This Zacks Rank #2 stock has a healthy long-term earnings growth expectation of 12.1% and a stellar trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 313.9%.

Applied Materials, Inc. AMAT: Headquartered in Santa Clara, CA, Applied Materials offers manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and related industries worldwide. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has a modest trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 3.4% and long-term earnings growth projection of 16.6%.

Sandvik AB (OTCMKTS:SDVKY – Free Report ): Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Sandvik operates as a high-tech and global engineering firm in the field of rock excavation, metal-cutting, and materials technology. The company has a Zacks Rank #2 and a Value Growth Momentum Score ( VGM Score) of ‘B'.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

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