For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL –July 19, 2017 - Stocks in this week’s article include Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE: LPX – Free Report), Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII – Free Report), Anthem, Inc. (NYSE: ANTM – Free Report), Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES – Free Report) and Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ: VOD – Free Report).

Screen of the Week of Zacks Investment Research:

Buy These 5 Low-Leverage Stocks to Avoid Portfolio Losses

Debt financing is nothing new in the world of investment and only a fortunate few can avoid it. Most corporates resort to debt financing to ensure smooth business operations. This is because companies do not have unlimited funds and they need to boost their financial resources from time to time to expand operations.

In fact, given the easy availability and affordability of debt compared to equity, in the majority of matured economies, the debt market is bigger than the equity market in terms of market capitalization. America – the richest economy in the world – is the biggest borrower too.

However, resorting to debt is still considered a taboo as it carries the burden of interest payments.

In this context, it is imperative to note that the debt scenario in the U.S. is quite disturbing at this moment. Huge spending on wars, big tax cuts and stimulating economic programs have all added to the nation’s burden over the years. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the debt held by the public will rise to 150% of the economy’s GDP in 2047 from 77% currently.

Nevertheless, this should not dissuade investors from investing in stocks as debt has been a part of the U.S. economy since its foundation. What investors need to do is to follow a prudent investment strategy and choose stocks that are burdened with lesser amount of debt.

Herein comes the significance of financial leverage ratio. This ratio measures the extent of financial leverage, or the extent of debt a company bears. Several leverage ratios have been developed historically for this purpose, with debt-to-equity ratio being the most popular among them.

Analyzing Debt-to-Equity

Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Liabilities/Shareholders’ Equity

This metric is a liquidity ratio that indicates the amount of financial risk a company bears. A lower debt-to-equity ratio implies a more financially stable business, thereby making it a more worthy investment opportunity.

As debt-ridden companies are more prone to bankruptcy in times of financial crisis, the very foundation of making safe investment is to avoid high-leverage stocks.

With the market gearing up for second-quarter releases, investors tend to get attracted to stocks exhibiting solid earnings growth, overlooking the debt on their balance sheet. Therefore to avoid huge losses we would urge investors to go for stocks with low debt-to-equity ratio.

The Winning Strategy

Considering the aforementioned discussion, it is imperative for a sensible investor to choose stocks that have a low debt-to-equity ratio.

However, an investment strategy based solely on the debt-to-equity ratio might not fetch the desired outcome. To choose stocks that have the potential to give you steady returns, we have expanded our screening criteria.

Here are the other parameters:

Debt/Equity less than X-Industry Median: Stocks that are less leveraged than their industry peers.

Current Price greater than or equal to 10: The stocks must be trading at a minimum of $10 or above.

Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.

Percentage Change in EPS F(0)/F(-1) greater than X-Industry Median: Earnings growth adds to optimism, leading to a stock’s price appreciation.

Estimated One-Year EPS Growth F(1)/F(0) greater than 5: This shows earnings growth expectation.

Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or #2 (Buy): No matter whether market conditions are good or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 have a proven history of success.

VGM Score of A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of ‘A’ or ‘B’ when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 offer the best upside potential.

Excluding stocks that have a negative or a zero debt-to-equity ratio, here are five of the 17 stocks that made it through the screen.

Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (NYSE: LPX – Free Report): It manufactures and sells building products primarily for use in new home construction, repair and remodeling, and outdoor structures, as well as light industrial and commercial construction. The company carries a Zacks Rank #1 and delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 5.4% in the trailing four quarters.

Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE: HII – Free Report): This largest ship builder in the U.S. engages in designing, building, overhauling, and repairing of ships. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 and came up with an average positive earnings surprise of 3% in the trailing four quarters.

Anthem, Inc . (NYSE: ANTM – Free Report): This corporation operates as a health benefits company in the U.S. It delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 8.4% in the trailing four quarters and carries a Zacks Rank #1. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here .

Eversource Energy (NYSE: ES – Free Report): It is engaged in transmission and distribution of electricity and natural gas. The company carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a long-term earnings growth rate of 5.3%.

Vodafone Group PLC (NASDAQ: VOD – Free Report): It is the world's largest international mobile communications firm. It primarily operates digital and analog cellular telephone networks of Vodafone. It carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a long-term earnings growth rate of 6%.

Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and back testing software.

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.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today .

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine. But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use. Each week, Zacks Profit from the Pros free email newsletter shares a new screening strategy. Learn more about it here https://at.zacks.com/?id=112

About Zacks

Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc., which was formed in 1978. The later formation of the Zacks Rank, a proprietary stock picking system; continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1 margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your time! Click here for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros .

Get the full Report on LPX - FREE

Get the full Report on HII - FREE

Get the full Report on ANTM - FREE

Get the full Report on ES - FREE

Get the full Report on VOD - FREE

Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Contact: Jim Giaquinto

Company: Zacks.com

Phone: 312-265-9268

Email: pr@zacks.com

Visit: https://www.zacks.com/performance

Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer .

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Louisiana-Pacific Corporation (LPX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Anthem, Inc. (ANTM) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Eversource Energy (ES) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Vodafone Group PLC (VOD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.