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2 “Strong Buy” Stocks From the Best Analysts on Wall Street
The new Biden Administration took office facing an array of challenges, and for the most part it has met them with predictable tactics. Key among those policies: massive fiscal stimulus, defined by three major spending bills totaling $6 trillion. This tremendous spending binge has been justified by the Democrats in the White House and Congress as necessary to meet the crises. The sheer size of the spending bills, however, brings along inflation worries. The number of dollars in circulation is rising, the classic cause of inflation. But prices are facing upward pressure from other sources, too. As the economy reopens, consumer spending rises, fueled both by the resumption of wage earning and general economic activity. A combination of rising commodity prices and labor constraints are pushing up prices generally. It’s an environment in which retail investors can be forgiven for uncertainty. Yet, they can find some help from Wall Street’s analyst corps. We’ve turned to the highest-ranked analysts in the TipRanks database, the Wall Street pros who stand out from their peers based on measurable success, to find out which stocks they like for the coming months. Let’s see what they have to say about these two Strong Buy stocks. Daseke, Inc. (DSKE) Whether the economy grows or shrinks, or inflation rises or falls, goods still need to get from place to place. Daseke, a major logistics company, fills that need. The company owns flatbed and specialized trucking transport, and through its subsidiaries it consolidates transport operations across North America. Daseke boasts of having 6,000 tractors, 13,000 flatbeds and other trailers, and over 1 million square feet of industrial warehouse space. In the recent first quarter report, Daseke showed $333.9 million at the top line, down 14% year-over-year, and a net loss of 13 cents per share, better than the 27-cent loss recorded one year ago. Shares slipped after the quarterly release, but DSKE is still up 275% over the past 12 months. During this past March, Daseke announced that it had reduced interest expenditures on its debt load through a new term loan agreement. In addition, the company announced that the Board had approved a stock repurchase program, under which the company could buy back up to 3 million shares of common stock. Cowen’s 5-star analyst Jason Seidl, rated the #2 analyst on Wall Street by TipRanks, believes that Daseke is well-positioned for gains in the next year. “We view the selloff in shares… as overdone and believe that investors are not giving DSKE credit for the wind energy anomaly in 2020 that will not repeat in 2021, as management previously laid out. Additionally, a clear comp for DSKE is difficult given their specialty trucking operations that is contract-driven in nature. While this could cause investors to look at others in the trucking space who can better-capitalize on current spot trends, we would point out that DSKE is likely in the best position to benefit from a large infrastructure bill,” Seidl opined. In line with these comments, Seidl puts an Outperform (i.e. Buy) rating on DSKE shares, along with a $10 price target. This figure implies a one-year upside of 66% from current levels. (To watch Seidl’s track record, click here) The Wall Street consensus rating here is unanimous – three analysts have weighed in and all have rated DSKE as a Buy. The shares are selling for $6.01 and have an average price target of $9.50, for an upside potential of 58%. (See DSKE stock analysis on TipRanks) Sandstorm Gold (SAND) If markets are slipping, what could be better than buying gold? Perhaps buying a gold mine – or the rights to profits from a gold mine. Sandstorm inhabits that space in the mining industry. The Vancouver-based company operates on gold royalties. Mining is a high-overhead business, and Sandstrom provides the up-front capital that miners need to get their operations running. In return, Sandstorm owns royalty rights, a percentage of profits, for the mine’s lifetime. The company focuses on gold mines, but is also exposed to other metals such as silver, and has a portfolio of 200 royalties acquired over the last 12 years. Sandstorm boasts that it offers investors a low-risk way to enter the gold market. By doing the research and footwork, Sandstorm then acts as middleman between its investors, who provide capital through stock buys, and the mines, which receive capital to generate gold. The active mines in Sandstorm’s portfolio produced 17,444 troy ounces of gold equivalent in the first quarter of 2021. That production provided royalties for Sandstorm, giving the company its $31 million in Q1 revenues – a gain of 45% year-over-year. The quarterly gold production was a record for the company’s portfolio, and up 30% from the year-ago quarter. The company’s operating cash flow in the quarter, $23 million, was also a record and was up 59% yoy. Finally, Sandstorm reported a sound balance sheet in Q1, with $140 million cash, $52 million in equity and debt investments, and $225 million available in an undrawn credit facility. Earnings in Q1, at 3 cents per share, were far better than the 6 cent EPS loss posted one year ago. Heiko Ihle, H.C. Wainwright’s 5-star mining industry expert with the #3 ranking from TipRanks, notes that Sandstorm is benefitting from a strong market for precious metals. “The 45% YoY growth in revenue is largely attributable to the Yamana silver stream, as the average realized selling price of silver increased 40% YoY to $25.04 per ounce (oz) during 1Q21. Notably, the average realized gold price per attributable GEO sold grew 12% YoY to $1,777/ oz, which meaningfully bolstered overall revenues…. we expect Sandstorm to build on the positive quarter going forward because precious metal prices remain strong,” Ihle noted. To this end, Ihle rates SAND shares a Buy. His price target is $14.75, which suggests an upside of ~83% in the next 12 months. (To watch Ihle’s track record, click here) Overall, no fewer than 8 analysts have weighed in on SAND shares in recent weeks, and their reviews break down 6 to 2 in favor of Buy versus Hold, supporting a Strong Buy consensus rating. The stock’s average price target of $10.73 implies an upside of ~33% in the coming year. (See SAND stock analysis at TipRanks) To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
