MORGAN STANLEY: We're convinced these 7 stocks will explode higher over the next 2 months

volcano eruptReuters

  • Morgan Stanley says that corporate earnings growth, which has been a crucial driver of the stock market's record-breaking run, will start slowing around mid-year.
  • The firm has identified seven stocks around which they have high positive conviction this earnings season.


Earnings season has been a bright spot for the stock market for several quarters now. You could even argue it's been the root cause of the equity explosion that's served investors so well.

However, Morgan Stanley says to enjoy the profit growth party now while you still can, because it's not going to last.

The firm sees earnings expansion peaking mid-year as it becomes clearer just how much of an impact the GOP tax bill will have on companies. At that point, the positive impact will be fully accounted for in corporate forecasts. And once that happens, the bar will be set extremely high for subsequent quarters, making it hard to achieve year-over-year growth.

But it's not all bad news. Since the strongest companies are likely to continue on a growth trajectory, they'll be easier to identify once the rest of the market starts to fade. With that in mind, the trick becomes knowing which stocks fit the bill.

That's where Morgan Stanley comes in. The firm's chief US equity strategist Mike Wilson has teamed up with a wide range of industry analysts to identify seven companies around which they have high positive conviction this earnings season.

Without further ado, here are those stocks, with an explanation of why Morgan Stanley industry analysts like them so much:

Align Technology

Markets Insider

Ticker: ALGN

Sector: Healthcare

Price target: $300

Morgan Stanley commentary: "ALGN remains a beat and raise story for us. We expect a strong 4Q, as our AlphaWise tracker suggests 3-7% upside to 4Q Invisalign case volume guidance. Our 4Q revenue estimate for 41% growth is also 4% consensus and EPS +75% Y/Y, 8% above consensus."



Colgate-Palmolive

Markets Insider

Ticker: CL

Sector: Consumer staples

Price target: $83

Morgan Stanley commentary: "We have high conviction in a Q4 topline re-acceleration. CL tracked channel sales growth has improved to +2.1% in Q4 vs. -3.0% in Q1-Q3 in the US, and similarly inflected to +7.2% in Q4 TD vs. -1.0% in Q1-Q3 in Europe. Further, we remain constructive on an EM growth pickup."



E*Trade Financial

Markets Insider

Ticker: ETFC

Sector: Financials

Price target: $63

Morgan Stanley commentary: "We expect ETFC to report NIM of 288 bps in 4Q, above prior guidance of a low-to-mid 280 bps range. We also expect a 4Q adjusted operating margin (ex-credit costs) of 42.1% (+540 bps vs. a year ago and +200 bps vs. guidance). ETFC should also be major beneficiary of tax reform, and will likely return the majority of any benefits to shareholders, in our view."




See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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