Nyse Order Imbalance 23214.0 Shares On Buy Side

Unlike large-scale manufacturers catering to mass markets, niche players focus on producing specialized, tailored products. This industry is poised to benefit from improving supply chains, resulting in easier availability of raw materials and faster deliveries.

Given this positive sentiment, it might be wise for investors to consider investing in quality industrial manufacturing stocks Corning Incorporated , Littelfuse, Inc. , and Watts Water Technologies, Inc. , which are driving both innovation and economic growth.

As per the Deloitte report, this fiscal year 2024, investment in U.S. manufacturing has led to longer-term growth. There have been 54 new clean-technology-manufacturing facilities announced during the year through September, representing over $15 billion in investment, which is expected to create more than 15,000 new jobs.

One of the major growth drivers for niche manufacturing is technological advancement. By incorporating automation, AI, and 3D printing into production processes, these manufacturers can meet complex requirements while maintaining efficiency and scalability.

According to an industrial outlook survey, approximately 86% of manufacturing executives responded that smart factories will be one of the main competitive advantages in the next five years.

The global smart manufacturing market is estimated to reach $479.17 billion by 2029, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.5%. Therefore, the outlook for niche manufacturing remains optimistic, with rising demand in industries that require specialized expertise.

Now, let’s take a closer look at the fundamentals of the three Industrial - Manufacturing stocks, beginning with the third choice.

Stock #3: Corning Incorporated (GLW)

GLW is a materials science technology and innovation company. The company operates through five segments: Optical Communications; Display Technologies; Specialty Materials; Environmental Technologies; and Life Sciences.

On October 28, AT&T Inc. and GLW together signed a multi-year purchase agreement. Under this agreement, GLW will provide next-generation fiber, cable, and connectivity solutions to support the expansion of AT&T’s fiber network and help bring high-speed internet.

On August 1, GLW and Lumen Technologies, Inc. announced a supply agreement on next-generation fiber-optic cable to support data center AI demands. With this agreement, Lumen reserves 10% of GLW’s global fiber capacity for each of the next two years to interconnect AI-enabled data centers. This agreement makes it GLW’s first outside-plant deployment new gen-AI fiber and cable system.

For the third quarter of 2024, which ended on September 30, GLW’s net sales increased 6.9% year-over-year to $3.39 billion. The company’s operating income for the quarter amounted to $302 million, representing an increase of 28% year-over-year.

Its core net income stood at $465 million, up 20.5% year-over-year, while its core earnings per share rose 20% from the prior year’s quarter to $0.54. Also, GLW’s adjusted free cash flow grew 18.7% from the year-ago value to $553 million.

The consensus revenue estimate of $3.76 billion for the fiscal fourth quarter (ending December 2024) represents a 14.8% increase year-over-year. The consensus EPS estimate of $0.56 for the current quarter indicates a 42.5% improvement year-over-year. The company has an impressive earnings surprise history; it surpassed the consensus revenue estimates in each of the trailing four quarters.

The stock has gained 69.1% over the past year and 48.2% over the past nine months to close the last trading session at $47.84.

GLW’s POWR Ratings reflect this robust outlook. The stock has an overall rating of B, which equates to Buy in our proprietary rating system. The POWR Ratings are calculated by considering 118 different factors, with each factor weighted to an optimal degree.

GLW has an A grade for Growth and a B for Momentum and Sentiment. It is ranked #13 out of 35 stocks in the B-rated Industrial - Manufacturing industry. Click here to see the additional ratings for GLW (Value, Stability, and Quality).

Stock #2: Littelfuse, Inc. (LFUS)

LFUS designs, manufactures, and sells electronic components, modules, and subassemblies worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Electronics; Transportation; and Industrial.

On October 22, 2024, LFUS announced the launch of RCMP20 Residual Current Monitor Series for Mode 2 and Mode 3 EV charging stations. This launch features the largest Current Transformer (CT) aperture in the industry, and the RCMP20 Series enhances LFUS’ growing portfolio of EV infrastructure solutions.

In the fiscal third quarter that ended on September 30, 2024, LFUS’ total net sales amounted to $567.39 million, while its Industrial segment net sales grew 6.6% from the same period last year to $91.82 million. The company’s net income came in at $58.1 million, up marginally year-over-year, and its EPS stood at $2.32, representing a marginal increase year-over-year.

Street expects LFUS’ revenue for the fiscal first quarter (ending March 2025) to increase marginally year-over-year to $543.47 million. Its EPS for the same period is expected to register a 16.5% growth from the prior year, settling at $2.05. In addition, it surpassed the consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, which is promising.

LFUS shares have surged 43.6% over the past year and 34.5% over the past nine months to close the last trading session at $238.66.

LFUS’ bright prospects are reflected in its POWR Ratings. The stock has an overall rating of B, which translates to a Buy in our proprietary rating system.

It also has a B grade for Stability, Sentiment, and Quality. Within the same B-rated industry, it is ranked #8. Click here to see LFUS’ ratings for Growth, Value, and Momentum.

Stock #1: Watts Water Technologies, Inc. (WTS)

WTS is a global supplier of products, solutions and systems that manage and conserve the flow of fluids and energy into, through and out of buildings in the commercial, industrial, and residential markets.

On October 28, demonstrating its commitment to returning value to shareholders, the company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.43 per share, up 35% from the previous quarter, payable to its shareholders on December 13, 2024.

WTS pays an annual dividend of $1.72, which translates to a yield of 0.83% at the current share price. Its four-year average dividend yield is 0.72%. Moreover, the company’s dividend payouts have increased at an impressive CAGR of 17.3% over the past three years.

WTS’ net sales for the third quarter (ended September 29, 2024) increased 7.8% year-over-year to $543.60 million. Its gross profit stood at $257.10 million, indicating a 9.7% growth from the prior-year quarter.

Its net income rose 5% from the year-ago value to $69.10 million, while its net income per share stood at $2.06, up 5.1% year-over-year. Also, the company reported free cash flow of $204.20 million, indicating a 12.3% growth from the prior year’s quarter.

Analysts expect WTS’ revenue and EPS for the current year (ending December 2024) are expected to grow by 9.4% and 5.7% from the prior year to $2.25 billion and $8.74, respectively.

Over the past three months, the stock has surged 13.7%, closing the last trading session at $210.80.

It’s no surprise that WTS has an overall rating of B, equating to a Buy in our POWR Ratings system. It has a B grade for Momentum and Quality. Out of 35 stocks in the Industrial - Manufacturing industry, WTS is ranked #7.

Beyond what is stated above, we’ve also rated WTS for Growth, Value, Stability, and Sentiment. Get all WTS ratings here.

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GLW shares were trading at $48.45 per share on Friday afternoon, up $0.61 (+1.28%). Year-to-date, GLW has gained 63.84%, versus a 26.42% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

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It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores?

The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value Score

Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth Score

Growth investors, on the other hand, are more concerned with a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score examines things like projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow to find stocks that will experience sustainable growth over time.

Momentum Score

Momentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.

VGM Score

If you want a combination of all three Style Scores, then the VGM Score will be your friend. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, helping you find the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum. It's also one of the best indicators to use with the Zacks Rank.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank

A proprietary stock-rating model, the Zacks Rank utilizes the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings outlook, to help investors create a successful portfolio.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To have the best chance of big returns, you'll want to always consider stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B, which will give you the highest probability of success. If you're looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, it's important they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Watts Water (WTS)

Headquartered in North Andover, MA, Watts Water Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells various water safety and flow control products to promote safety, energy efficiency, and water conservation for commercial and residential buildings. The company reports its business under three geographic segments: Americas (73.6% of total revenues in third-quarter 2024), Europe (19.7%) and APMEA consisting of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (6.7%).

WTS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Momentum investors should take note of this Computer and Technology stock. WTS has a Momentum Style Score of B, and shares are up 6% over the past four weeks.

For fiscal 2024, two analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.03 to $8.74 per share. WTS boasts an average earnings surprise of 7.1%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Momentum and VGM Style Scores, WTS should be on investors' short list.

Zacks Investment Research

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

The research service features daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, all of which will help you become a smarter, more confident investor.

Zacks Premium also includes the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores?

Developed alongside the Zacks Rank, the Zacks Style Scores are a group of complementary indicators that help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value Score

Finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value, are what value investors like to focus on. So, the Value Style Score takes into account ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to highlight the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth Score

While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum Score

Momentum investors, who live by the saying "the trend is your friend," are most interested in taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Utilizing one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, among other factors, the Momentum Style Score can help determine favorable times to buy high-momentum stocks.

VGM Score

If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank

The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

It's highly successful, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988. That's more than double the S&P 500. But because of the large number of stocks we rate, there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

With more than 800 top-rated stocks to choose from, it can certainly feel overwhelming to pick the ones that are right for you and your investing journey.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

A stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, for instance, even one with Scores of A and B, will still have a declining earnings forecast, and a greater chance its share price will fall too.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Watts Water (WTS)

Headquartered in North Andover, MA, Watts Water Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells various water safety and flow control products to promote safety, energy efficiency, and water conservation for commercial and residential buildings. The company reports its business under three geographic segments: Americas (73.6% of total revenues in third-quarter 2024), Europe (19.7%) and APMEA consisting of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (6.7%).

WTS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. WTS has a Growth Style Score of B, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 5.7% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2024, two analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.03 to $8.74 per share. WTS boasts an average earnings surprise of 7.1%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, WTS should be on investors' short list.

Zacks Investment Research

Wix.com Ltd WIX reported non-GAAP earnings per share (EPS) of $1.50 for third-quarter 2024, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.44. The company had reported EPS of $1.10 in the year-ago quarter.

Stay up-to-date with all quarterly releases: See Zacks Earnings Calendar.

Total revenues increased 13% year over year to $444.7 million and beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $443.6 million.

At the end of Sept. 30, 2024, registered users were 278 million.

In response to the results, WIX’s shares went up 14.4% in pre-market trading on Nov. 20. WIX's shares have gained 87.2% compared with the industry’s growth of 21.3% in the past year.

Quarter in Detail

Creative Subscriptions’ revenues (71.7% of total revenues) increased 10% year over year to $318.8 million. Business Solutions’ revenues (28.3% of total revenues) rose 22% to $125.8 million.

In the third quarter, Creative Subscriptions annualized recurring revenues were $1.31 billion, up 11% year over year.

Wix.com Ltd. Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

Wix.com Ltd. price-consensus-eps-surprise-chart | Wix.com Ltd. Quote

Bookings of $449.8 million improved 16% year over year. Creative Subscriptions’ bookings increased 15% year over year to $326.6 million. Business Solutions’ bookings rose 17% to $123.1 million. Solid uptake of WIX Studio, artificial intelligence (AI) product suite, healthy business pipeline and expanding commerce platform drove the strong bookings performance in the quarter under discussion.

Bookings growth for Studio subscriptions increased significantly compared to the previous quarter. This was driven by strong new purchases and many existing customers renewing their subscriptions. In the third quarter, 75% of bookings from new customers came from Studio accounts, as more agencies adopted Studio for their projects.

Partners revenues in the third quarter were $155.2 million, up 30% year over year.

Region-wise, North America, Europe, Asia and others, and Latin America contributed 60%, 25%, 11% and 4%, respectively, to third-quarter 2024 revenues, up 12%, 17%,11% and 5% year over year.

Operating Details

Non-GAAP gross margin was 69%, up from 68% in the prior-year quarter, driven by improving gross margins across Creative Subscriptions and Business Solutions segments.

Wix reported a non-GAAP operating income of $88.4 million compared with $58 million in the year-ago quarter.

Balance Sheet & Cash Flow

As of Sept. 30, 2024, Wix had cash and cash equivalents of $439.4 million compared with $802.4 million as of June 30, 2024.

Cash flow from operations amounted to $129.8 million compared with $64.1 million in the year-ago quarter.

Capital expenditures totaled $2.1 million. Free cash flow was $127.8 million.

2024 Outlook Revised

Based on its strong performance in the third quarter, Wix has raised its projections for the full year. For 2024, bookings are expected to reach $1,822–$1,832 million up from the previous guidance of $1,802–$1,822 million.

Revenues are expected to be between $1,757 million and $1,764 million, suggesting 13% growth from the prior-year quarter's reported figure. Earlier, it projected revenues in the $1,747-$1,761 million band.

Free Cash Flow (excluding HQ capital expenditure) is projected in the range of $483–$488 million (27–28% of revenue), reflecting an increase from earlier guidance of $460–$470 million.

For the fourth quarter of 2024, revenue is expected to be between $457 million and $464 million, or 13-15% year-over-year growth, and the company anticipates exiting the year with bookings growth of 18%.

WIX’s Zacks Rank

Currently, Wix carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Performance of Other Companies

BCE Inc. BCE reported third-quarter 2024 adjusted EPS of C$0.75 (55 cents) compared with C$0.81 in the prior-year quarter. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was pegged at 57 cents.

Shares of BCE have lost 26.4% in the past year.

Itron Inc ITRI reported non-GAAP EPS of $1.84 for third-quarter 2024, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 62.8%. The company reported earnings of 98 cents in the prior-year quarter.

Shares of ITRI have surged 94.8% in the past year.

Watts Water Technologies, Inc. WTS reported third-quarter 2024 adjusted EPS of $2.03 compared with $2.04 in the prior-year quarter. The bottom line topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2%.

Shares of WTS have gained 10.4% in the past year.

Zacks Investment Research

For new and old investors, taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals. Zacks Premium provides lots of different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

Zacks Premium includes access to the Zacks Style Scores as well.

What are the Zacks Style Scores?

The Zacks Style Scores is a unique set of guidelines that rates stocks based on three popular investing types, and were developed as complementary indicators for the Zacks Rank. This combination helps investors choose securities with the highest chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value Score

For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth Score

While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum Score

Momentum trading is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook, and these investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." The Momentum Style Score can pinpoint good times to build a position in a stock, using factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates.

VGM Score

What if you like to use all three types of investing? The VGM Score is a combination of all Style Scores, making it one of the most comprehensive indicators to use with the Zacks Rank. It rates each stock on their combined weighted styles, which helps narrow down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank

The Zacks Rank, which is a proprietary stock-rating model, employs earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to make building a winning portfolio easier.

Investors can count on the Zacks Rank's success, with #1 (Strong Buy) stocks producing an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, more than double the S&P 500's performance. But the model rates a large number of stocks, and there are over 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, plus another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

This totals more than 800 top-rated stocks, and it can be overwhelming to try and pick the best stocks for you and your portfolio.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

You want to make sure you're buying stocks with the highest likelihood of success, and to do that, you'll need to pick stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you like a stock that only as a #3 (Hold) rank, it should also have Scores of A or B to guarantee as much upside potential as possible.

Since the Scores were created to work together with the Zacks Rank, the direction of a stock's earnings estimate revisions should be a key factor when choosing which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Watts Water (WTS)

Headquartered in North Andover, MA, Watts Water Technologies, Inc. designs, manufactures and sells various water safety and flow control products to promote safety, energy efficiency, and water conservation for commercial and residential buildings. The company reports its business under three geographic segments: Americas (73.6% of total revenues in third-quarter 2024), Europe (19.7%) and APMEA consisting of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa (6.7%).

WTS is a #3 (Hold) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

It also boasts a Value Style Score of B thanks to attractive valuation metrics like a forward P/E ratio of 23.65; value investors should take notice.

Two analysts revised their earnings estimate higher in the last 60 days for fiscal 2024, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.03 to $8.74 per share. WTS also boasts an average earnings surprise of 7.1%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Value and VGM Style Scores, WTS should be on investors' short list.

Zacks Investment Research