Location, Location: Industries On the Move

Many times when we look at Long Term PowerRatings, we look for stocks that have seen their Long Term PowerRatings increase since the last close. This gives us the chance to catch stocks--often very good stocks--just as their attractiveness as investments has increased.

What many investors using PowerRatings may not know is that the same stock investing strategy can be applied to the industries in which stocks rise and fall. In the same way that we post a daily list of PowerRatings upgrades and downgrades for stocks, we also publish a daily list of PowerRatings upgrades and downgrades for industries.

And the goal with PowerRatings upgrades for industries is the same: to catch an industry group just as it is becoming an even more attractive location for finding stocks.

This week we have a number of different examples of industries on the move, and the stocks that represent the best opportunities within them. In one instance we have an industry that has soared from a "avoid buying" low PowerRating to a high "consider buying" PowerRating. In another, we have an industry that has moved up only one notch in terms of its PowerRating, but still features a high PowerRating stock that more investors should know about. And our last industry is not only on the move, but also has three high PowerRatings stocks coming along for the ride, any one of which is more likely than the average stock to be higher in a year's time.

First up is the comeback kid in the form of the Specialized Semiconductor industry group. This industry had a lowly 3 PowerRating not too long ago--making its upgrade to a 9 PowerRating all the more noteworthy.

Consider this: industries with PowerRatings of 3, based on our research into industry group behavior going back to 1995, have returned 9.87% on an average annualized basis. The problem is that the average industry, over the same time period, has produced average annualized gains of approximately 14.61%.

As an 8-rated industry, however, the prospects for the Specialized Semiconductor industry are bright, indeed. Our research reveals that 8-rated industries have tended to produce average annualized gains of 20.26%, several basis points higher than the average industry group and more than double the returns of the 3-rated industry.

The best stock in this group is Linear Technology Corporation (LLTC@LLTC | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating) with its PowerRating of 8.

The Diversified Machinery industry is an example of an industry group that has moved from an 8 to a 9. 9-rated industries have been among the best places for investors to look for stocks. We found that industries with PowerRatings of 9 have been able to provide average annualized returns of more than 24% from 1995-2006, far superior to the average industry’s 14.61% noted above. The most attractive stock in this group is Illinois Tool Works (ITW@ITW | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), which has a PowerRating of 8.

Our last industry for the day has seen its PowerRating increase from 8 to 9, just like the Diversified Machinery industry. What is especially interesting about the Publishing--Periodicals/News industry group is that it has not one but three companies with high PowerRatings at the top of its list of members. These stocks are Meredith Corporation (MDP@MDP | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), E.W. Scripps Company (SSP@SSP | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), and Washington Post Company (WPO@WPO | Quote | Chart | News | PowerRating), all with PowerRatings of 8.

Meredith Corporation

E.W. Scripps Company

Washington Post Company