Image Source: PixabayWhen stocks are cruising at or nearing 52-week highs, it reflects considerable bullishness with trends where buyers are in control. Stocks making new highs tend to make even higher highs, particularly when analysts’ positive earnings estimate revisions are rolling in. That’s been precisely the case for Arista Networks (ANET – Free Report), Datadog (DDOG – Free Report), and Walmart (WMT – Free Report), all of which presently sport a favorable Zacks Rank and are trading near 52-week highs. Let’s take a closer look at what’s been driving the bullish behavior.
Arista Networks Enjoys AI Boom
Arista Networks upped its current year (FY24) revenue growth guidance following its latest quarterly print, causing shares to soar post-earnings. The company provides cloud networking solutions for data centers and cloud computing environments, reflecting an angle to obtain exposure to the AI frenzy.Arista Networks is a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), reflective of positive expectations stemming from healthy business demand. ANET’s sales growth has been fantastic, with Q1 sales of $1.5 billion 16% higher than the year-ago period.
Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchGrowth is expected to remain strong, with consensus expectations for its current fiscal year suggesting 14% EPS growth on 14% higher sales. Growth spills over into next year, as estimates presently allude to an additional 12% pop in earnings paired with a 15% sales increase.Datadog’s Sales Keep GrowingDatadog, a current Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), is a monitoring and analytics platform for developers, IT operations teams, and business users in the cloud age. Analysts have taken their earnings expectations higher nearly across the board.
Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe company’s quarterly consistency can’t be overlooked, exceeding our consensus EPS estimate by an average of 23% across its last four releases. Revenue growth has remained notably strong, with DDOG posting double-digit percentage year-over-year sales growth rates in each of its last ten quarters.Below is a chart illustrating the company’s revenue on a quarterly basis.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Walmart Undergoes Split
It’s worth mentioning that retail giant Walmart underwent a 3-for-1 split this year, with shares trading on a split-adjusted basis starting on February 26. The stock sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), with the revisions trend notably bullish for its current fiscal year.
Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchConcerning headline figures in its latest print, the retail titan posted a 15% beat relative to the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate and reported sales 1.3% ahead of expectations. Earnings saw year-over-year growth of 22%, whereas sales climbed 6% from the same period last year.Shares soared following the print, adding to already-impressive YTD gains.
Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe company’s shareholder-friendly is also worthy of a highlight, with WMT carrying a modest 2.2% five-year annualized dividend growth rate. Shares currently yield 1.2% annually, nearly in line with the S&P 500’s yield.
Bottom Line
Stocks making new highs tend to make even higher highs, particularly when positive earnings estimate revisions hit the tape.That’s precisely what all three stocks above – Arista Networks, Datadog, and Walmart – have enjoyed, with each sporting a favorable Zacks Rank and seeing their shares trade near 52-week highs.More By This Author:These 3 Companies Generate Significant CashTame Volatility With These 3 Low Beta Stocks EV Stocks Surge: Are They Back?
