Each week, Benzinga’s Stock Whisper Index uses a combination of proprietary data and pattern recognition to showcase five stocks that are just under the surface and deserve attention.
Investors are constantly on the hunt for undervalued, under-followed and emerging stocks. With countless methods available to retail traders, the challenge often lies in sifting through the abundance of information to uncover new opportunities and understand why certain stocks should be of interest.
Here's a look at the Benzinga Stock Whisper Index for the week of Nov. 8:
Insmed Inc INSM: The biopharmaceutical company saw increased interest from investors over the week, which comes after the company reported third-quarter financial results and provided a company update in late October. The company said ARIKAYCE had revenue of $93.4 million in the quarter, up 18% year-over-year.
Insmed also said its NDA submission for Brensocatib in Bronchiectasis is on track for the fourth quarter and is expected to launch in the U.S. in mid-2025.
H.C. Wainwright reiterated a Buy rating and $90 price target on the stock after the quarterly results. Truist reiterated a Buy rating and raised the price target from $100 to $105. Investor interest could increase in the coming weeks with the company scheduled to participate in several conferences including ones from Guggenheim (Nov. 11), UBS Global (Nov. 12), Wolfe Research (Nov. 20) and Jefferies (Nov. 21).
Insmed shares were up over 8% in the last five trading days, as seen on the Benzinga Pro chart below, and are up over 140% year-to-date in 2024.
Applied Industrial Technologies AIT: The industrial company was one of several in the sector to see strong interest from readers, which could be related to Donald Trump winning the 2024 election. Industrials were a top performing sector under Trump’s previous four years in the White House.
The company also recently reported first-quarter financial results with earnings per share of $2.36 and revenue of $1.10 billion, beating Street consensus estimates of $2.27 and $1.09 billion respectively. Applied Industrial also increased its fiscal 2025 earnings per share guidance to a range of $9.25 to $10.00, up from prior guidance of $9.20 to $9.95 and ahead of a Street estimate of $9.39.
Analysts raised their price targets on the stock after the quarterly results. The stock was up over 15% in the last five trading days and is up over 50% year-to-date in 2024.
Sprouts Farmers Market SFM: The specialty grocery retailer saw strong interest from Benzinga readers during the week, which comes after recent quarterly results and with shares trading at 52-week highs. The company's third-quarter earnings per share of 91 cents and revenue of $1.90 billion beat Street estimates of 76 cents per share and $1.88 billion respectively.
The company said the third quarter was exceptional and CEO Jack Sinclair highlighted "robust traffic growth." Same store sales were up 8.4% in the third quarter. The company opened nine new stores, ending the quarter with 428 stores in 23 states.
Goldman Sachs recently maintained a Buy rating on the stock and raised the price target from $127 to $159. Wells Fargo maintained an Equal-Weight rating on the stock and raised the price target from $90 to $130.
The stock was up over 10% over the last five trading days, and shares are up over 190% year-to-date in 2024.
Intuitive Surgical ISRG: The medical devices company saw strong interest from readers over the last week, with shares trading at 52-week highs Friday.
The company recently reported third-quarter financial results with revenue of $2.04 billion beating a Street consensus estimate of $2.0 billion and earnings per share of $1.84 beating a Street consensus estimate of $1.63. Intuitive Surgical reported revenue growth of 17% year-over-year in the quarter, with worldwide da Vinci procedures up 18% year-over-year.
The company also placed 379 da Vinci systems in the quarter, up from 312 in the prior quarter. There are 9,539 installed da Vinci surgical systems as of the end of the quarter. Intuitive obtained regulatory clearance for the da Vinci 5 surgical system in South Korea in October.
The earnings report saw several analysts raise their price targets on the stock. Analysts see the company's updated da Vinci 5 system, which can be used for more types of surgeries as a growth catalyst moving forward. Shares of Intuitive Surgical were up around six percent in the last five days and are up over 60% year-to-date.
Mueller Industries MLI: The industrials company was another in the sector that saw increased interest and a soaring stock price, potential from Trump's 2024 election win. The company recently reported third-quarter net sales of $997.8 million, beating a Street consensus estimate of $936.0 million and quarterly earnings per share of $1.48, which beat a Street estimate of $1.32. Mueller Industries said the revenue growth came from recently acquired businesses and higher copper prices in the quarter.
"We anticipated that declining interest rates and moderating inflation, combined with the resolution of election related uncertainty, will create a more stable and favorable environment for us," Mueller CEO Greg Christopher said.
The stock was up 13% over the last five days and is up over 100% year-to-date in 2024.
Stay tuned for next week’s report, and follow Benzinga Pro for all the latest headlines and top market-moving stories here.
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