Albemarle (ALB) and Arista Networks (ANET) rank among this week's five top stocks to watch as they outperform near buy points in a volatile market.
XCheniere Energy (LNG), Enphase Energy (ENPH) and UnitedHealth (UNH) also make the cut, with earnings volatility also out of the way for all five companies.
With the market rally under pressure and subject to wild swings, investors can reduce some uncertainty with stocks that have already reported.
LNG stock and several other energy stocks earn a place on the IBD Leaderboard, amid strong commodity prices and the Russia-Ukraine war. ALB stock, ANET stock and ENPH stock belong to the Leaderboard watchlist. ANET stock briefly seized a buy point Friday.
Albemarle, Friday's IBD Stock Of The Day, is on the cusp of an early buy point.
UNH stock belongs to the IBD 50 list of top growth stocks. Health stocks, seen as a defensive play, are winning favor in the current market as fears of a global recession grow.
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All of this week's top stocks have rising relative strength lines near highs. That means they are outperforming the S&P 500. The RS lines for Arista stock, Albemarle stock and UnitedHealth are hitting new highs on the weekly MarketSmith chart, marked by a blue dot at the end of that strength indicator.
That's a positive technical sign ahead of a possible breakout. But none has been spared some very bad days — a cautionary tale about buying stocks in an uncertain market. However, it's a good time to build your stock watchlist.
ALB Stock
Shares of the lithium producer rose 3.8% to 284.99 in Friday's stock market trading. Albemarle finished with a 1.7% weekly gain after finding support at the 50-day moving average following strong third-quarter earnings.
That follows a big shakeout earlier in the week. ALB stock tumbled below its 50-day line on Wednesday amid the broad market sell-off and mixed results from lithium producer Livent (LTHM). Shares then skidded intraday Thursday following Albemarle's own results, before rebounding
ALB stock has been consolidating since mid-September and Leaderboard chart analysis shows a 308.34 buy point. Shares are well below the entry for now but the buy zone would stretch to 323.76 if this lithium stock breaks out.
ALB stock screens very well in terms of key IBD ratings. It earns an IBD Composite Rating of 98, EPS Rating of 91 and Relative Strength Rating of 93, all out of a best-possible 99.
The 93 RS Rating means that ALB stock has outperformed 93% of all stocks in IBD's database over the past 12 months.
In the third quarter, Albemarle earnings exploded 615% as sales rocketed 152%, the company disclosed Nov. 3. That marked the fourth straight quarter of earnings and sales acceleration. But this top lithium miner and refiner gave slightly muted guidance after sharply raising targets several times this year.
Albemarle stock is a play on the global adoption of electric vehicles. Lithium is a critical component of EV batteries. Lithium prices have been soaring, with demand seen outpacing supply for years to come.
Albemarle Plots Decade-Long Lithium Charge With Demand Racing Past Supply
ANET Stock
Arista Networks soared 7.2% to 131.07 on Friday, well above the 50-day average. ANET stock is poised for a 7.5% gain for the week, after surging roughly 10% in each of the prior two weeks.
Arista handily topped Q3 views on Nov. 1. On Nov. 3, Arista gave bullish 2023 guidance at an investor day.
The powerful move Friday briefly lifted ANET stock above a traditional buy point at 132.97 as well as an early entry, a dime above the Nov. 2 high of 130.13.
Volume has been strong in the past three weeks. In the September quarter, Arista Networks earnings rocketed 69% as revenue jumped 57%, the fourth straight quarter of accelerating growth for both. It has been earning large orders from Facebook owner Meta (META).
In the longer term, this top tech stock is expected to benefit from the growth of data centers. ANET's high-end Ethernet switches speed up communications among racks of computer servers.
The provider of cloud networking software and hardware carries a perfect 99 Comp Rating, a 97 EPS Rating and a 77 RS Rating.
LNG Stock
Shares of the U.S. liquefied natural gas giant shed 3% to 171.78 Friday, but rebounded from the 50-day line. Cheniere Energy finished with a 1.55% weekly loss following a surprise loss for the third quarter on Nov. 3.
This energy play was down even more sharply Friday morning before trimming gains. Wild moves are common in the current market and could provide a welcome shakeout for a top energy stock like Cheniere. It also serves to remind investors that the market needs to improve.
LNG stock sits less than 4% below a 178.69 buy point from a cup-with-handle base. If Cheniere stock breaks out, the buy zone would stretch to 187.63.
For Q3, Cheniere Energy on Nov. 3 reported a widening net loss of $9.54 per share. Analysts had predicted Cheniere Energy earnings would balloon to $5.58 per share. The LNG giant tied Q3 losses to derivatives and settlements.
However, quarterly sales soared 175% to $8.8 billion. That was the seventh straight quarter of accelerating top-line growth and the fifth straight quarter of triple-digit gains.
LNG stock bears a Comp Rating of 76, EPS Rating of 25 and RS Rating of 97.
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UNH stock
Shares of the Dow Jones health insurance giant gave up 1% to 538.17 Friday, but rebounded from the 50-day line. It lost 2.4% for the week, the first decline in four.
UNH stock is 3% below a 553.23 cup-with-handle buy point after briefly topping that entry on Oct. 31.
On Oct. 14, UnitedHealth raised its profit outlook after beating quarterly earnings estimates. In Q3, UnitedHealth earnings rose 28% as revenue grew nearly 12%. That marked the second straight quarter of faster EPS growth but the second quarter of slightly slowing revenue gains.
UNH stock shows a 97 Comp Rating, 94 EPS Rating and 90 RS Rating.
ENPH Stock
Shares of the solar energy play tumbled 4.6% to 282.44 Friday, but rebounded to close just pennies below the 50-day average, but above the 10-week line. Enphase Energy stock skidded 7.5% for the week, providing a shakeout. The prior week ENPH stock zoomed up 21% on strong earnings to recover the 50-day line.
For now, ENPH stock remains far below a 324.94 buy point from a consolidation that began early September. If this solar-related stock recovers and seizes the entry, the buy zone would go to $341.19. It may be forming a lower handle entry as well.
On a weekly basis, ENPH stock has a handle with a 316.97 buy point. That handle needs one more day on a daily chart.
As the past several days and weeks have shown, Enphase stock is volatile. That's true even when the broader market is relatively orderly, which it is not currently.
Enphase Energy earnings more than doubled in the third quarter, the company announced Oct. 26. Quarterly revenue rocketed 81%, FactSet shows.
Enphase is a leading provider of solar microinverters. Microinverters boost solar energy production, improve reliability in solar energy systems and support intelligent energy management.
The company also makes software to monitor energy generation and battery systems. It focuses on residential markets.
Enphase Energy earns perfect Composite and EPS ratings of 99, and a near-perfect RS Rating of 97 out of 99.
For more quality stocks with strong RS lines, check out IBD's Relative Strength At New High stocks list. Our stock research platform MarketSmith also has a screening tool for stocks with RS lines making new highs.
For other great stock ideas, check out IBD's proprietary watchlists, like the IBD 50 and the IBD Big Cap 20.
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