3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 02/13/2025
Wall Street’s top analysts are a-buzz about these tickers:
- Mueller Water Products Inc. (NYSE: MWA) is our latest Stock of the Week, and our resident stock-picking expert thinks shares could see additional upside in the coming months.
- HVAC company Limbach Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LMB) just got a hefty 25% price target increase.
- Bioventus Inc (NASDAQ: BVS) gets a fresh Strong Buy rating after its recent earnings report.
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1- Mueller Water Products Inc. (NYSE: MWA)
Mueller Water Products ensures everything keeps flowing smoothly from the tiniest of valves to large, complex leak detection systems. This $ 3.6 billion company has been in business for 168 years — but like most providers of infrastructure components, it hasn’t necessarily spent a lot of time in the spotlight. But as you’ll find below, it’s not your typical conservative defense play…
Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $26.84 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $29.00
Why we’re watching:
- Fantastic performance: In case you don’t recall, we featured MWA as a stock to watch in this newsletter on February 4. You can check out the story here. Since that feature, MWA has surged 16% — but the move may not be over.
- More recently, Zen Investor Editor-in-Chief Steve Reitmeister highlighted MWA as his Stock of the Week. To summarize his article from Monday:
- Mueller's water management business benefits from both necessity and industry growth, making it a stable and resilient investment.
- The company has a strong track record, with a projected 26% year-over-year EPS growth and an average 45% earnings beat over the last four quarters. If this trend continues, actual growth could far exceed expectations, driving significant share price gains.
- The Zen Ratings analysis of 115 different factors for the firm are also mighty impressive. MWA earns an overall A rating, and is in the top 2% of 4,600 stocks analyzed.
- Its Component Grades shed light on its particular strengths — notably, it’s in the top 7% for Sentiment (here’s what the “Smart Money” thinks of shares) and in the top 9% of stocks scanned for Financials. It’s also in the top 13% Safety, making it a solid pick in the face of tariffs. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
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2- Limbach Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: LMB)
The HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems that keep both critical infrastructure and profitable ventures going is often relegated to a case of “out of sight, out of mind”. Well, unless you’re Limbach Holdings — then it’s your bread and butter. LMB stock doesn’t depend on new construction, either — maintaining and upgrading these systems provides the company with a stable, steady source of revenue.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $100.78 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $125.00
Why we’re watching:
- Short, simple, and sweet — 3 analysts issue ratings for LMB stock. All of them rate it a Strong Buy. See the ratings
- Notably, Lake Street’s Robert Brown (a top 17% rated analyst) recently hiked his price target to $125 from $100.
- In a note shared with investors, Brown cited Limbach’s recent acquisition of Consolidated Mechanical and the company's demonstrated improvement in margin and balance sheet over the past few quarters as the primary reason behind the revised price forecast.
- Looking ahead, the analyst said they believe this year is "set to be a turning point for the company as reported revenue should start to show the underlying growth."
- LMB stock has an overall Zen Rating of B — equities of this caliber have provided an average annual return of 19.88% since the turn of the millennium.
- Limbach Holdings stock rates highly in terms of its Sentiment and Safety Component Grade ratings — in the top 10%, to be precise.
- However, the company’s Financials rating is a particularly solid area — in which it ranks in the 92nd percentile. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
3- Bioventus Inc (NASDAQ: BVS)
Going under the knife is sometimes necessary — but never pleasant. Thankfully, healing doesn’t always require surgery. The human body is a wonder, and can often do the work on its own — and Bioventus Inc aims to help it achieve that goal. This company recently went through a process of streamlining — selling off its rehabilitation unit in order to focus on its core competencies in bone and post-surgical recovery.
Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $11.05 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $17.00
Why we’re watching:
- A consensus Buy, BVS stock has 3 ratings — a Strong Buy, a Buy, and a Hold. With that said, the average price forecast sees a 35.75% upside. See the ratings
- Notably, Canaccord Genuity researcher William Plovanic (a top 8% rated analyst) recently increased his Bioventus stock price target from $12 to $15, reissuing an earlier Strong Buy rating after the company released its Q3 2024 earnings report.
- Plovanic called the quarter "strong," highlighting revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and pro forma EPS beats.
- The analyst detailed that Bioventus delivered "double-digit growth in both its Pain Treatments and Surgical Solutions segments and saw continuing improved sales force execution in its Exogen business."
- Bioventus stock is also the second-highest-rated stock in the entire medical device industry. In addition, it has seen an impressive 137.72% increase in price over the past year.
- BVS stock carries an overall Zen rating of B — according to the 115 factors taken into account by our proprietary quant rating system, it is in the top 20% of all stocks — and has a high likelihood of outperforming the wider market.
- Our Sentiment Component Grade rating takes into account analyst revisions, insider buying or selling, and earnings surprises. Our Growth Component Grade rating focuses on operating income growth, sales acceleration, and EPS growth. In both categories, the stock has an A rating. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
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