3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 12/31/2024

By Jessie Moore, Stock Researcher and Writer

December 31, 2024 1:41 PM UTC

3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 12/31/2024

Kemper Corp. (NYSE: KMPR) may not be a household name, but this insurance company is on the rise. Analysts are bullish on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL), calling it a top pick for 2025. Emcor Inc. (NYSE: EME) is our stock of the week, with excellent prospects in the new year. Here’s the story. Gain access to dozens of alerts like this per week 👉👉 Try WallStreetZen Premium

1- Kemper Corp. (NYSE: KMPR)

At first glance, Kemper is just a boring old insurance company. But its yearly gains of over 30% certainly aren’t boring. Analysts call it a Strong Buy, and Zen Ratings is only slightly more conservative, with a B (Buy) rating.

Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $65.97 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $85.00

Why we’re watching:

Analyst support: Four analysts we track issuing ratings on KMPR give it a Strong Buy consensus. See the ratings
Notably, Gregory Peters of Raymond James ( a top 3% analyst) just raised their price target on KMPR by 9.3% from $75 to $82.
In line with Raymond James' "2025 playbook and insurance group outlook," Peters hiked their price target on Kemper.
The analyst predicted that most companies in the property/casualty sector will experience a slowdown in organic revenue growth over the next 24 months because of more stable inflationary pressures, steady economic growth, and a slower rate of price increases.
However, in spite of potential negative pricing pressures, Peters told readers to expect most companies to report elevated returns.
Great Zen Rating: Overall, KMPR enjoys a B (Buy) rating after a careful review of 115 factors proven to drive stock growth.
Two areas where KMPR really shines? Respective B Growth and Momentum ratings. Paired with the bullish analyst ratings, these ratings support the idea that this stock could see a solid 2025. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

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2- Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL)

The Google parent company is way more than just Google — it’s documents, cloud stuff you probably don’t understand, maps, and more. And the stock has strong near-term potential, according to analysts and our proprietary rating system…

Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $191.26 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $240.00

Why we’re watching:

Analyst support: 29 analysts we track agree — GOOGL is worth watching. It enjoys a Buy consensus, with an average 1-year price target of $206.21. See the ratings
Notably, Doug Anmuth of JP Morgan ( a top 1% analyst) just released a note detailing that the firm expects AI to continue to dominate the investment narrative, although the focus will shift to agents and applications.
JP Morgan expects AI-driven Capex to increase as mega-caps move beyond some of the compute constraints of 2024; its top picks from the group for 2025 are Amazon, Meta Platforms, Alphabet, and Spotify.
Our proprietary ratings system agrees that GOOGL is a Buy. It has a B Zen Rating, putting it in the top 20% of stocks we track. It enjoys above-average Component Grades for Value, Safety, and Financials — making it a definite stock of note for risk-averse investors looking for a potential deal. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

3- Emcor Inc. (NYSE: EME)

Emcor is a leading specialty construction firm with expertise in power transmission, voice & data communications and fiber optics. This means they are riding some serious growth trends which helps explain the 57% year over year earnings growth.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $457.48 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $600.00

Why we’re watching:

It’s our Stock of the Week: According to our resident stock expert, Steve Reitmeister, EMCOR (EME) is “not a household name. But that ‘under the radar’ stature allows us to scoop up this growth stock at very attractive levels. Especially after the recent December pullback in shares.” In a recent article, he expanded — here are some highlights:
EME has had 10 straight beat and raise earnings reports that propelled shares 5X since the middle of 2022. This is where you have to dig into the fundamentals to appreciate the nature of the firm…
EME has an overall “A” rating, which means it's a Strong Buy because it’s in the top 5% of all the stocks we analyze across 115 different factors.
What really jumps off the charts for EME is the top 3% showing for the 26 factors of Financial strength we review. This means it is an incredibly well-run company…the kind of company that is likely to produce more beat and raise earnings reports in the future that propels shares even higher.
What also stands out for EME with the Zen Ratings is how there is no weakness to be found. In most categories they are in the top 25% of stocks like Value, Growth, Momentum and Sentiment. (See the full Zen Ratings analysis for EME here >)