Earthstone Energy (ESTE) Update - Sept 15

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dan_s
Posts: 34469
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:22 am

Earthstone Energy (ESTE) Update - Sept 15

Post by dan_s »

ESTE is one of my Top Picks in our Sweet 16 Growth Portfolio because it is trading a less than 50% of my current valuation of $35.00/share.
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3 Reasons Why Growth Investors Shouldn't Overlook Earthstone Energy (ESTE)
Zacks Equity Research
Thu, September 15, 2022


Growth stocks are attractive to many investors, as above-average financial growth helps these stocks easily grab the market's attention and produce exceptional returns. But finding a great growth stock is not easy at all.

In addition to volatility, these stocks carry above-average risk by their very nature. Also, one could end up losing from a stock whose growth story is actually over or nearing its end.

However, the Zacks Growth Style Score (part of the Zacks Style Scores system), which looks beyond the traditional growth attributes to analyze a company's real growth prospects, makes it pretty easy to find cutting-edge growth stocks.

Earthstone Energy (ESTE) is one such stock that our proprietary system currently recommends. The company not only has a favorable Growth Score, but also carries a top Zacks Rank.

Research shows that stocks carrying the best growth features consistently beat the market. And returns are even better for stocks that possess the combination of a Growth Score of A or B and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy).

Here are three of the most important factors that make the stock of this oil and gas company a great growth pick right now.

Earnings Growth

Arguably nothing is more important than earnings growth, as surging profit levels is what most investors are after. And for growth investors, double-digit earnings growth is definitely preferable, and often an indication of strong prospects (and stock price gains) for the company under consideration.

While the historical EPS growth rate for Earthstone Energy is 4.8%, investors should actually focus on the projected growth. The company's EPS is expected to grow 367.6% this year, crushing the industry average, which calls for EPS growth of 164.3%.

Cash Flow Growth

While cash is the lifeblood of any business, higher-than-average cash flow growth is more important and beneficial for growth-oriented companies than for mature companies. That's because, growth in cash flow enables these companies to expand their businesses without depending on expensive outside funds.

Right now, year-over-year cash flow growth for Earthstone Energy is 47.3%, which is higher than many of its peers. In fact, the rate compares to the industry average of 32.5%.

While investors should actually consider the current cash flow growth, it's worth taking a look at the historical rate too for putting the current reading into proper perspective. The company's annualized cash flow growth rate has been 49.6% over the past 3-5 years versus the industry average of 16.9%.

Promising Earnings Estimate Revisions

Beyond the metrics outlined above, investors should consider the trend in earnings estimate revisions. A positive trend is a plus here. Empirical research shows that there is a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.

There have been upward revisions in current-year earnings estimates for Earthstone Energy. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has surged 14.4% over the past month.

Bottom Line

While the overall earnings estimate revisions have made Earthstone Energy a Zacks Rank #1 stock, it has earned itself a Growth Score of A based on a number of factors, including the ones discussed above.
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ESTE closed today at $15.29

TipRanks: "In the last 3 months, 4 ranked analysts set 12-month price targets for ESTE. The average price target among the analysts is $26.50. The four analysts' price targets range from $19.00 to $35.00."

Read my updated profile on ESTE, which you can find under the Sweet 16 tab on our website.
Dan Steffens
Energy Prospectus Group
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