Apple Stock and These 4 Are Top Picks to Own in 2025 — Barrons.com

Jabil Inc. JBL recently launched ID8 Global, a joint venture with Cyferd Inc., a pioneer in AI and data technologies. This collaborative endeavor intends to provide a cutting-edge, generative AI-driven software platform capable of autonomously transforming supply chain and procurement management globally.

Digging Deep Into JBL- Cyferd Deal

By combining Jabil’s extensive expertise in global supply chain operations with Cyferd’s advanced AI capabilities, particularly its proprietary self-learning AI engine Neural Genesis, the partnership is set to deliver a highly customizable, scalable AI-powered platform that enables businesses to streamline their complex, multi-tiered supply chains with precision and speed.

The new platform is expected to become a cornerstone for companies looking to scale faster and improve supply chain resilience. It is expected to enable businesses to proactively identify and resolve disruptions, streamline sourcing and procurement processes and respond to market changes as they occur.

By embedding AI-driven automation directly into procurement and supply chain functions, companies are likely to get a competitive edge in the increasingly dynamic and disruptive global market. This level of automation and real-time adaptation will be game changers for companies dealing with rising global market volatility.

ID8 Global's debut will take place at Electronica 2024 in Munich, Germany, from Nov. 12 to 15, 2024, where attendees can learn more about the platform’s potential.

Increasing Client Base to Drive Performance for JBL

Jabil has an established global presence and a worldwide connected factory network, which enables it to scale up production in line with evolving market dynamics. With the launch of ID8 Global, Jabil and Cyferd are setting the stage for a major shift in supply-chain management, offering organizations a powerful tool to navigate the complexities of modern procurement and logistics.

The deal is also expected to enable the company to generate higher revenues in the upcoming quarters. Improving financial performance is likely to propel the stock upward.

JBL’s Stock Price Performance

Shares of Jabil have gained 2.6% over the past year compared with the industry’s growth of 45.6%.

It doesn't matter your age or experience: taking full advantage of the stock market and investing with confidence are common goals for all investors. Luckily, Zacks Premium offers several different ways to do both.

Featuring daily updates of the Zacks Rank and Zacks Industry Rank, full access to the Zacks #1 Rank List, Equity Research reports, and Premium stock screens, the research service can help you become a smarter, more self-assured investor.

It also includes access to the Zacks Style Scores.

What are the Zacks Style Scores?

The Zacks Style Scores, developed alongside the Zacks Rank, are complementary indicators that rate stocks based on three widely-followed investing methodologies; they also help investors pick stocks with the best chances of beating the market over the next 30 days.

Each stock is given an alphabetic rating of A, B, C, D or F based on their value, growth, and momentum qualities. With this system, an A is better than a B, a B is better than a C, and so on, meaning the better the score, the better chance the stock will outperform.

The Style Scores are broken down into four categories:

Value Score

For value investors, it's all about finding good stocks at good prices, and discovering which companies are trading under their true value before the broader market catches on. The Value Style Score utilizes ratios like P/E, PEG, Price/Sales, Price/Cash Flow, and a host of other multiples to help pick out the most attractive and discounted stocks.

Growth Score

While good value is important, growth investors are more focused on a company's financial strength and health, and its future outlook. The Growth Style Score takes projected and historic earnings, sales, and cash flow into account to uncover stocks that will see long-term, sustainable growth.

Momentum Score

Momentum traders and investors live by the saying "the trend is your friend." This investing style is all about taking advantage of upward or downward trends in a stock's price or earnings outlook. Employing factors like one-week price change and the monthly percentage change in earnings estimates, the Momentum Style Score can indicate favorable times to build a position in high-momentum stocks.

VGM Score

If you like to use all three kinds of investing, then the VGM Score is for you. It's a combination of all Style Scores, and is an important indicator to use with the Zacks Rank. The VGM Score rates each stock on their shared weighted styles, narrowing down the companies with the most attractive value, best growth forecast, and most promising momentum.

How Style Scores Work with the Zacks Rank

The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions, or changes to a company's earnings expectations, to help investors build a successful portfolio.

#1 (Strong Buy) stocks have produced an unmatched +25.41% average annual return since 1988, which is more than double the S&P 500's performance over the same time frame. However, the Zacks Rank examines a ton of stocks, and there can be more than 200 companies with a Strong Buy rank, and another 600 with a #2 (Buy) rank, on any given day.

But it can feel overwhelming to pick the right stocks for you and your investing goals with over 800 top-rated stocks to choose from.

That's where the Style Scores come in.

To maximize your returns, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. This means picking stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2 that also have Style Scores of A or B. If you find yourself looking at stocks with a #3 (Hold) rank, make sure they have Scores of A or B as well to ensure as much upside potential as possible.

As mentioned above, the Scores are designed to work with the Zacks Rank, so any change to a company's earnings outlook should be a deciding factor when picking which stocks to buy.

For instance, a stock with a #4 (Sell) or #5 (Strong Sell) rating, even one that boasts Scores of A and B, still has a downward-trending earnings forecast, and a much greater likelihood its share price will decline as well.

Thus, the more stocks you own with a #1 or #2 Rank and Scores of A or B, the better.

Stock to Watch: Arista Networks (ANET)

Santa Clara, CA-based Arista Networks, Inc. is engaged in providing cloud networking solutions for data centers and cloud computing environments. The company offers 10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches and routers optimized for next generation data center networks.

ANET is a #2 (Buy) on the Zacks Rank, with a VGM Score of B.

Additionally, the company could be a top pick for growth investors. ANET has a Growth Style Score of A, forecasting year-over-year earnings growth of 24.8% for the current fiscal year.

For fiscal 2024, six analysts revised their earnings estimate upwards in the last 60 days, and the Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased $0.42 to $8.66 per share. ANET boasts an average earnings surprise of 14.8%.

With a solid Zacks Rank and top-tier Growth and VGM Style Scores, ANET should be on investors' short list.

Zacks Investment Research