We often judge a company based on its sales and earnings. These metrics, however, may not be sufficient on their own. A stock might get a boost if these figures rise year over year or surpass estimates in a particular quarter, offering a lucrative opportunity for short-term investors to cash in. However, relying solely on sales and earnings numbers may not yield the desired long-term returns. For those seeking sustainable investment growth, a deeper dive into the company’s financial health and stability is essential.

A critical analysis of a company’s financial background is a prerequisite for an informed investment decision. Coverage ratios, which assess whether a company is robust enough to meet its financial obligations, play a crucial role in this analysis. A higher ratio generally indicates a stronger financial position. This article focuses on the Interest Coverage Ratio, a key indicator used to evaluate a company's ability to pay interest on its debt, ensuring that the company is not over-leveraged and can comfortably meet its interest obligations from its operating earnings.

Interest Coverage Ratio = Earnings before Interest & Taxes (EBIT) divided by Interest Expense. 

Stride, Inc. LRN, Modine Manufacturing Company MOD, H&R Block, Inc. HRB and Leidos Holdings, Inc. LDOS boast an impressive interest coverage ratio.

Why Interest Coverage Ratio?

The interest coverage ratio is used to determine how effectively a company can pay the interest charges on its debt. 

Debt, which is crucial for most companies to finance operations, comes at a cost called interest. Interest expense has a direct bearing on the profitability of a company and its creditworthiness depends on how effectively it meets interest obligations. Therefore, the interest coverage ratio is one of the important criteria to factor in before making any investment decision. 

Interest coverage ratio suggests the number of times the interest could be paid from earnings and gauges the margin of safety a firm carries for paying interest.

An interest coverage ratio lower than 1.0 implies that the company is unable to fulfill its interest obligations and could default on repaying debt. A company that is capable of generating earnings well above its interest expense can withstand financial hardships. One should also track the company’s past performance to determine whether the interest coverage ratio has improved or worsened over a period of time.

The Winning Strategy

Apart from having an Interest Coverage Ratio that is more than the industry average, adding a favorable Zacks Rank and a VGM Score of A or B to your search criteria should lead to better results.

Interest Coverage Ratio greater than X-Industry Median

Price greater than or equal to 5: The stocks must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.

5-Year Historical EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: Stocks that have a strong EPS growth history.

Projected EPS Growth (%) greater than X-Industry Median: This is the projected EPS growth over the next three to five years. This shows that the stock has near-term earnings growth potential. 

Average 20-Day Volume greater than 100,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stock is easily tradable.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) stocks are known to outperform irrespective of the market environment.

VGM Score of less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2, offer the best upside potential. 

Here are four of the 12 stocks that qualified the screening.

Stride, a technology-based education company, has a VGM Score of B. LRN delivered an earnings surprise of 100.8% in the last reported quarter. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Stride’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 12.4% and 42%, respectively, from the year-ago period. This Zacks Rank #1 stock has soared 65.2% in the past year. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Modine Manufacturing, a diversified global leader in thermal management technology and solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of B. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Modine Manufacturing’s current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 8.4% and 18.8%, respectively, from the year-ago period’s levels. MOD has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.8%, on average. The stock has skyrocketed 222.2% in the past year.

Find the latest EPS estimates and surprises on Zacks Earnings Calendar.

H&R Block, which provides global tax preparation services, financial products, and small-business solutions, carries a Zacks Rank #2 and has a VGM Score of B. HRB has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 10.8%, on average.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for H&R Block's current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 3% and 18.4%, respectively, from the year-ago period. The stock has rallied 46.3% in the past year.

Leidos Holdings, which provides services and solutions in the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets in the United States and internationally, has a VGM Score of B and carries a Zacks Rank #2. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Leidos Holdings’ current financial year sales and EPS suggests growth of 5.4% and 22.7%, respectively, from a year ago. Leidos Holdings has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 23.5%, on average. The stock has surged 83.8% in the past year. 

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and backtest them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

H&R Block, Inc. (HRB) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Stride, Inc. (LRN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Modine Manufacturing Company (MOD) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Leidos Holdings, Inc. (LDOS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research