Betting on bargain stocks that have a low price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio is a convenient investment approach. The perception is that the lower the P/E, the higher is the value of the stock. This inference is drawn on the simple logic that a stock’s current market price does not justify (is not equivalent to) its higher earnings and therefore has room to run.

But have you ever given it a thought that stocks with a rising P/E can also be worth buying. We’ll tell you why.

Why Rising P/E a Valuable Tool?

Investors should note that stock price moves in tandem with earnings performance. If earnings come in stronger, the price of a stock shoots up. Solid quarterly earnings and the forward guidance boost earnings forecasts, leading to stronger demand for the stock and an uptrend in its price.

So, if the price is rising steadily, it means that investors are assured of the stock’s fundamental strength and expect some strong positives out of it. Suppose an investor wants to buy a stock with a P/E ratio of 30, it means that he is willing to shell out $30 for only $1 worth of earnings. This is because the investor expects earnings of the company to rise at a faster pace in the future on the back of strong fundamentals.

Also, studies have revealed that stocks have seen their P/E ratios jump over 100% from their breakout point in the cycle. So, if you can pick stocks early in their breakout cycle, you can end up seeing considerable gains.

The Winning Strategy

In order to shortlist stocks that are exhibiting an increasing P/E, we chose the following as our primary screening parameters.

EPS growth estimate for the current year is greater than or equal to last year’s actual growth.

Percentage change in last year EPS should be greater than or equal zero.

(These two criteria point to flat earnings or a growth trend over the years.)

Percentage change in price over four weeks greater than the percentage change in price over 12 weeks.

Percentage change in price over 12 weeks greater than percentage change in price over 24 weeks.

(These two criteria show that price of the stock is increasing consistently over the said timeframes.)

Percentage price change for four weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500.

Percentage price change for 12 weeks relative to the S&P 500 greater than the percentage price change for 24 weeks relative to the S&P 500.

(Here, the case for consistent price gains gets even stronger as it displays percentage price changes relative to the S&P 500.)

Percentage price change for 12 weeks is 20% higher than or equal to the percentage price change for 24 weeks, but it should not exceed 100%.

(A 20% increase in the price of a stock from the breakout point gives cues of an impending uptrend. But a jump of over 100% indicates that there is limited scope for further upside and that the stock might be due for a reversal.)

In addition, we place a few other criteria that lead us to some likely outperformers.

Zacks Rank less than or equal to 2: Only companies with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) rating can get through. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: High trading volume implies that the stocks have adequate liquidity.

Just these few criteria narrowed down the universe from over 7,700 stocks to just 39.

Here are five out of the 39 stocks:

Edgewell Personal Care Company (EPC - Free Report) : This is a personal care products company with aZacks Industry Rank in the top 33%. The stock has a Zacks Rank #1.

Cambrex Corporation (CBM - Free Report) : This is a manufacturer of specialty chemicals presently sporting a Zacks Rank #1. The Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 28%.

Humana Inc. (HUM - Free Report) : This health services company carries a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 37%.

Research Frontiers Inc. (REFR - Free Report) : The Zacks Rank #2 company is into the development of suspended particle technology and devices. The Zacks Industry Rank is in the top 14%.

Galena Biopharma Inc. (GALE - Free Report) : It is a biopharmaceutical company. It has a Zacks Industry Rank in the top 28%. The stock has a Zacks Rank #2.