Investors typically have a single New Year’s resolution in mind: to make more money. While the goal is decidedly easy, attaining it is a lot more difficult.So, what’s the best way to build a return-producing portfolio? There are different strategies, for sure, but one way is to follow the guidance of the experts.Every January for the last 15 years, investment firm Stephens starts the year with a Best Ideas list. The firm’s analysts choose stocks in each sector with the best fundamental investment characteristics, ones which they believe are poised to outperform the market in the following 12 months.Looking into Stephens' "top picks" list for 2020, we’ve chosen three stocks that TipRanks, a company that tracks and measures the performance of analysts, reveals as "strong buys" and offer healthy upside potential.Aaron's Inc. (AAN)Let’s start with a look at Stephens’ specialty finance pick, rent-to-own retailer Aaron’s.Aaron’s lets you lease household goods and furniture through monthly payments, following which, the buyer gets to own the leased goods. The model lets the underserved and credit challenged customers buy goods they otherwise couldn’t afford.While its legacy brick and mortar stores have been the company’s main revenue driver in the past, Aaron’s Progressive Leasing arm, which provides lease-to-own financing to traditional retailers, has become a key revenue driver since Aaron’s bought Progressive in 2014.Outlining increasing competition and the decline of Aaron's store-based revenues as possible risks, Stephens’ analyst Vincent Caintic is “okay with this decline, so long as the decline does not accelerate and Progressive maintains its growth trajectory.” Caintic added, “In contrast with slowing consumer demand for financing (as we’ve seen with credit cards and auto lending), virtual rent-to-own should do well in 2020, primarily because the industry is still in its nascent growth stage. Customers who have not had point-of-sale financing opportunities in the past will now increasingly have the option due to the Aaron’s offering.”Caintic reiterated an Overweight rating on Aaron’s stock alongside a price target of $80, indicating upside potential of 40%. (To watch Caintic’s track record, click here)All in all, Wall Street’s confidence on the rental stock speaks for itself; AAN has received a whopping 6 "buy" ratings in the last three months. Meanwhile, the $84.33 consensus price target suggests a potential upside of 46% from the current share price. (See Aaron’s stock analysis on TipRanks)Staar Surgical Company (STAA)Stephens’ best idea for the medical device and hospital supply sector is implantable lenses developer, Staar Surgical.The first quarter of 2020 should see Staar begin an FDA clinical trial for the company’s Visian EVO family of lenses. The implantable collamer lenses are designed to treat myopia and myopia with astigmatism. Staar is also poised to receive a CE Mark for its EDOF lens for the treatment of emerging presbyopia, which should prove a further catalyst for expanding the company’s addressable market.Stephens’ Chris Cooley thinks Staar is "poised to continue to realize accelerating organic revenue growth coupled with margin expansion and GAAP profitability.”According to Cooley, Staar’s revenue growth will be driven by the “high-margined Visian EVO offering.” The 5-star analyst expects gross margin to increase from 75% in CY19E to over 80% by CYE22. This will result in cash and cash equivalents increasing from $5 million to more than $25 million by CYE22.Cooley added, “STAA's uniquely positioned device portfolio possesses significant strategic value within a sector whose larger cap bellwethers are increasingly searching for opportunities to drive not only accelerating growth but also long-term margin expansion.”Accordingly, the 5-star analyst reiterated an Overweight rating on Staar shares, with a price target of $56, which implies over 60% upside from current levels. (To watch Cooley’s track record, click here)The Street is on the same page as Cooley. A Strong Buy consensus rating is formed from a unanimous 5 "buy" ratings. With an average price target of $49, the analysts believe the lenses developer can add 43% to its share price in the coming months. (See Staar stock analysis on TipRanks)CarMax Inc (KMX)Revving up, we move onto the largest used car retailer in the US, CarMax. The Richmond, Virginia based company had an excellent 2019 and according to Stephens’ Rick Nelson, the bullish trend is set to continue in 2020.What excites Nelson the most about KMX’s potential is its increasing focus on an omni-channel experience. “A sophisticated website platform featuring vast inventory selection, detailed vehicle specs, professional and consistent pictures, online financing options and transactional capabilities shifts sales dependency away from associates and towards leverage-able technology investments,” Nelson said. 50% of the platform’s roll-out is expected to be completed by February. SSS (same store sales) in Atlanta, the company’s most advanced omni-channel market, have increased at a double-digit rate since the launch.The affordability of used cars is set to be a further catalyst for growth, too. As the spread in pricing between new and used vehicles increases, KMX is poised to take advantage; 78% of KMX’s inventory consists of nearly new cars, which provide most of the new technology features without the new vehicle price tag.Nelson concluded, “We believe KMX's ongoing roll out of omni-channel capabilities is a game changer, allowing the Company to capitalize on its trusted brand, close proximity to customers, vast inventory selection and logistical expertise… We expect KMX to be the primary beneficiary of shifting consumer purchasing preferences that favor an omni-channel experience.”Therefore, the 4-star analyst left his Overweight rating and $115 price target as is, suggesting upside potential of 32%. (To watch Nelson’s track record, click here)Overall, this 'Strong Buy' stock is no Wall Street secret. After all, in just three months, the stock has attracted 7 "buy" ratings versus 2 "holds." With a return potential of 23%, the stock's consensus price target stands at $106.88. In other words, optimism backs this used-car retailing story. (See CarMax stock analysis on TipRanks)

Will the new coronavirus cause a recession in US in the next 6 months? On February 27th, we put the probability at 75% and we predicted that the market will decline by at least 20% in (Recession is Imminent: We Need A Travel Ban NOW). In these volatile markets we scrutinize hedge fund filings to […]

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, today announced that it will release financial results for the first quarter ended April 3, 2020 on Wednesday, May 6, 2020 after the market close.

SPS Commerce Inc tops the list Continue reading...

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, today reported financial results for the first quarter ended April 3, 2020.

Staar Surgical (STAA) doesn't possess the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.

Q4 2019 STAAR Surgical Co Earnings Call

Q1 2020 STAAR Surgical Co Earnings Call

To the annoyance of some shareholders, STAAR Surgical (NASDAQ:STAA) shares are down a considerable 32% in the last...

Investors in stocks with small market values know all too well that they usually underperform in down markets. The flip side is that small-cap stocks often lead the way when markets are headed higher again.Most small-cap investors can't wait for the market to turn. The S&P; 500 has lost 16% since it peaked on Feb. 19. As for the small-cap benchmark Russell 2000? It has tumbled more than 25%.This widespread pain among small caps might give investors pause about digging in. So we decided to suss out which stocks are holding up best, perhaps generating gains, and are set up for continued outperformance once businesses and markets get back to something resembling normal conditions.Sure enough, even today, there's no shortage of great ideas when it comes to small-cap stocks.To find the best candidates, we limited ourselves to companies with market capitalizations of between $1 billion and $2 billion. The stocks also had to outperform the S&P; 500 since the bear market kicked off almost three months ago.We further whittled the list down to stocks with an average broker recommendation of Buy or better. S&P; Capital IQ surveys analysts' stock ratings and scores them on a five-point scale, where 1.0 equals Strong Buy and 5.0 means Strong Sell. Any score of 2.0 or lower means that analysts, on average, rate the stock a Buy. The closer the score gets to 1.0, the stronger the Buy call. Lastly, we dug into research and analysts' estimates on the top-scoring names.From that pool, we landed on 11 of the best small-cap stocks that analysts love the most. Read on as we highlight each one. SEE ALSO: 50 Top Stock Picks That Billionaires Love

Today we are going to look at STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA) to see whether it might be an attractive investment...

Thank you standing by, and welcome to the STAAR Surgical 1Q 2020 Financial Results Conference Call and Webcast. Thank you for joining us on the STAAR Surgical conference call this afternoon to discuss the company's financial results for the first quarter ended April 3rd, 2020. On the call today are Caren Mason, President and Chief Executive Officer; and Deborah Andrews, Chief Financial Officer.

Staar Surgical (STAA) delivered earnings and revenue surprises of -42.86% and 5.04%, respectively, for the quarter ended March 2020. Do the numbers hold clues to what lies ahead for the stock?

Staar Surgical (STAA) doesn't possess the right combination of the two key ingredients for a likely earnings beat in its upcoming report. Get prepared with the key expectations.

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Amid an overall bull market, many stocks that smart money investors were collectively bullish on surged through the end of November. Among them, Facebook and Microsoft ranked among the top 3 picks and these stocks gained 54% and 51% respectively. Our research shows that most of the stocks that smart money likes historically generate strong […]

STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ: STAA), a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye, today provided a business update relating to the evolving COVID-19 global health care concern.

Does the January share price for STAAR Surgical Company (NASDAQ:STAA) reflect what it's really worth? Today, we will...