When hunting for stocks that combine strong technical trends with accelerating financial performance, few screening methods are as effective as pairing the Mark Minervini Trend Template with a high-growth momentum filter. This approach first ensures a stock is in a strong, healthy uptrend by checking specific moving average alignments and relative strength thresholds. It then overlays fundamental criteria to confirm the company is delivering the kind of earnings and revenue acceleration that historically precedes major price moves. The result is a focused list of candidates where technical strength and business momentum are aligned. CNB Financial Corp/PA (NASDAQ:CCNE) is a stock that emerges from this screen, and a closer look at its numbers reveals why.
Recent Performance
CNB Financial has been on a strong run, with the stock recently trading at $33.71, just 1.7% below its 52-week high of $34.29. Over the past year, the stock has gained 38.1%, a performance that places it ahead of 81% of all stocks in the market. The short-term trend is equally encouraging, with a 1-month gain of 11.8%. The S&P 500’s short-term trend is positive but the index is well off its highs, while CCNE is pressing new highs, a classic sign of market leadership.
Meeting the Minervini Trend Template
The core of the Minervini strategy is to only consider stocks in a confirmed Stage 2 uptrend. CCNE checks every box on the Trend Template checklist:
- Current Price vs. Key Moving Averages: The stock trades above its 50-day ($31.25), 150-day ($29.04), and 200-day ($27.93) simple moving averages.
- Moving Average Alignment: The 50-day SMA is above both the 150-day and 200-day SMAs. The 150-day SMA is also above the 200-day SMA, creating a perfectly stacked bullish alignment.
- 200-Day SMA Slope: The 200-day SMA is rising, with the most recent value of $27.93 above the previous value of $27.89. Minervini requires this average to be rising for at least one month — a condition easily met here.
- Price Relative to 52-Week Range: The current price is 55.8% above the 52-week low ($21.63), well beyond the 30% minimum. It is also within 2.3% of the 52-week high, satisfying the 25% proximity rule.
- Relative Strength: With a ChartMill Relative Strength score of 81.79, CCNE outperforms more than 80% of all stocks, comfortably above the 70 minimum Minervini demands.
All eight criteria are met, confirming that CCNE is in a strong, sustainable uptrend — the essential technical foundation of the strategy.
High Growth Fundamentals
The Minervini method doesn’t stop at technicals; it demands strong, accelerating fundamentals that drive institutional buying. CCNE’s recent financials show clear momentum on this front:
- Earnings Acceleration: Earnings per share (EPS) growth over the trailing twelve months is 33.3%, up from 21.4% in the last full fiscal year, and a dramatic turnaround from the -7.0% decline in the prior year. The most recent quarter saw EPS surge 54.4% year-over-year.
- Revenue Growth: Revenue growth over the TTM is 34.6%, with the latest quarter accelerating to 51.4% growth year-over-year. This is a clear acceleration from the 24.5% growth in the last full fiscal year.
- Consistent Earnings Surprises: CCNE has beaten EPS estimates in each of the last four quarters, with an average beat of 7.4%. This pattern of positive surprises is a strong catalyst that Minervini highlights.
- Profit Margin Improvement: While profit margins dipped slightly to 30.9% last quarter from 37.5% in the prior period, they remain well above the 7.6% and 20.8% levels seen two and three quarters ago, showing a longer-term upward trend.
- Free Cash Flow Growth: Free cash flow per share over the TTM is $2.28, representing a 51.0% increase year-over-year, a sign of improving operational efficiency.
This combination of double-digit earnings and revenue growth, combined with consistent estimate beats, is exactly the kind of fundamental catalyst that attracts large institutional buyers, a core tenet of Minervini’s SEPA system.
Valuation Metrics
While Minervini focuses more on momentum and growth than static valuation, it’s worth noting that CCNE trades at about 10.5 times its trailing twelve-month EPS of $3.20. This is a reasonable multiple for a company growing earnings at 33% annually, suggesting the stock may still offer upside potential if growth persists.
Technical Setup Summary
According to the ChartMill technical report, CCNE earns a top-tier Technical Rating of 10 out of 10, reflecting its strong, consistent uptrend across multiple timeframes. The Setup Rating sits at 6 out of 10, indicating the recent price action has been a bit too volatile to offer a picture-perfect entry. The stock is trading near resistance at the 52-week high, with the suggested entry point at $34.30 and a stop-loss at $33.64. While the setup isn’t as tight as ideal, the underlying technical health is exceptional.
Key support levels are identified at $33.65 from a daily trend line, a more significant zone between $31.15 and $31.49 combining moving averages and weekly trend lines, and further support near $30.07 and $29.39. The long and short-term trends are both positive, and the stock is leading its industry, outperforming 81% of the 370 stocks in the Banks sector.
Discover More Candidates
This screen is designed to uncover stocks that meet both the technical strength of the Minervini Trend Template and the fundamental acceleration favored by high-growth investors. If CCNE fits your criteria, you can explore the full list of current candidates by clicking here to view the live screening results.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Read full article here »
CNB Financial Corp/PA (NASDAQ:CCNE) Passes Minervini Trend Template Screen with Strong Technical and Fundamental Momentum
When hunting for stocks that combine strong technical trends with accelerating financial performance, few screening methods are as effective as pairing the Mark Minervini Trend Template with a high-growth momentum filter. This approach first ensures a stock is in a strong, healthy uptrend by checking specific moving average alignments and relative strength thresholds. It then overlays fundamental criteria to confirm the company is delivering the kind of earnings and revenue acceleration that historically precedes major price moves. The result is a focused list of candidates where technical strength and business momentum are aligned. CNB Financial Corp/PA (NASDAQ:CCNE) is a stock that emerges from this screen, and a closer look at its numbers reveals why.
Recent Performance
CNB Financial has been on a strong run, with the stock recently trading at $33.71, just 1.7% below its 52-week high of $34.29. Over the past year, the stock has gained 38.1%, a performance that places it ahead of 81% of all stocks in the market. The short-term trend is equally encouraging, with a 1-month gain of 11.8%. The S&P 500’s short-term trend is positive but the index is well off its highs, while CCNE is pressing new highs, a classic sign of market leadership.
Meeting the Minervini Trend Template
The core of the Minervini strategy is to only consider stocks in a confirmed Stage 2 uptrend. CCNE checks every box on the Trend Template checklist:
All eight criteria are met, confirming that CCNE is in a strong, sustainable uptrend — the essential technical foundation of the strategy.
High Growth Fundamentals
The Minervini method doesn’t stop at technicals; it demands strong, accelerating fundamentals that drive institutional buying. CCNE’s recent financials show clear momentum on this front:
This combination of double-digit earnings and revenue growth, combined with consistent estimate beats, is exactly the kind of fundamental catalyst that attracts large institutional buyers, a core tenet of Minervini’s SEPA system.
Valuation Metrics
While Minervini focuses more on momentum and growth than static valuation, it’s worth noting that CCNE trades at about 10.5 times its trailing twelve-month EPS of $3.20. This is a reasonable multiple for a company growing earnings at 33% annually, suggesting the stock may still offer upside potential if growth persists.
Technical Setup Summary
According to the ChartMill technical report, CCNE earns a top-tier Technical Rating of 10 out of 10, reflecting its strong, consistent uptrend across multiple timeframes. The Setup Rating sits at 6 out of 10, indicating the recent price action has been a bit too volatile to offer a picture-perfect entry. The stock is trading near resistance at the 52-week high, with the suggested entry point at $34.30 and a stop-loss at $33.64. While the setup isn’t as tight as ideal, the underlying technical health is exceptional.
Key support levels are identified at $33.65 from a daily trend line, a more significant zone between $31.15 and $31.49 combining moving averages and weekly trend lines, and further support near $30.07 and $29.39. The long and short-term trends are both positive, and the stock is leading its industry, outperforming 81% of the 370 stocks in the Banks sector.
Discover More Candidates
This screen is designed to uncover stocks that meet both the technical strength of the Minervini Trend Template and the fundamental acceleration favored by high-growth investors. If CCNE fits your criteria, you can explore the full list of current candidates by clicking here to view the live screening results.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always conduct your own research and consider consulting a financial advisor before making investment decisions.
Read full article here »