Zacks.com featured highlights include OptimumBank, EuroDry, Enova International, Anika Therapeutics and The GEO

5 Stocks with Recent Price Strength to Tap August Rally

U.S. stock markets returned to a northward journey after a mixed June and July. In the first week of August, the Dow, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite rallied 3%, 3.6% and 5.2%, respectively. All three major stock indexes posted their best weekly performances since April. The Dow and the S&P 500 are currently hovering around their all-time highs. 

As a result, several stocks have shown price strength. We have primarily targeted stocks that have recently been on a bull run. These stocks have a high chance of carrying the momentum forward.

Five such stocks are — OptimumBank Holdings Inc., EuroDry Ltd., Enova International Inc., Anika Therapeutics Inc. and The GEO Group Inc..

If a stock is continuously witnessing an uptrend, there must be a solid reason or it would have probably crashed. So, looking at stocks capable of beating the benchmark that they have set for themselves seems rational.

However, recent price strength alone cannot create magic. Therefore, other relevant parameters are needed to create a successful investment strategy.

Here's how you should create the screen to shortlist the current as well as the potential winners.

Let's discuss five out of those 14 stocks here:

OptimumBank offers real estate lending and retail banking products to individuals and businesses in Broward, Dade and Palm Beach Counties. OPHC provides various consumer and commercial banking services to individuals and businesses.

OPHC also offers multi-family real estate, residential and commercial real estate, land and construction loans, commercial loans and consumer loans for various purposes and deposit account collateralized loans. 

The stock price of OPHC has soared 67.5% over the past four weeks. The company has expected earnings growth of 39.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 16.5% over the last 30 days.

EuroDry is an owner and operator of drybulk vessels and provider of seaborne transportation for drybulk cargoes. EDRY owns and operates drybulk carriers that transport major bulks, such as iron ore, coal, and grains, and minor bulks, including bauxite, phosphate, and fertilizers.

The stock price of EDRY has jumped 64.1% in the past four weeks. It has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 18.6% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 10.3% over the last 30 days.

Enova lending platform continued to expand across both core categories in the first half of 2026. Second-quarter originations rose 27% year over year to $2.3 billion, marking the 11th consecutive quarter of at least 20% growth. Small business originations increased 29%, supported by ENVA's established brand presence, scale and diversification across industries and geographies. 

Consumer originations advanced 23% as demand strengthened, particularly for lines of credit and ENVA captured new customers without changing its risk appetite or unit-economics requirements. 

Origination growth is likely to be aided by continued demand from underserved consumers and small businesses, repeat borrowing from newly acquired customers, broader product adoption, and further scaling of the existing platform. ENVA expects 2026 originations to grow 20% from 2025. 

The stock price of Enova has surged 54% in the past four weeks. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 34% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 5.7% over the last 30 days.

Anika Therapeutics is a global, integrated orthopedic medicines company. ANIK aims to improve the lives of patients with degenerative orthopedic diseases and traumatic conditions with clinically meaningful therapies along the continuum of care, from palliative pain management to regenerative cartilage repair. 

ANIK's orthopedic medicine portfolio includes ORTHOVISC, MONOVISC, and CINGAL, which alleviate pain and restore joint function by replenishing depleted HA, and HYALOFAST, a solid HA-based scaffold to aid cartilage repair and regeneration.

The stock price of Anika Therapeutics has climbed 43.7% in the past four weeks. It has an expected earnings growth rate of more than 100% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved more than 100% over the last 30 days.

The GEO Group is a diversified government service provider, specializing in design, financing, development and support services for secure facilities, processing centers and community reentry centers principally in the United States, Australia, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

The stock price of GEO has rallied 33.9% in the past four weeks. It has an expected earnings growth rate of 48.8% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year's earnings has improved 6.7% over the last seven days.

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2971952/5-stocks-with-recent-price-strength-to-tap-august-rally

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.

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Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

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