Been digging into some interesting momentum plays lately and wanted to share what I'm seeing. The market's been rotating pretty hard away from AI concentration, and there's actually solid earnings growth showing up across way more sectors than people realize. This is exactly the kind of backdrop where you can find real strong buys stocks without having to chase beaten-down names or take unnecessary risk.

I came across this screening method that's pretty elegant actually. It filters for Zacks Rank 1 ratings but then adds real constraints - you're looking at stocks with upward price momentum that are still within 20% of their 52-week highs, not extended too far. Then it checks PEG ratios and price-to-sales multiples to make sure you're not overpaying. The criteria are tight enough that it usually narrows down to just a handful of names each week, which is way more manageable than chasing hundreds of possibilities.

One name that jumped out recently is Centerra Gold (CGAU). This is a mid-tier gold and copper producer with operations in North America and Turkey. The stock's been on an absolute tear - up 215% over the past year and still posting new records despite being up 35% year-to-date. What's interesting is that even after that run, the average price target still shows 15% upside from current levels.

The company runs two main producing mines - Mount Milligan in British Columbia and Öksüt in Turkey - and has development projects in Nevada and Canada that are moving forward. The financial story is pretty compelling. Revenue grew 14% last year, but the real kicker is adjusted earnings jumped 54% in 2025 after exploding 1,700% between 2023 and 2024. They just posted a huge beat and raise in Q4, which sent Q1 2026 estimates doubling and full-year 2026 estimates up 25%.

What makes this a legitimate strong buys stocks candidate is the structural backdrop. Gold's got multiple tailwinds running - central banks are still buying, retail inflows continue, the dollar's weakening with rate cuts anticipated, and geopolitical risks aren't going away. Copper's playing an even bigger role now with AI data center buildouts and electrification pushing demand hard. Meanwhile the company's doing buybacks, paying a dividend, and still trades at a 33% discount to its sector and 20% below its own highs on a 11.4X forward multiple.

The CEO's talking about executing a self-funded growth strategy with clear visibility to value accretive expansion. That's the kind of fundamental story that tends to hold up when you're screening for strong buys stocks with actual earnings momentum behind them. Not saying it's a slam dunk, but the risk-reward setup looks reasonable if you believe in the commodity cycle continuing.

The broader point is that if you're tired of chasing AI hype or looking for names with real earnings revisions, this screening approach does a decent job of cutting through the noise. It's forcing discipline around valuation while still catching the stocks with actual upside momentum. Worth taking a closer look at what's showing up in your own screens right now.