Boot Barn, Topgolf among small-cap stocks to buy after rally, Barron’s says

Small-cap stocks have soared. Now comes the hard part-finding the ones that keep on rising, while avoiding the ones most likely to drop, Jacob Sonenshine writes in this week’s edition of Barron’s. After a large rally, not everyone is convinced the fundamentals support continued small-cap gains. Barron’s screened for companies in the S&P 600, whose earnings per share are expected by analysts to grow above 17% a year in 2025 and 2026, and looked for the ones that have beaten profit estimates in the last seven of the past eight quarters. Stocks in the screen include Albany International (AIN), Barnes Group (B), AMN Healthcare (AMN), Owens & Minor (OMI), Topgolf Callaway Brands (MODG), Boot Barn (BOOT), and Cohu (COHU), the publication notes.