(from Navellier Research, pls do your own due diligence)
https://navelliergrowth.investorplace.com/bluechip/

The following is provided by Navellier with technical comment from South Ocean Management –

Several of our fundamentally superior stocks have outperformed during what has been a stock market rollercoaster ride. And as we prepare to enter the first-quarter earnings announcement season, I want to make sure that these stocks get the spotlight they deserve. So this month, four out of my five picks are new to the list. Now, let’s see why these stocks have the most upside potential for March.

Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology, Inc. (ALGN) is a global medical device company that designs and produces OrthoCAD digital services, iTero Intraoral scanners and Invisalign clear aligners. In fact, Align Technology pioneered the invisible orthodontics market by introducing Invisalign in 1999. And now the company is joining my Top 5 Stocks list for the first time since being added to the Buy List in the November 2017 Issue.

I especially like the fact that the company’s Invisalign product has helped treat over five million patients in more than 90 countries worldwide. Just think: The number of dental patients finding relief from traditional metal braces through Align Technology is expanding rapidly. The company treated its four millionth patient in September 2016 and hit its five millionth patient in November 2017. Whether it’s their clear aligners, digital scanning solutions or customizable virtual treatment plans, Align Technology brings a more pleasant orthodontic experience to both patients and dental professionals. So it’s no wonder that the company has stacked more than 870 patents under its belt.

Because Align Technology is revolutionizing the way adults and teenagers address corrective dental issues, their business is booming. In fact, in the fourth quarter, Invisalign case shipments jumped 34% year-over-year to 255,000. Sales grew 44% year-over-year to $421.30 million. And excluding a one-time charge from the U.S. Tax Cut and Jobs Act, adjusted earnings per share came in at $1.19. Analysts were expecting earnings of $0.96 per share, so Align Technology essentially posted a 24% earnings surprise.

However, the company’s forward-looking guidance is what’s kept Wall Street abuzz. For the first quarter, Align Technology is forecasting sales between $400 million and $410 million, or 29% to 32% annual sales growth. Adjusted earnings per share are expected to range between $0.94 and $0.98, or 11% to 15% annual earnings growth. This Moderately Aggressive stock is a Strong Buy up to $291 per share.

SOM Technicals:

2-25-18: Closed at 265. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 293. 

3-2-18: Closed at 253.71. Trade pressures are up but declining. volumes are bearish. The next target up is 265.13.

3-11-18: Closed at 271.74. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 293.57.

3-17-18: Closed at 274.29. Trade pressures are up.  Volumes are neutral. The next target up is 293.

3-23-18: Closed at 250.75. Trade pressures are up but rolling over. Volumes are bearish. Support has been broken. The next target down is 232.08.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P. (BIP) is making its first appearance on my Top 5 Stocks list since being added to the Buy List in the May 2017 Issue. As a refresher, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners is a global limited partnership that manages and acquires infrastructure assets, such as energy, water and freight. The company is one of a few pure-play, publicly-traded global infrastructure entities. And did you know that Brookfield Infrastructure Partners owns and operates one of the largest natural gas transmission and pipeline systems in the U.S.?

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners recently celebrated its 10-year anniversary and no doubt raised a glass to its thriving fundamentals. During the fourth quarter, revenue surged 45.4% year-over-year to $984 million. Plus, funds from operations (FFO) accelerated 27.8% year-over-year to $313 million, or $0.80 per share. While Brookfield Infrastructure Partners clearly has strong fundamentals, what’s particularly impressive is the REIT’s uncanny ability to stay ahead of the curve.

In its fourth-quarter report, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners revealed that in preparation for higher interest rates, it has refinanced their businesses and extended debt maturities. The company has about 25% of its debt maturing before 2022, and roughly 80% of the debt is fixed-rate. In other words, their financial costs are largely protected from rising rates for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, analysts are forecasting a stunning 2,266.70% in annual earnings growth and 44% annual sales growth for the company’s first quarter. And this year, company management is looking to fund their organic growth project backlog and seize new investment opportunities.

Sweetening the package, Brookfield Infrastructure Partners brings a solid dividend track record. The company has paid a consecutive dividend for 40 quarters, or about 10 years. Even better: Brookfield Infrastructure Partners recently increased its dividend by 8%. The company will now pay a quarterly dividend of $0.47 per share on March 29 to all shareholders of record on February 28, compared to the $0.4350 per share paid last December. At current prices, BIP has a 4.7% annual dividend yield. I recommend that you buy this Conservative stock up to $43 per share.

SOM Technicals:

2-15-18: Closed at 40.11. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 42.27, the 200 day moving average.

3-2-18: Closed at 40.61. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 42.26.

3-11-18: Closed at 41.27. Trade pressures rising into the neutral zone. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 42.31.

3-17-18: Closed at 40.36. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bullish. Tracking the 25×5 as resistance now.

3-23-18: Closed at 41.28. Trade pressures are up into the neutral zone. Volumes are mixed, bearish to bullish.

Intuitive Surgical, Inc.

Since being added to the Buy List in the November 2016 Issue, Intuitive Surgical, Inc.’s (ISRG) latest minimally invasive surgical system—the da Vinci X™—received clearance from the FDA. This means that surgeons and hospitals across the globe now have access to some of the most advanced robotic-assisted surgery technology at an affordable rate.

From the time that the da Vinci system was launched in 1999, 4,409 da Vinci-enabled operating rooms have been established. That means that every 36 seconds, a surgeon initiates a da Vinci procedure. Talk about an uncanny ability to bring what sounds like science fiction to reality! Given the company’s growing monopoly on robotic surgery, it’s not unusual to see Intuitive Surgical make its inaugural appearance on the Top 5 Stocks list.

One needs to look no further than the company’s fourth-quarter results for evidence of Intuitive Surgical’s profitability. Intuitive Surgical reported that the number of da Vinci shipments jumped 33% year-over-year to 216. During the quarter, sales climbed 17.9% year-over-year to $892.4 million. Also, adjusted earnings per share increased 25.1% year-over-year to $2.54. For full year 2017, 875,000 da Vinci procedures were performed by surgeons seeking better outcomes for their patients. Any way you slice it, the company is transforming surgical options among surgeons, patients and their families.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, sales are forecast to grow 15.2% year-over-year to $776.69 million. Adjusted earnings per share are forecast to rise 21.2% year-over-year to $2.06. Add this Conservative stock up to $457 per share.

SOM Technicals:

2-25-18: Closed at 427.51. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 437.

3-2-18: Closed at 417.39. Trade pressures are up but declining. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 437.

3-11-18: Closed at 440.86. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 472.22.

3-17-18: Closed at 436.00. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are Bearish. Support is the 25×5 at 423.

3-23-18: Closed at 3.99.15. Trade pressures are down into the neutral zone. Volumes are bearish. The next target down is 374.56.

NVR, Inc.

NVR, Inc. (NVR) is making its fifth-straight appearance on the Top 5 Stocks list this month. Since being added to the Buy List in the October 2017 Issue, the homebuilding and mortgage banking company has raised eyebrows among some of you. It’s relatively high price and fourth-quarter earnings miss has driven several of you to ask why I continue to select NVR as one of my Top 5 Stocks. Besides the fact that its Quantitative grade of an A-rating indicates that the stock is in high demand and likely to appreciate in the upcoming months, I’d like to discuss why NVR has continued to earn a spot on this coveted list.

First, as I’m sure you’ve found in your own home buying experience, the two toughest steps are to find the perfect home, and then to determine how to finance that purchase. Most homebuilders provide assistance on the former, and then send you elsewhere for the latter. What’s great about NVR is that it kills two birds with one stone. As you know, NVR builds and sells homes under three brands: Ryan Homes, NVHomes and Heartland Homes. Once homebuyers select their home from NVR, they can finance the purchase through NVR Settlement Services. This integration is invaluable to many first-time homebuyers—particularly millennials—that would likely find the traditional process too complicated.

Second, as I predicted in the February Monthly Issue, recent disappointing housing data was likely a short-term consequence from the severe winter weather. And the most-recent housing starts and building permits show that weather was indeed the primary culprit. Last week, the Commerce Department revealed that housing starts jumped 9.7% in January to 1.326 million housing units, boosted by single-family homebuilding. On top of strong housing starts, building permits grew 7.4%, the biggest monthly surge in over 10 years!

Given that NVR builds single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums in 14 states across the Northeast, South and Midwest, the resurgence in housing starts and building permits bodes well for NVR’s top- and bottom-lines. In fact, for the first quarter, analysts are looking for NVR to post 27.2% annual earnings growth and 14.8% annual sales growth. So this Conservative stock remains a Strong Buy up to $3,209 per share.

SOM Technicals:

10-22-17: New Addition. In the move up from the 2551 price in late June 2017. Trade pressures are up Volumes are bullish. the next target up is 3331. Support is at 2897.

10-28-17: closed at 3240. Trade pressure up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3331.

11-5-17: Closed at 3210.65. Touched the 3331 target, now in consolidation. The next target up is 3961. Support at 3052. Bearish volume is coming in.

11-11-17: Closed at 3289.64. Still at the 3331 target levels. A breakout will set the next target up at 3961.32. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish.

11-18-17: Closed at 3258.47. The 3331 target has produced a lengthy consolidation. Trade pressures are up but declining.Volumes are now bearish. the next quarterly report will tell the tale.

11-25-17: Closed at 3399.12. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3406.26.

12-03-17: Closed at 3480.00. Home builders are strong. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. At fair value.

12-08-17: Closed at 3392.68. In a retracement. Trading pressures are down. Volumes are neutral.

12-23-17: Closed at 3480.00. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3883.

12-30-17: Closed at 3508.22. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3883.

1-6-18: Closed at 3567.00. Trade pressures are up and trending. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3883.

1-13-18: Closed at 3558.23. Trade pressures are down into the neutral zone. Volumes are bearish. Support at the 25×5 moving average, 3478.

1-20-18: Closed at 3700. Trade pressures are up thru the neutral zone. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3877.

1-28-18: Closed at 3292.23. Trade pressures are down into the neutral zone. Volumes are neutral. Two support levels have been taken out. Hold.

2-3-18: Closed at 3000. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. Consolidating below the 3100 level.

2-10-18: Closed at 2800.00. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. Expect consolidation here at the 200 day moving average.

2-17-18: Closed at 3208.23. Trade pressures are down but rising. Volumes are bullish.

2-15-18: Closed at 2998.80. Trade pressures are neutral. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 3597. the next support down is the 200 day moving average at 2914.00.

3-2-18: Closed at 2900.02. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. The 200 day is acting as support.

3-11-18: Closed at 3056.98. Trade pressure are in the neutral zone and rising. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 3250.

3-17-18: Closed at 3060.45. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are Bullish. The next target up is 3250.

3-23-18: Closed at 2989.84. Trade pressures are down into the neutral zone. Volumes are bearish. Sitting on the 200 day moving average support.

S&P Global Inc.

Wrapping up this month’s list is S&P Global Inc. (SPGI), which has landed on our Top 5 Stocks list for the first time since being added to the Buy List in December. If you recall, S&P Global provides intelligence, data and analytics, enabling business leaders around the world to make more informed decisions. With multiple divisions, including S&P Market Intelligence, S&P Global Ratings, S&P Dow Jones Indices and S&P Global Platts, the company has evolved into the leading provider of credit ratings, and is relied on by countless financial professionals for its data and custom indices. Just this week, S&P Global announced that it is set to acquire global trade data company Panjiva. The acquisition is expected to be profitable in 2019 and should broaden S&P Global’s already impressive portfolio of offerings.

S&P Global also has simply stunning sales and earnings. For the fourth-quarter, S&P Global’s revenue jumped 13.6% year-over-year to $1.59 billion. Adjusted net income surged 44.5% year-over-year to $474 million, or $1.85 per share. The consensus estimate was for earnings of $1.61 per share on $1.5 billion in sales, so S&P Global posted a nice 14.9% earnings surprise and a 6% sales surprise.

Looking ahead to the first quarter, analysts are currently calling for 5.8% annual sales growth 22.2% and annual earnings growth. And earnings per share estimates have been revised 15.1% higher in recent months, so a fifth-straight quarterly earnings surprise may be in the offing.

If you recall, S&P Global also has a long history of rewarding shareholders, having paid a consistent quarterly dividend for nearly 38 years. S&P Global went ex-dividend today, February 23. The company will pay a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share on March 12 to all shareholders of record on Monday, February 26. At current prices, SPGI has a 1.1% annual dividend yield. If you haven’t already, I recommend that you buy this Conservative stock below $205 per share.

SOM Technicals:

2-25-18: Closed at 191.67. Trade pressures are up. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 203.26.

3-2-18: Closed at 189.02. Trade pressures are up but declining. Volumes are bearish. The next target up is 203.26.

3-11-18: Closed at 194.96. Trade pressures are up but declining. Volumes are bullish. The next target up is 203.26.

3-17-18: Closed at 192.51. Trade pressures are down into the neutral zone. Volumes are neutral. Support is the 25×5 at 189.

3-23-18: Closed at 186.49. Trade pressures are down. Volumes are bearish. Has just broken the 25×5 support. The next target down is 185.18, then 177.41.