Best Momentum Stocks to Buy for September 18th

Zacks highlighted Pro-Dex, Amphenol and Remitly as Zacks Rank #1 momentum picks for September 18, citing upward current-year earnings-estimate revisions of 11.2%, 9.0% and 13.8%, respectively, over the past 60 days. The article is positive analyst-screen commentary rather than company-specific operating news, implying limited broad market impact.

Analysis

This is low-information, promotional momentum content rather than a fundamental catalyst; estimate-revision screens are often already reflected in price and can reverse sharply at the next earnings print. No portfolio action is warranted solely on the cited revisions. The only near-term implication is modest incremental retail/quant flow into liquid names such as APH and RELY, while PDEX's small-cap liquidity makes any signal less actionable and increases gap risk.

APH is the highest-quality candidate for fundamental follow-up: upside revisions can be durable if they are tied to connector content growth in AI data centers, aerospace/defense, and industrial electrification rather than a single-quarter mix benefit. A 1-3 month re-rating requires continued organic-growth acceleration and stable incremental margins; a miss in orders/book-to-bill or evidence of hyperscaler inventory digestion would quickly compress the premium multiple. Relative beneficiaries of sustained APH demand include TE Connectivity (TEL) and, selectively, Sensata (ST), though TEL offers the cleaner comparison.

RELY's revisions need to be decomposed between corridor growth, take-rate, and marketing efficiency. The bullish case over 6-18 months is operating leverage from a scaled customer base, but remittance revenue remains sensitive to FX volatility, immigrant flows, and competition from Wise (WISE.L) and Block's Cash App; a growth-at-any-cost reacquisition cycle would invalidate the margin thesis. PDEX is too concentrated and thinly traded for a directional position absent verification of customer-program visibility, backlog conversion, and customer concentration.

Contrarian view: screens based on revisions create the appearance of independent confirmation, but underlying estimate changes can be stale or mechanically induced by a small analyst set. The likely alpha is not chasing all three, but distinguishing broad-based demand revisions at APH from potentially transient operating assumptions at RELY and idiosyncratic small-cap moves at PDEX.

Key Decisions for Investors

• No trade on PDEX or RELY solely from this item; set alerts for earnings guidance, consensus revenue revisions, and 20-day average trading volume. For PDEX, require backlog/customer-concentration disclosure before considering exposure.
• Watch-list APH for a 1-3 month long versus TEL if upcoming results show organic growth and book-to-bill acceleration with stable margins. Enter only after confirming revisions are revenue-led; invalidate on order deceleration or guidance below consensus. Target 8-12% relative upside versus 4-5% downside on a tight post-earnings stop.
• For RELY, wait for evidence that EBITDA upside is driven by CAC efficiency and retention rather than lower marketing spend. If verified at the next earnings release, consider a 6-12 month long RELY / short WISE.L relative trade; exit if active-customer growth slows materially or transaction-margin expansion fails to appear.
• Avoid extrapolating the promotional reference to QBTS; it has no stated fundamental linkage to the revisions and remains dominated by quantum-computing sentiment, financing risk, and volatility rather than this signal.