3 Future Breakout Stocks That Wall Street Is Already Loving

Core Viewpoint - The S&P 500 is nearing 52-week and all-time highs, up nearly 12% year-to-date, making it a favorable environment for investors seeking breakout stocks [1] Group 1: Breakout Stock Candidates - Boot Barn Holdings (BOOT) has increased by 54% over the past year, currently trading at a 52-week high of $115.97, with a market cap of$3.3 billion and 12 of 14 analysts rating it a Buy with a target price of $116 [2][3] - Essential Properties Realty Trust (EPRT) is up 10.7$27.70, with a market cap of $4.8 billion and 11 of 13 analysts rating it a Buy with a target price of$28.46 [5][6] - Ashland (ASH) has risen 8.6% over the past year, trading at almost 99% of its 52-week high of $99.55, with a market cap of$4.9 billion and 9 of 12 analysts rating it a Buy with a target price of $110 [7][8] Group 2: Company Financials and Operations - Boot Barn's sales rose 0.6$1.67 billion for the year, with an expected sales growth of 4.0% to 6.1% in Q1 2025, although its operating margin fell by 200 basis points to 11.9% [2][3] - Essential Properties Realty Trust has a high occupancy rate of 99.9% across 1,937 properties leased to 383 tenants, with the top three industries by revenue being car washes (15.1%), early childhood education (11.6%), and quick service restaurants (10.7%) [5][6] - Ashland's remaining businesses provide specialty additives and materials across various markets, and it trades at a valuation of 22.0x the estimated earnings of $4.46 per share for fiscal 2024 [8]