Factors that could move the Warrior Met Coal share price

A question likely to be on the minds of a lot of investors right now is how heightened geopolitical and economic concerns will affect mid-cap shares like Warrior Met Coal (NYQ:HCC).

Shares in Warrior Met Coal are currently trading at $33.0. But to assess whether the price is likely to fall or rally over the next 12 months, we need an objective way of telling whether it's able to withstand economic shocks and ride out market volatility. To do that, it's worth looking at the profile of the stock to see where its strengths are.

Importantly, we're interested in finding impartial ways of looking at Warrior Met Coal – something that takes emotion out of the analysis...

Encouragingly, it shows signs of scoring well against some important financial and technical measures and there are a few signs of high quality and strong momentum in the stock.

Research shows that high quality stocks tend to be resilient, cash-generating businesses that can compound investment returns over time. Likewise, strong momentum in price and earnings is a pointer to positive trends that have the potential to continue.

Here's why these factors matter:

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Why quality stocks pay off

When it comes to stock analysis, company quality tends to show up in high profitability and strong industry-leading margins. These kinds of firms are stable, growing and often have accelerating sales and earnings. They also have strong and improving financial histories with no signs of accountancy or bankruptcy risk.

One of the quality metrics for Warrior Met Coal is its 5-year Return on Capital Employed, which is 27.2%. Good, double-digit ROCEs are a pointer to companies that can grow very profitably.

Harnessing the power of momentum

Positive momentum trends show up in share prices and earnings growth. You can find the clues in stocks that are trading close to their 52 week high prices and outperforming the market. They’ll often be beating broker estimates and getting forecast upgrades and recommendation changes.

There are signs of this at Warrior Met Coal, where the share price has seen a 104.6% return relative to the market over the past 12 months. Market volatility and economic uncertainty can be a major drag on momentum, but previously strong stocks can be quick to recover when confidence returns.

In summary, good quality and momentum are pointers to some of the best stocks on the strongest uptrends. This combination of factors can be a clue to finding shares that can deliver solid investment profits over many years.

In good times, these shares can become expensive to buy. But in volatile markets, there may be chances to buy them at cheaper prices.

What does this mean for potential investors?

Finding good quality stocks with strong momentum behind them is a strategy used by some of the world's most successful investors. But be warned: these factors don't guarantee future returns and we've identified some areas of concern with Warrior Met Coal that you can find out about here.