California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) Screens as High-Growth Momentum Stock

Last update: Nov 1, 2025

California Bancorp (NASDAQ:BCAL) has recently appeared through a screening method that joins Mark Minervini's strict Trend Template with a High Growth Momentum (HGM) filter. This two-part process works to find stocks that are in solid technical uptrends and also show a fundamental quickening in earnings and sales that frequently comes before major price gains. The method favors stocks with notable price momentum, better relative strength, and sound underlying business growth, trying to catch moves in market leaders during their most active periods.

Technical Strength and the Trend Template

The main part of the Minervini method is its Trend Template, a group of technical rules made to filter for stocks in a confirmed Stage 2 advance. California Bancorp presently meets the main points of this template, indicating a solid and sound uptrend.

Price Above Key Moving Averages: The stock is trading above its rising 50-day, 150-day, and 200-day simple moving averages. This setup points to positive momentum across short, intermediate, and long-term periods.
Moving Average Alignment: The 50-day SMA ($17.01) is above both the 150-day SMA ($15.59) and the 200-day SMA ($15.58), while the 150-day SMA is also above the 200-day SMA. This ordered arrangement is a standard feature of a solid trend and is a vital filter in the Trend Template to make sure all periods are in sync.
Proximity to Highs: With a current price of $18.49, BCAL is trading within 2.3% of its 52-week high of $18.93. The Trend Template notes that true market leaders often reach new highs, and purchasing stocks within 25% of their high helps to catch the strongest momentum.
Significant Recovery: The stock's price is over 55% above its 52-week low of $11.87, showing a strong recovery trend and basic strength.
Superior Relative Strength: BCAL has a ChartMill Relative Strength (CRS) rating of 83.58, meaning it is doing better than over 83% of all stocks. Minervini's method puts a lot of focus on relative strength, as stocks that lead the market higher during upswings are frequently the ones with the greatest potential for large moves.

Fundamental Acceleration for High Growth

Beyond a technically good chart, the Minervini method looks for companies showing solid fundamental growth, which serves as the driver for continued price increases. California Bancorp displays several signs of high growth momentum.

Explosive Earnings Growth: The company has reported very high year-over-year earnings per share (EPS) growth. The most recent quarter showed a 4,200% increase, followed by 100% and 112.5% growth in the two prior quarters. This type of sharp earnings quickening is a main point of the method, as "big earnings attract big attention" from institutional investors.
Consistent Earnings Surprises: BCAL has exceeded EPS estimates in all of the last four quarters, with an average surprise of 33%. Positive earnings surprises frequently cause analysts to adjust future estimates higher, creating a pattern of positive feeling.
Sound Revenue Expansion: Top-line growth is also notable, with a 99.6% increase in sales for the last quarter and a trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue growth of over 80%. Strong sales growth verifies that earnings gains are fueled by business growth, not just cost reduction.
Healthy Profit Margins: The company's profit margin in the last quarter was a good 25.27%. While margins have changed from quarter to quarter, the general trend in the basic business is one of major improvement and operational effectiveness.

Technical Report Summary

The detailed technical analysis for California Bancorp supports its solid position. ChartMill gives the stock a high technical rating of 9 out of 10, confirming the positive long-term and short-term trends found by the Trend Template. The report states that BCAL is doing better than 91% of its peers in the Banks industry and that volume has lately gone up, backing the price move. While the very good technical condition is evident, the report also says that the current setup rating is lower, implying the stock might be overstretched in the short term and could gain from a time of settling before presenting a new good entry point. For a full summary of the support levels and detailed analysis, you can look at the complete technical report for BCAL.

Finding Similar Opportunities

California Bancorp is a good example of the kind of opportunity this joined screening method works to find. For investors wanting to find other stocks that satisfy these strict technical and high-growth fundamental rules, the screening process can be repeated. This screen is made to find such candidates in a methodical way.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice of any kind. The author has no position in BCAL. You should conduct your own research and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making any investment decisions. All investments involve risk, including the possible loss of principal.