U.S. Private Sector Hiring Shows Modest Recovery
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Mar 04 2026
0mins
Source: seekingalpha
- Hiring Data Recovery: The U.S. private sector added 63,000 jobs in February, exceeding expectations and marking the strongest gain since last summer, although manufacturing saw a loss of 5,000 jobs, indicating uneven recovery across sectors.
- Stable Wage Growth: Year-over-year wage growth for retained workers held steady at 4.5%, yet the concentration of hiring in just a few sectors like education, health services, and construction fails to reflect a broadly strong labor market.
- Manufacturing Stocks Focus: Investors are closely monitoring fundamental strength and stock selection in U.S. manufacturing equities, particularly against the backdrop of hiring pressures in the sector, making prudent investment choices crucial.
- Quant Ratings Reveal Opportunities: According to Seeking Alpha's Quant Ratings, TTM Technologies (TTMI) leads with a near-perfect score of 4.97, indicating that despite hiring challenges, several stocks in electronic manufacturing services and autos exhibit strong growth potential.
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Analyst Views on TTMI
Wall Street analysts forecast TTMI stock price to fall
4 Analyst Rating
4 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 194.050
Low
72.00
Averages
80.75
High
91.00
Current: 194.050
Low
72.00
Averages
80.75
High
91.00
About TTMI
TTM Technologies, Inc. is a global manufacturer of technology solutions including mission systems, radio frequency (RF) components and RF microwave/microelectronic assemblies, and technologically advanced printed circuit boards (PCB). The A&D segment consists of PCBs, value-added assemblies, microelectronics, RF/microwave components and assemblies, and integrated mission systems. Its products support surveillance, intelligence, communications, and other critical missions for customers in the aerospace and defense industry. Commercial segment consists of PCBs using customer-supplied engineering and design plans supporting customers in the automotive, medical, industrial, and instrumentation, networking, and data center computing end markets. RF&S Components segment consists of TTM designed RF components for commercial customers in the telecommunications, industrial, and instrumentation markets, as well as commercial off-the-shelf components for certain aerospace and defense customers.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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- Long-term Impact Warning: Experts warn that if the resin shortage extends into the autumn, electronics prices could reach their highest levels in a decade, prompting consumers to delay purchases of high-end devices due to rising prices and tight inventory.
See More
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- Loan Structure Optimization: The new Term Loan B totals $400M and matures in May 2030, while the new multi-currency revolving credit facility offers up to $1B in borrowing capacity and matures in May 2031, replacing the previous $150M U.S. ABL facility and $150M Asia ABL facility.
- Support for Strategic Growth: This financing not only enhances TTM's financial flexibility but also supports its strategic growth plans in AI data centers, defense electronics, and space sectors, which are expected to drive future business expansion.
- Future Revenue Projections: TTM projects Q2 2026 revenue between $930M and $970M, while raising its 2026 capex to $300M-$320M, reflecting the company's confidence in future growth opportunities.
See More
