Tech stocks came under renewed pressure on Friday amid a broad sell-off in the market. CNBC Pro identifies the beaten down tech stocks from the U.S. and beyond that look to have strong fundamentals and are loved by analysts. Wall Street suffered a massive sell-off at the end of last week, as all major indexes closed in the red. The benchmark S & P 500 fell 2.9% to cap its ninth weekly decline in the last 10. The tech sector fell 3.9%. The sell-off in tech came as investors considered the possibility of a much more aggressive interest rate hike cycle by the Federal Reserve. A hotter-than-expected inflation report in the U.S showed consumer prices rose 8.6% in May from a year ago. Both Barclays and Jefferies changed their forecasts Friday to predict a 75 basis point hike by the Fed this week, though other economists still expect a 50 basis point rise. A steep rate hiking cycle makes growth stocks’ future earnings less attractive. CNBC PRO screened for MSCI World tech constituents that are down more than 20% this year but are expected to grow earnings per share by at least 20% this year. The names also have a positive free cash flow yield (free cash flow per share divided by share price) – a popular ratio used by analysts to assess financial performance. Generally, a higher free cash flow yield is more attractive. The stocks that turned up on the screen are also buy-rated by the majority of analysts, who expect them to rally at least 20% over the next 12 months, according to FactSet data. Unsurprisingly, a host of semiconductor stocks made the screen. After years of market-beating returns, semiconductor stocks have taken a drubbing this year. The iShares Semiconductor ETF , or SOXX, which tracks the performance of semiconductors, is down more than 20% year to date. Shares in Nvidia have fallen more than 40% this year, but it remains an analyst favorite, with nearly 70% of analysts covering the stock rating it a buy. The company is expected to grow its earnings per share (EPS) by more than 20% this year. It has a free cash flow yield of 2.8%. Advanced Micro Devices is another chip stock on the screen. The stock is down more than 30% this year, but analysts expect the company to post EPS growth of more than 55% this year. The company has a free cash flow yield of 4.1%. Taiwan’s Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board , which manufactures Ajinomoto build-up film (ABF) substrate — an essential component for chipmaking — also made the screen. The stock is down more than 30% this year but analysts believe the stock has an average potential upside of over 77%. They expect the stock to grow its EPS by nearly 80% this year. Other semiconductor stocks that made the screen include STMicroelectronics , ASM International, Marvell Technology and Taiwanese integrated circuit manufacturer Silergy . There were also a number of consulting firms that made CNBC Pro’s screen, including Accenture and Mphasis . Both firms are expected to see EPS growth of more than 20% this year. Shares in Mphasis are down more than 26% this year but analysts believe the stock could see potential upside of over 80% over the next 12 months. Software names are typically seen as more defensive plays within the broader sector, as software companies continue to grow revenue and maintain profit margins amid a wave of digital transformation, but the sub-sector has not been spared from this year’s rout. A host of software stocks turned up on the screen, including analytics software firm Datadog , Australia’s Atlassian and Toronto-based Constellation Software .
