Evaluating Long-Term Investment Opportunities in Equity

John is a portfolio manager at an active equity fund, focusing on fundamental investment strategies. He believes that certain macroeconomic factors significantly influence stock prices. As part of his investment thesis, John examines how interest rates and inflation expectations can affect corporate earnings and subsequently stock valuations. In his latest analysis, he narrowed down his investment candidates to three firms in the consumer discretionary sector, each with different market characteristics and financial prospects.

Based on John's research, he identifies one particular firm that has consistently outperformed its peers in terms of earnings growth, has strong competitive positioning, and exhibits an attractive price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio compared to its historical averages and sector peers. In contrast, the other two firms have weaker fundamentals and higher leverage.

According to John’s evaluation of fundamental strategies, which of the following firms is likely to offer the best long-term investment opportunity?