5 Stocks To Buy As Stock Market Enters Fastest Correction

It took the S&P 500 only six trading sessions to slip into the correction territory on Feb 27. Per Deutsche Bank (DE:DBKGn), the broader index saw its fasting 10% decline from an all-time high. The rate at which the index declined over the past week surpassed the Black Monday plunge of October 1987.

The Dow, in the meantime, lost nearly 1,200 points and closed in the correction territory. The 30-stock index suffered its biggest one-day point drop ever. The Nasdaq Composite joined the blue chips in the correction territory. Major benchmarks, by the way, are now on pace for their worst weekly decline since the financial crisis as investors continue to pull money out of risker assets, including equities.

Why Did the Stock Market Crash?

Anxiety about the coronavirus spreading across the globe sent stocks spiraling down and has compelled several well-known companies like Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Nike (NYSE:NKE), United Airlines and Mastercard (NYSE:MA) to issue earnings and revenue warnings.

Goldman Sachs (NYSE:GS) chief global equity strategist, Peter Oppenheimer, added that “in the nearer term…we believe the greater risk is that the impact of the coronavirus on earnings may well be underestimated in current stock prices, suggesting that the risks of a correction are high.”

News about the deadly virus infecting people continues to rise even as countries take stringent measures to contain the contagion. World Health Organization believes that the outbreak has the potential to become a pandemic.

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently said that the state is monitoring almost 8,400 people for coronavirus. Germany’s health minister in the meantime announced the “beginning of an epidemic” for the country. This follows the rapid spread of the virus in countries beyond China, including Italy, South Korea and Iran.

It’s worth pointing out that the virus has now crippled manufacturing in China, the world’s second-largest economy, and that should certainly have a rippling effect. But it’s not just the coronavirus outbreak that’s pulling markets down. Lofty valuations and the 2020 election have also raised concerns.

Let’s admit that investors were extremely bullish for a couple of months now, leading to the overvaluation of many stocks. So, when conditions were ripe for a pullback, stocks tanked. By the way, Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRKa) CEO Warren Buffett, one of the biggest role models for investors, filed the latest 13F for the fourth quarter on Feb 14. However, the findings aren’t encouraging. This is because with regard to valuations of businesses, Buffett has shown decent long-term prospects instead of the previous sky-high expectations — a tell-tale sign that stock valuations are stretched at the moment. And how can we forget that the United States for most part of this year will face political uncertainty due to the upcoming election, eventually leading to gyrations in the stock market.

How to Prepare for the Pullback

As markets seem to be plagued with widespread uncertainty, defensive stocks seem to be the safest investment option. Such stocks are generally non-cyclical, or companies whose business performance and sales are not highly correlated with the activities in the larger market. Their products are in constant demand irrespective of market volatility and such names include companies from the utilities and consumer staples sectors.

Utilities are deemed defensive stocks as electricity, gas and water are essentials. Food, beverage and tobacco companies are true defensive plays as demand for such staple stocks remains unaltered during market gyrations.

5 Solid Choices

We have, thus, selected five solid stocks from the aforementioned defensive sectors that boast a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). Further, only low-beta stocks from such defensive companies have been selected. After all, low-beta stocks are the ones that are less correlated to the index and thus tend to be less volatile. In this case, a low beta ranges from 0 to 1.

Utilities

Atmos Energy Corporation (NYSE:ATO) , known for natural gas distribution, and pipeline and storage business, has a Zacks Rank #2. It has a beta of 0.15. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 0.6% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current quarter and year is 5.5% and 7.8%, respectively.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) , which develops and operates energy infrastructure, has a Zacks Rank #2. It has a beta of 0.41. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 0.7% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 10.8%.

MDU Resources Group, Inc. (NYSE:MDU) engages in in regulated energy delivery, and construction materials and services business. The company has a Zacks Rank #1 and a beta of 0.67. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved 2.9% north over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 3.6%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Consumer Staples

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO) has a Zacks Rank #2 and a beta of 0.41. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has climbed 0.4% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the next quarter and current year is 4.8% and 6.6%, respectively.

Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:LW) , known for producing value-added frozen potato products, has a Zacks Rank #2 and a beta of 0.19. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has advanced 2% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the next quarter and current year is 10.8% and 9.3%, respectively.

Shares of Atmos Energy, Sempra Energy, MDU Resources, Coca-Cola and Lamb Weston have gained 8.4%, 16.6%, 9.7%, 21% and 26.1%, respectively, over the past year. Take a Look –

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

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