This shortened trading week ended with a better-than-expected jobs number. The economy generated over 100,000 more jobs than expected. In early trading, equity markets moved from red to green as analysts and investors interpret the specifics of the report. One thing is certain; a strong jobs market will do nothing to slow down the Fed’s plans to raise interest rates by what is expected to be 75 basis points this month. And next week investors will also get the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) reading as well as the latest retail sales numbers. That’s a lot to digest. And the MarketBeat team is here to help. Our mission at MarketBeat is to guide you to the opportunities that exist no matter what is happening in the market. Here are some of the stocks our analysts were looking at this week.

Articles by Jea Yu

Every week, we like to remind investors that our mission is to help individual investors profit in any market. Part of this is to help jump start your research process. This week Jea Yu highlighted a few of the free and paid tools available from MarketBeat to help investors find stocks for their portfolio or watchlists. Yu also analyzed the stock of Vera Bradley (NYSE:VRA) which is down over 40% this year. As Yu points out, much of the company’s revenue weakness is from the lower income end of its market. The higher end of its market is actually spending more which is good for the company’s profit outlook. For speculative investors Yu outlined the current situation with Phreesia (NYSE:PHR). The healthcare infrastructure IT company’s stock is down 40% in 2022, but is still experiencing double-digit growth.

Articles by Thomas Hughes

For the second consecutive week Thomas Hughes pointed investors towards three stocks that are getting upgrades from analysts. This is a tried-and-true investing strategy at any time and particularly at a time when many experts expect analysts to lower their forecasts and price targets for the back half of the year. Another data point that investors can use to find potentially undervalued stocks is to find stocks that have a significant amount of insider buying. And Hughes gave investors three cheap stocks that are showing heavy insider buying. Hughes was also giving investors suggestions for yet another bear market strategy, buying dividend stocks. Hughes gives investors three stocks that made the MarketBeat.com list of Top-Rated Dividend Payers.

Articles by Sam Quirke

The first half of 2022 has been a rough one for semiconductor stocks. One of the hottest sectors during the pandemic and recovery have been under pressure. But Sam Quirke points out that things could be turning around for Micron Technology (NASDAQ:MU). The company is a recognized leader in the sector and still has a large addressable market which may be why the market has already priced in soft guidance. One company that is having no such issues is McDonald’s (NYSE:MCD). Since the beginning of April, the fast-food giant has managed to deliver a small gain for shareholders in a bear market. And analysts continue to have a bullish outlook for MCD stock the remainder of the year.

Articles by Chris Markoch

Buying defensive stocks is a low-risk strategy to preserving capital in a bear market. This week Chris Markoch pointed investors in the direction of two defensive sectors which are presenting some intriguing opportunities. Grocery stocks are among the most defensive of stocks. But they also suffer from tight margins that become even tighter with inflation. So you have to look for companies with pricing power and Markoch gave investors three stocks that fit that description. Markoch also was looking at the home improvement sector. While the housing market may be cooling, demand for home improvement never stops. And that’s why Markoch saw these three home improvement stocks as one for your portfolio or watchlist.  

Articles by Matthew North

This week Matthew North reminds investors that sometimes you have to put your feelings aside when trying to objectively view stocks. For example, AT&T (NYSE:T) is a stock that many investors have soured on due to its dividend cut and historical underperformance. But as North points out, the fundamentals of T stock are starting to look appealing which may give investors a reason to take a closer look at the stock. Another controversial stock that may be worth a look is Altria Group (NYSE:MO). The company is engaged in a contentious legal battle with the FDA. And the outcome is far from certain. Nevertheless, MO stock does present an opportunity for risk-tolerant investors.