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Buy These 4 Low-Beta Stocks to Sail Through Choppy Market

The broader market has been volatile, with investors eagerly waiting for inflation data and the Federal Reserve's policy meet next week. Hence, creating a portfolio of low-beta stocks is of utmost importance since the securities will deliver healthy returns and shield against choppy market conditions.

In this regard, stocks like Penumbra Inc. PEN, Lamb Weston Holdings, Inc. LW, Transportadora de Gas del Sur SA TGS and Vipshop Holdings Limited VIPS are worth betting on.

Understanding Beta

Beta measures the volatility or risk of a particular asset compared to the market. In other words, beta measures the extent of a security’s price movement relative to the market. In this article, we are considering the S&P 500 as the market.

If a stock has a beta of 1, then the price of the stock will move with the market. So, the stock is more volatile than the market if its beta is more than 1. In the same way, the stock is not as volatile as the market if its beta is less than 1.

For example, if the market offers a return of 20%, a stock with a beta of 3 will return 60%, which is overwhelming. Similarly, when the market slips 20%, the stock will sink 60%, which is devastating.

Screening Criteria:

We have taken a beta between 0 and 0.6 as our prime criterion for screening stocks that are less volatile than the market. However, this should not be the only factor to be considered while selecting a winning strategy. We need to take into account other parameters that can add value to the portfolio.

Percentage Change in Price in the Last 4 Weeks Greater Than Zero: This ensures that the stocks saw positive price movement over the last month.

Average 20-Day Volume Greater Than 50,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stocks are easily tradable.

Price Greater Than or Equal to $5: They must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.

Zacks Rank Equal to 1: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks indicate that they will significantly outperform the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Here are four stocks among 13 that qualified for the screening:

Penumbra, headquartered in Alameda, CA, is among the leading healthcare players focusing on innovative therapies. PEN, having a global presence, primarily addresses challenging medical conditions through its broad portfolio of novel products.

Lamb Weston is a well-known supplier of sweet potato, frozen potato, vegetable products and appetizers. LW supplies these products to retailers and restaurants across the globe and, thereby, secures steady cash flows.

Transportadora’s midstream asset portfolio has the most extensive natural gas pipeline network in Latin America. It generates stable fee-based revenues since its pipeline assets transport more than 60% of the gas consumed in Argentina.

Transportadora has witnessed upward estimate revisions for its 2023 bottom line in the past 30 days. The upward revisions are backed by its stable business model and a strong focus on creating differential value for shareholders. Also, TGS has lower debt exposure than the composite stocks belonging to the industry.

Vipshop Holdings is a well-known provider of premium and popular branded products. VIPS provides products to customers in China at a considerable discount on retail prices. Over the past 30 days, Vipshop Holdings has witnessed upward earnings estimate revisions for 2023.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.

Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.

Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Vipshop Holdings Limited (VIPS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Transportadora De Gas Sa Ord B (TGS) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Penumbra, Inc. (PEN) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Lamb Weston (LW) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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Zacks Investment Research