Vlad Bastion
Founder of Investment Bastion, Systematic Stock Ratings & Algorithmic Portfolios
Large-cap value stocks should do well as the Fed starts a hiking cycle; BofA favors them because they have historically outperformed at this stage, and analysts expect three more hikes over 12 months. The US mega-caps with the highest Deep Value Scores, combining low multiples with high free-cash-flow yields, are Verizon 88, CVS Health 86, Pfizer 84, AT&T 84, Bristol Myers Squibb 82, ConocoPhillips 74, T-Mobile 74, Chevron 72, Altria 70 and Exxon Mobil 65. x.comÂ
GM, Comcast, CVS, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Citigroup, Lululemon, UPS, FedEx, Disney, PepsiCo, Target, Netflix and Uber are favorite value stocks right now. The picks rest on valuation, free cash flow, balance-sheet quality and how much pessimism is already priced in. x.comÂ
AT&T's dividend backed by free cash flow and buybacks could offer a place to hide if things get uglier. At ~9x 2026 EPS, it has a ~12% FCF yield, ~5% dividend yield and ~6-7% buyback yield. ~$2.8B in repurchases left under the 2026 target implies buying equal to ~6-7% of normal daily volume into year-end; its 5%+ dividend is backed by $18B+ in FCF. Starlink is a threat but seems overblown; the stock can get cheaper, yet AT&T diversifies exposure to new-paradigm bets such as SPCX. x.com x.comÂ
Debt, costly spectrum auctions and bad capital allocation make AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile long-term laggards. They may rebound, but cannot keep pace with the S&P 500 or even weaker safety stocks. T-Mobile's Sprint-led growth is over with higher leverage; AT&T cut its dividend and spent heavily on Warner, while Verizon flip-flopped on fiber. High yields do not compensate. If forced to choose, AST SpaceMobile is probably the better gamble since legacy carriers have more incentive to support it. … Show more
Berkshire Hathaway benefits from a flight to low-beta quality stocks that are not burdening themselves with AI debt. Its shares are up 10% in October, while three of its largest holdings, Apple, Coca-Cola and Chevron, have been surging. Boring pays. x.comÂ
Verizon and AT&T generate plenty of cash flow and can slow their spending if needed. Cell phones are widely used, and the carriers' metrics look fine. x.comÂ
Healthcare and biotech should see a massive capital rotation as aging populations seek to cheat death through cellular immunotherapy, nootropics and personalized medicine, and healthcare holds up in recessions while tech tanks. Eli Lilly is the best big-cap expression of the trade. Money should flow to concierge practices for a K-shaped economy and to new, expensive tailored drugs, while consumer outlets like CVS likely underperform. x.com x.com x.comÂ
Safe-haven stocks such as Altria, Philip Morris, Starbucks, Cboe, CAVA and Costco deserve attention in this market; they are on fire this week. Walmart, Coca-Cola, Apollo, Procter & Gamble and Visa are also showing strong setups. x.comÂ
Verizon is gaining subscribers, cutting operating and capital spending and increasing capital returns, yet trades at an undemanding valuation that likely does not reflect the full value of those initiatives. Long-dated options on it are fairly cheap. x.comÂ
Oil majors such as Shell, BP, ExxonMobil and Chevron deserve their multiples because they have consistently generated 10%+ returns across complete energy cycles. They are integrated, now diversified, and control a key commodity for decades ahead. Investors will do fine if they hold for the long term. x.comÂ
Exxon Mobil and Chevron are among the highest-quality energy stocks and are long-term holdings, so a quarterly earnings decline is just noise while the thesis is intact. In cyclicals like energy, the approach is to buy only at the deepest cycle lows, never chase, and hold until the thesis permanently breaks. x.comÂ
