The bear market drawdown came roaring back this week in the wake of another hot inflation report for August. The news brought the major averages tumbling to their worst day since June 2020 on Tuesday and all the S & P 500 sectors — with the exception of utilities — more than 10% off their 52-week highs. Tuesday’s sell-off was brutal, but analysts warn that this isn’t the end of the rout. More pain could come as recession fears mount and the Federal Reserve hikes rates. This week’s inflation reading was yet another indicator that the central bank may retain its aggressive stance going forward. Amid this backdrop, opportunities in the market look slim for many investors. But even in this uncertainty, there are some rare bright spots and names standing their ground. In a note to clients Tuesday, BMO Capital Markets’ chief investment strategist Brian Belski said investors should focus on high-quality and dividend growth names that outperform defensive areas like utilities and consumer staples during times of instability. “Indeed, we prefer to focus on High Quality and Dividend Growth, which have historically registered solid returns during elevated and rising volatility levels, and have done a better job at providing downside protection during market declines, while also participating in price upside,” he wrote. “These types of names also offer favorable fundamental attributes that we consider very important when it comes to the consistency of longer-term returns.” To find these so-called ports in the storm, CNBC Pro used FactSet data to screen for stocks in the S & P 1500 Composite that are positive on the year, pay a dividend of 2% or more, and are loved by analysts, with at least 70% saying to buy them. These are some of the rare stocks that appeared: A slew of utilities and energy companies that have outperformed amid the issues stemming from the crisis in Ukraine made the cut. That included AES Corp and Baker Hughes. Of the names on the list, Marathon Petroleum’s stock has soared more than 50% this year — higher than any other company included in the screen. A recent screen from CNBC Pro named the energy stock as one of the winners of the latest earnings season given its recent and future expected performance. VICI Properties boasted the highest dividend yield among the stocks meeting the screen’s criteria. Shares of the real estate investment trust are up more than 10% this year. Several finance names including MetLife and real estate investment trust Agree Realty Corporation also made the list.
