Even with the indexes heading for weekly losses, some stocks are still on track to post modest gains. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is on track to drop 1.9% this week. The S & P 500 and Nasdaq are both heading towards larger drops, on pace to shed 2.5% and 3%, respectively. Downward pressure is coming from rising fears over a recession among investors as mixed data dilutes hopes for a “soft landing,” or the Federal Reserve quelling inflation while avoiding a recession. Investors are also looking ahead to the two-day Fed meeting next week. The Fed is expected to raise rates by 50 basis points Wednesday. But even as the indexes slide, individual stocks have been able to outperform. CNBC Pro screened for the stocks with the greatest week-to-date percentage changes as of Friday’s open, according to FactSet. Campbell Soup was among the best performers of the week, adding 5.2% and hitting a 52-week high Friday. The company reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that beat analyst expectations. It also revised its full-year guidance for both. Management pointed to brand strength, improving supply and “inflation-driven” pricing as catalysts for the performance. But Wall Street is not as optimistic about the stock’s future. Just 5% of analysts rate the stock as a buy, and the average analyst expects its share price to decline 9.7%. Still, the stock has outperformed this year, gaining 30.1%. Hershey had a smaller gain this week, adding 2.7%. UBS analyst Cody Ross upgraded the candy giant to buy from neutral on Wednesday, predicting its strong performance in 2022 could extend into the next year. Just over 40% off analysts also rate the stock a buy, with the average price target implying a 0.7% upside. The stock has also bucked the broader market downturn this year, gaining 24.4% compared with the start of 2022. Meanwhile, Dexcom is up 3.1% this week through Friday’s open. The stock is more favored on Wall Street, with 65% of analysts giving it a buy rating with an average upside of 2.5%. The company, known for its glucose monitoring system, got a midweek bump following news that the Food and Drug Administration cleared its device for use in all types of diabetes for anyone who is at least 2 years old. The stock was under pressure on Friday, however, giving back some of its weekly gains. The top performer this week was Evergy, a Kansas City-based utilities company, up 6.1%. However, just 22% of analysts rate the stock as a buy, with an average price target implying an upside of 3.5%. Evergy has lost 8.5% in 2022.
