4 Stocks to Boost Your Portfolio as S&P 500 Hits New All-Time High
Given the positive sentiment, it would be ideal to invest in S&P 500 stocks such as Adobe Inc. ADBE, Altria Group, Inc. MO, Arista Networks, Inc. ANET and Atmos Energy Corporation ATO, which have strong potential in 2025. These stocks have a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy) and assure good returns. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
S&P 500 Hits New High
The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to end at 6,173.07 points on Friday, hitting an all-time high. The index reached an intraday high of 6,1787.68, surpassing its previous record of 6,147.43 points. The S&P 500 had a roller-coaster journey this year.
The index surged to an all-time high in February on hopes that Trump's business-friendly policies would help the broader market. However, Trump announced sprawling tariffs soon after moving into the White House.
Fears of a global trade war led to the stocks tumbling in April, with the index retreating as much as 18% for the year and nearly entering a bear market. However, the benchmark started rebounding after Trump announced a temporary pause on the tariffs, and negotiations began with the trading partners of the United States.
Earlier this month, Trump announced that the United States reached a trade deal with its biggest trading partner, China. The White House is also negotiating with several other nations to reach trade deals. The S&P 500 has since made a solid comeback to hit another high.
Geopolitical Tensions Ease, Rate Cut Hopes Rise
The S&P 500 is now up more than 20% from its April lows and has gained nearly 5% year to date. A series of positive developments is also helping the benchmark. Much like the tariff fears, geopolitical tensions in the Middle East between Iran and Israel have also eased.
Although the United States joined the conflict and bombed nuclear sites in Iran, the retaliation from Iran hasn't been as severe as it was anticipated.
Also, cooling inflation and a shrinking labor market have raised hopes that the Federal Reserve now has reason to resume its rate cuts. Although Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has maintained a hawkish stance, Trump has been slamming him for delaying rate cuts, which is impacting the economy.
Also, several Federal Reserve officials believe that rate cuts should be resumed, with many even hinting at a rate cut as early as July. A rate cut is likely to further fuel the S&P 500 rally.
S&P 500 Stocks With Growth Potential
Adobe Inc.
Adobe Inc. is one of the largest software companies in the world. ADBE picks up licensing fees from customers, which form the bulk of its revenues. Adobe also offers technical support and education that accounts for the balance.
Adobe has an expected earnings growth rate of 11.9% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 1.2% over the past 60 days. ADBE presently has a Zacks Rank #2.
Altria Group, Inc.
Altria Group, Inc. has been evolving with the changing industry dynamics. Given the rising health consciousness and stern government regulations to discourage smoking, MO has been moving beyond traditional cigarettes and expanding in the smokeless category.
Altria's expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 4.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has improved 1.7% over the past 60 days. MO currently has a Zacks Rank #2.
Arista Networks
Arista Networks, Inc. is engaged in providing cloud networking solutions for data centers and cloud computing environments. ANET offers 10/25/40/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet switches and routers optimized for the next-generation data center networks. Arista uses multiple silicon architectures across its products.
Arista Networks' expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 13.2%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings improved 4% over the past 60 days. ANET presently has a Zacks Rank #2.
Atmos Energy Corporation
Atmos Energy Corporation, along with its subsidiaries, is engaged in the regulated natural gas distribution and storage business. ATO serves nearly 3.3 million customers in more than 1,400 communities across eight states from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the East to the Rocky Mountains in the West. Atmos Energy operates more than 73,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines as well as 5,700 miles of interstate pipelines.
Atmos Energy has an expected earnings growth rate of 6% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.6% over the last 60 days. ATO presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.
Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor Stock
It's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.
With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.
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Altria Group, Inc. (MO): Free Stock Analysis Report
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Arista Networks, Inc. (ANET): Free Stock Analysis Report
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