Four Club holdings — including Meta Platforms (META) and Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) — are among the 12 best-positioned stocks right now, investment bank Bernstein told clients Wednesday. We share the favorable outlook on Meta and Pioneer, but aren’t as high on the two other Club names Bernstein highlighted: Qualcomm (QCOM) and Devon Energy (DVN). Understanding Bernstein’s note: The list of 12 stocks were screened for rosy six-month outlooks, using both quantitative modeling and fundamental forecasts from the firm’s research analysts. Bernstein says that since 2004, stocks that are both rated outperform (buy) by its analysts and in the top quintile (or top 20%) of its proprietary quant model beat the S & P 500 by 6.1% on annualized basis. Those stocks are held in high regard because they also did better than those simply rated buy or in the top quintile of the quant model, according to Bernstein. A third characteristic shared by all 12 stock is not being a so-called “crowded trade,” as measured by Bernstein’s Crowding Model. Meta Platforms Bernstein’s take: Meta’s aggressive cost-cutting efforts are likely factored into the social media giant’s stock price in full, according to the firm. But investors may adopt an even more positive attitude toward Meta if the company is able to return to topline revenue growth in the coming months. Analysts expect that to happen due to general improvements in the advertising market and internal changes at Meta to overcome Apple ‘s (AAPL) 2021 privacy changes. META 1Y mountain Meta Platform’s 12-month stock performance. The Club’s take: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has delivered on the expense-reduction strategy that investors including the Club sought, and that’s a big reason why the stock has soared nearly 70% already in 2023. We’re careful about chasing the stock after such a monster move. But big picture, shares should have more room to run and any pullbacks are buying opportunities. Meta rose 2% on Wednesday to just under $205 per share. Pioneer Natural Resources Bernstein’s take: Pioneer has “the simplest and most reliable” operating model within the energy sector, analysts wrote. The firm also championed Pioneer’s variable dividend policy, saying they expect the pure-play Midland Basin producer to continue returning a ton of free cash flow to shareholders over the next five years. Bernstein expects that capital return to equal roughly 40% of its current $47 billion market cap. PXD 1Y mountain Pioneer Natural Resources’ 12-month stock performance. The Club’s take: As we look to consolidate our energy holdings to three stocks from four, Pioneer isn’t going anywhere. A key reason is CEO Scott Sheffield and the operational excellence he’s demonstrated, which aligns with Bernstein’s fundamental outlook on the company. We added to our Pioneer position twice this month — most recently last week at roughly $185 per share, believing that the sell-off in oil stocks grew largely overdone. Pioneer shares…
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