Holiday sales are usually a bit of a roller coaster ride.
Most holiday stocks will have their highs and lows, and many of them will also have plenty of downside risk, especially if the stock market falls.
The stock market can be an unpredictable beast, and that’s why we’re going to try to identify the top holiday stock picks for investors looking to cash in on the market’s holiday sales.
If you’re looking for a stock that can help you get your Christmas shopping done, consider the holiday season a time to buy.
If that sounds like you, check out our Holiday stock picks to see which stocks can be considered a potential cash crop.
Forget about buying holiday stocks right now.
We recommend buying holiday-related stocks first, before you start making purchases of holiday-specific stocks, such as stocks that trade on the day of the holiday, or that have been underperformed the last time they were in the market.
If there are any holidays that fall on the same day, we suggest waiting until next year’s holiday season to buy those stocks.
Here are the holiday-themed stocks that are currently underperforming the last year:1.
Target Corp. – Target shares are up about 25% in 2017, but their stock is still down by almost 2% year to date.
This stock has been a strong performer in recent months, so keep an eye on it and buy this stock if it’s trending up.2.
General Motors Co. – General Motors shares are off by more than 5% year-to-date, but it’s still up 7% in the past year.
The shares are still down more than 10% year over year.3.
Verizon Communications Inc. – Verizon shares are down by a staggering 8% year -to-year, and they’re still down about 2% in 2018.
They’re still up a little bit in 2019, so if the company is still making big gains in 2019 (and it will), it could be a good buy.4.
American Express Co. (NYSE:AXP) – American Express is down by more then 7% year through 2018, but this stock has shown great promise over the past few months.
This is a great option if you’re not a big fan of the stock, as it’s been surging in the last couple of weeks.5.
Nike Inc. (NKE) – Nike shares are all the way down at $23.74, but the stock has rebounded nicely.
This one is a solid buy if you like Nike’s growth, but if you need a big-ticket item, it might be a little too much of a good thing.6.
Johnson & Johnson Inc.(NYSE:JNJ) – Johnson &s has seen some gains in recent weeks, but is still up by less than 3% year up to date, which is a very good sign.7.
McDonald’s Corp. (NASDAQ:MCD) – McDonald’s shares are looking to get back to their high highs, but they’re up by just over 6% year, which means they’re trading at a much lower price than they were a year ago.8.
Starbucks Corp.(NASDAQ:”SBUX”) – Starbucks shares are trading up a bit year to year, but have a lot of downside risks.
They trade up on a lot and are looking for upside potential.9.
Home Depot Inc. HPD – Home Depot shares are a solid way to invest if you don’t like your stocks to trade above their intrinsic value, which usually means you have to buy them to keep the price of your stock up.
The company is going through a major rebranding effort and the stock is looking to see some big gains, so this is a good stock to keep an ear out for.10.
Home Improvement Stores Inc.HIR – Home Improvement stores have been the target of a lot on Wall Street lately, and the company has been underperforming recently, so we are going to see whether the stock can rebound in 2018, or if it will fall by as much as 5% in 2019.11.
General Electric Co. GE – GE has had a very strong year, with strong earnings and strong sales, but its stock is underperforming over the last few months and could fall even further if it can’t find any major earnings growth.12.
Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Inc. WMT – Wal-mart shares are in a big bear market right now, but with good sales and strong fundamentals, we think they’re a great buy.13.
Bank of America Corp. BAC – BAC is down around 20% year and is down about 5% month-to/date, which could be problematic for investors who are looking at the stock’s valuation.14.
Ford Motor Co. F-Series – Ford Motor shares are currently down around 6% and are down around 4% year on year, so it’s a little tough