Andrew Bary of Barrons put out his 10 picks for 2025
he did very poorly in 2024 but beat the s&p handily the 2 years before that (what i appreciate about him is that when he losses he admits it, as he does at the beginning of the podcast linked below)
ASML
BABA
BRK
C
EG
GOOG
LVMUY
MRNA
SLB
UBER
He discusses his picks on this podcast https://www.barrons.com/podcasts/streetwise/andrew-barys-top-stock-picks/232b84e2-7e07-4427-a1ff-9a38cacb8156?page=1&
Just food for thought, and trying to get the discussion started, buy at your own discretion
They are interesting picks, but not very contrarian. Barron's has had articles on most of these with a bull thesis with the key theme being that they are cheap now for a reason, but there is upside that isn't being priced in but will be priced in once they show up in results.
C - Has underperformed for years as they try to slim down and show the market they are worthy of a valuation similar to their peers. You really need to believe in Jane being able to turn C around and she needs to show results in 2025 or else she's out of a job.
UBER - Become the dominant player in rides and food delivery, but has a history of controversy and exploits drivers who have realized that the only alternative is Lyft, which is just as bad and may go BK in the next few years. Can they maintain pricing power and expand into the super app that they once had ambitions to be?
LVMUY/BABA - China China China. Only real source of growth for luxury is Asia, particularly China. For BABA, it's a mix of low valuation and chinese stimulus to book personal consumption as the story.
BRK - Buffet thinks its overvalued and won't buy back shares, why would the public buy in at that price. Does the stock price fall or rise if Buffet passes in 2025?
ASML - Has a monopoly in a hot growth area, but is priced at a premium.
SLB - Barron's has always loved SLB more than the market does. It's a leader in a field that should be making a comeback, but if peak oil is near and energy prices fall, does SLB have a growing business? They suffered greatly during the bust era and energy companies are far more cost conscious now.
GOOG - The new darling with quantum chips and a mad bets portfolio that may actually have value. Fears on AI killing the search golden goose seem overblown and the gov suit to break them up will likely take years to get through the courts. There are also concerns about the strength of the case against GOOG, it's not expected to be a distraction.
MRNA - My fav pick here as the one trick pony spent heavily on R&D and has a promising pipeline but the market is not being patient. If the stock slides further you can expect chatter about a buyout offer.
