5 Stocks to Make the Most of the Deadly Coronavirus Resurgence

Newly-confirmed coronavirus cases continue to rise, raising doubts about V-shaped economic recovery. After all, more than 30,000 additional coronavirus cases were reported in the United States on Jun 19, the highest count of one-day infection since May 1, per data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

 

What’s more, the number of new cases has hit records in some of the states during the weekend. As businesses reopen, states across the South, West and Midwest were affected the most due by the rise in coronavirus cases.

 

On Jun 21, California saw a rise of 4,515 in new cases, the highest one-day rise for the state amid the pandemic. Similarly, new cases in Florida touched a single-day record of 4,049 on Jun 20, while cases surged by another 3,494 on Jun 21.

 

Moreover, states like Arizona, Nevada, Missouri, South Carolina, Montana and Utah reported a record one-day increase in new cases over the weekend, raising concerns of another lockdown that could derail the country’s reopening process.

 

Apple, in the meantime, said that it will shut down some stores as the conditions took a turn for the worse, while a trade group confirmed that cruise lines will suspend all trips until Sep 15. Adding to the concerns, the WHO recently said that the pandemic continues to remain deadly and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

 

But, with the spurt in new cases, there are stocks that are set to gain. Thus, keeping an eye on some of such stocks won’t be a bad proposition as of now. Take a look –

 

Game Maker Activision Blizzard

 

Spread of the deadly virus will certainly force everyone to stay at home, spiking the need for at-home entertainment. And with people turning to digital entertainment, Activision Blizzard, Inc ATVI is sure to gain.

 

According to NPD, Activision Blizzard’s warzone battle royal game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was one of the best-selling games of the first quarter. It has also been the most profitable game in the 12 months ended Mar 31.

 

Activision Blizzard reported that nearly 50 million people have played the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare game in the first quarter, and with more people continuing to stay at home, the numbers are widely expected to increase and boost the company’s top line.

 

Activision Blizzard currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has risen 11.7% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 23.1%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

 

AI Stock – NVIDIA 

 

The rise in cases may disrupt industries but it can also speed up the adoption of AI. After all, AI has touched almost every sphere, including advertising, healthcare, robotics, retail, video streaming, gaming and urban development.

 

And NVIDIA Corporation NVDA is one of the biggest names when it comes to graphics processing units (GPUs), which are more or less used by all major tech firms to help servers implement machine learning services, which again is an integral part of the broader AI market.

 

NVIDIA currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved up 3.8% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 36.4%.

 

Streaming Giant – Netflix 

 

Netflix, Inc. NFLX is poised to add millions of subscribers owing to home confinement in the wake of the second wave of coronavirus outbreak. The provider of streaming services, in fact, has been expanding its subscriber base for a while now, mostly driven by content strength, focus on originals across various genres and languages, rapid international expansion and partnerships with telcos.

 

To top it, Netflix entered this year’s Oscars with 24 nominations and walked away with two. Such wins certainly help lure and retain subscribers in the face of challenges from rival services like Disney+ and Apple TV+.

 

Netflix currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has climbed 0.2% over the past 30 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 55.7%.

 

Cloud Service Provider – Alphabet

 

Majority of people will also be remotely working or learning, and thus most companies need to move a bulk of their workloads to the cloud.

 

Needless to say, that Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGL Google Cloud is one of the three major players in the U.S. cloud infrastructure market. This will obviously help the company gain from the coronavirus-related cloud computing tailwinds over the next few quarters and boost Alphabet’s overall growth trajectory.

 

By the way, Alphabet’s digital advertisement business is unscathed by the coronavirus onslaught as consumers continue to engage in YouTube and Google Search.

 

Alphabet currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has moved 1.1% north over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the next year is 33.1%.

 

Provider of Fitness Products – Peloton

 

Peloton Interactive, Inc. PTON manufactures in-house exercise equipment like treadmills and stationary bikes, which are now likely to be in demand among fitness enthusiasts.

 

Peloton currently has a Zacks Rank #2. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for its current-year earnings has climbed 42.6% over the past 60 days. The company’s expected earnings growth rate for the next quarter is 90.7%.

 

Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2020

 

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2020?

 

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NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Activision Blizzard, Inc (ATVI) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Netflix, Inc. (NFLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Peloton Interactive, Inc. (PTON) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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