Buy these 15 stocks that are shielded from COVID-19 fallout and primed to beat the market even as virus cases spike, Evercore says

Several states have seen spikes in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, raising uncertainty for investors amid fears that the economy will sustain longer-term damage. 

Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic this week told the Financial Times that, “there are a couple of things that we are seeing and some of them are troubling and might suggest that the trajectory of this recovery is going to be a bit bumpier than it might otherwise.”

While many firms stand to lose from a coronavirus resurgence, other companies are better positioned to withstand the outbreak. 

Accordingly, Evercore ISI has put together a list of the top 15 stocks to buy that are shielded from the fallout of COVID-19 and primed to beat the market even as coronavirus cases continue to spike and people remain quarantined for longer.

They also created a basket of stocks they predict will perform well if COVID-19 cases dwindle and clear the way for an economic recovery. As US coronavirus cases surged in recent days, the basket of “quarantine” stocks has outperformed its counterpart filled with the companies best positioned for a recovery. 

“After a period of ‘Quarantine’ outperformance while COVID-19 risks increased in late February and early March, the Recovery portfolio rebounded, but recently the Quarantine portfolio has resumed leadership,” said Dennis DeBusschere, the head of Evercore’s portfolio strategy research team, in a recent note.

So, if COVID-19 cases do continue to grow, what are the top stocks positioned to weather the economic effects? Listed below in order of their price returns year-to-date are 15 stocks DeBusschere recommends buying if quarantine measures remain in place.