Stocks sold off this week after the Federal Reserve raised interest rates to the highest level in 15 years , and signaled more hikes to come. But some names are still on track to post slight gains. This Fed on Wednesday hiked interest rates by 50 basis points. While the move marked a step down from the previous four increases, comments from the central bank and Chair Jerome Powell indicated higher-for-longer rates in 2023, heightening fears of a recession. Against this backdrop, the major averages are on pace to notch a second consecutive week of losses, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 down more than 2% each. The Nasdaq Composite is slated to lose more than 3%. Despite the downward pressure on stocks, some names are poised to finish the week on a positive note. As of Friday’s open, these are some of the stocks poised to buck this week’s negative trend. This week’s top performer was vaccine maker Moderna , with shares up nearly 17% as of Friday’s open. It gained on the back of promising results from a trial of its experimental melanoma vaccine, which cut the risk of cancer recurrence or death by 44% when combined with Merck’s Keytruda cancer treatment. Despite its solid gains this week, Wall Street isn’t so optimistic about the stock, with just 30% saying it’s a buy. The consensus price target suggests a little over 5% upside for shares from Thursday’s close, with the stock down about 25% this year. Shares gave up some of their weekly gains Friday, last trading down almost 8%. Homebuilding stocks Lennar and PulteGroup are also on pace to finish the week on a positive note. Analysts at Barclays upgraded both stocks to overweight this week , saying that Lennar is one of the best-positioned names to capitalize on a housing trough in 2023. Shares of both stocks are down more than 19% this year, but were on pace to gain about 6% for the week as of Friday’s open. About half of analysts say both Lennar and PulteGroup are a buy, with the average price target implying 7.2% and 14% respective upsides from Thursday’s close. Analysts are divided over Lennar, with just 50% rating it a buy. PulteGroup, meanwhile, only has buy ratings from 46.7% of analysts. Another weekly winner was Fortune Brands Innovations , which spun off one of its divisions. Shares were set to gain 11.5% for the week as of Friday’s open, following news that it joins the S & P MidCap 400 index, with First Solar replacing it in the S & P 500. About 47% of analysts say shares are a buy, offering 10.6% upside from Thursday’s close. Energy stocks Baker Hughes , Halliburton and APA Corp also made the list.
