Merrill Lynch Has Top 10 Stock Ideas for Q2

[cnxvideo id=”509733″ placement=”ros”]As incredible as it may seem, the first quarter is already history, and it’s time for Major League Baseball. The markets had another very solid quarter, although all the gains came in January and February as March was essentially flat. The Nasdaq was the big first-quarter winner, up a strong 9.8%. The S&P 500 gained 5.5%, and the venerable Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 4.6%. As we start the second quarter, many of the top firms we cover on Wall Street are out with their top ideas for the next 90 days.

In a new research report, Merrill Lynch is out with its top ideas for the second quarter. It includes eight stocks to buy and two that are expected to underperform. We focus on the long ideas, and at first glance, they look like outstanding picks for growth stock accounts.

BWX Technologies

This is an under-the-radar stock with solid upside potential. BWX Technologies Inc. (NYSE: BWXT) primarily supplies U.S. submarines and carriers with naval nuclear reactors and associated nuclear fuel and refueling services, as well as other nuclear components. Merrill Lynch sees the company as a significant beneficiary of U.S. investment to support a 355-ship Navy.

The Merrill Lynch price target was recently raised to $55 from $43, and the Wall Street consensus target is $53.83. The shares closed Monday at $47.20 apiece.

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Cigna

This is a solid value buy in health care sector. Cigna Corp. (NYSE: CI) is one of the largest providers of managed care services in the United States. Originally a property and casualty insurance company founded in 1792, Cigna is now largely focused on the health care business, offering HMO and indemnity products, as well as having meaningful international, life and disability operations.

Cigna shareholders are paid a tiny 0.03% dividend. Merrill Lynch has a $179 price objective on the shares, and the consensus target price is posted at $167.92. The stock closed Monday at $149.39 a share.

CSX

This one of the top railroad stocks and is a top idea for investors looking to the transports. CSX Corp. (NYSE: CSX) provides rail freight transportation over a network of approximately 21,000 route miles and 36 terminals (and 57 intermodal terminals) across the eastern half of the United States. It controls 4,071 locomotives and 216,000 rail cars on its network (over half are not owned or leased by CSX at any given point), and it has nearly 30,000 employees.

CSX shareholders receive a 1.55% dividend. The $56 Merrill Lynch price objective compares with the posted consensus target of $52.60. The shares closed most recently at $46.60.

Flowserve

This company should get a boost from an improving economy and the proposed infrastructure build. Flowserve Corp. (NYSE: FLS) is a Texas-based supplier of pumps, valves, seals, automation and related services, primarily for the oil and gas, power and chemical industries. Flowserve operates under three segments: Engineered Products, Industrial Products and Flow Control.

Investors in Flowserve receive a 1.6% dividend. The Merrill Lynch price target is $63, while the consensus is lower at $52.60. The stock closed most recently at $48.15.

Texas Instruments

This company that has come back into favor big-time, and it was also a top first-quarter pick. Texas Instruments Inc. (NASDAQ: TXN) is a broad-based supplier of semiconductor components, ranging from digital signal processors to high-performance analog components to digital light-processing technology and calculators. Some 65% of Texas Instruments sales are exposed to the well-diversified, business-to-business industrial, automotive, communications infrastructure and enterprise markets.

Shareholders receive a solid 2.5% dividend. Merrill Lynch has set its price objective at $92, and the consensus target is $81.74. Shares closed just shy of that level Monday at $80.36 apiece.

Voya Financial

This company has been advertising consistently and is a top financial on the list. Voya Financial Inc. (NASDAQ: VOYA) is a diversified life insurance company with ongoing operating segments in Retirement, Annuities, Investment Management, Individual Life and Employee Benefits. The company generates three-quarters of its earnings from Retirement and Investment Management, and the remaining quarter from Insurance Solutions.

Shareholders are paid a tiny 0.11% dividend. Merrill Lynch has a $48 price target. The consensus target is posted at $46.50. The stock closed Monday at $37.48 per share.

Vornado Realty Trust

This real estate investment trust (REIT) also makes the top 10. Vornado Realty Trust (NYSE: VNO) is headquartered in New York City, and it owns and operates a portfolio of office and street retail buildings in New York and office buildings in Washington, D.C. The company has announced plans for a tax-free spin-off for its Washington, D.C., platform, with a closing expected soon. Vornado also owns a 33% stake in specialty retailer Toys’R’Us.

Vornado shareholders are paid a 2.81% distribution. The $128 Merrill Lynch price target is higher than the consensus target of $114.45, as well as the most recent close at $100.89 a share.

Wells Fargo

This large cap bank rounds out the long idea selections for the second quarter, and it is a top stock for investors to look at now for safety, dividends and solid upside potential. Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) is a nationwide, diversified, community-based financial services company with $1.8 trillion in assets. The company provides banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer and commercial finance through 8,700 locations, 12,800 ATMs, the internet and mobile banking, and it has offices in 36 countries to support customers who conduct business in the global economy. Wells Fargo serves one in three households in the United States.

Shareholders are paid a nice 2.77% dividend from this Warren Buffett favorite. The Merrill Lynch price target is a lofty $65. The consensus target is $58.52, and shares closed trading Monday at $55.49.

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The two stocks in the top second-quarter ideas that are rated Underperform are Cognizant Technologies Solutions Corp. (NASDAQ: CTSH) and TCF Financial Corp. (NYSE: TCB). For more aggressive accounts, these might be short sale ideas.

The Merrill Lynch team has avoided high-flying momentum ideas and focused on solid companies that are reasonably priced and may stand to benefit from new initiatives from the administration and other macro events. They all make sense for long-term growth accounts.