Despite a huge rally off the March bottom that has U.S. indexes once again trading near all-time highs, many of the top companies that investors are very familiar with have taken a beating over the past few years. The ones that have been beaten down the most are in sectors that are struggling the most, with the temporary new normal rules that are still in place to varying degrees around the country.

We screened the BofA Securities research database looking for well-known former blue-chip companies that are likely to survive their current troubles. We found four that are rated Buy and could very well offer patient investors some huge returns over the next year or so. Patient investors that did that in 2008 and 2009 absolutely killed it over the next few years.

Remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.

Apache

This has long been considered an industry leader but its stock has been battered. Apache Corp. (NYSE: APA) is an independent energy company that explores for, develops and produces natural gas, crude oil and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company has operations in onshore assets located in the Permian and Midcontinent/Gulf Coast onshore regions, and offshore assets situated in the Gulf of Mexico region. It also holds onshore assets in Egypt’s Western desert and offshore assets in the North Sea region, including the United Kingdom.

Apache also has an offshore exploration program in Suriname. As of December 31, 2019, it had total estimated proved reserves of 551 million barrels of crude oil, 186 million barrels of NGLs, and 1.6 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The company remains an acquirer/exploiter/explorer, fiscally conservative company that has grown its reserves and production consistently via acquisitions and organic projects.

Apache posted a solid second quarter, and the analysts said this:

A solid second quarter sees costs and capex trending down and implies a second half of 2020 cash break-even at $30 a barrel with free cash at the current strip. But overshadowing the quarter was an announced 3rd exploration success at Kwaskwasi further linking Apache’s story to Suriname. Resource scale suggests that story is just getting started but with Suriname still poorly reflected in the company’s share price.

Apache pays a small 0.65% dividend. BofA Securities has a gigantic $23 price target, compared to the Wall Street consensus target of $17.16. Apache stock has found support at the $9 level for the past few weeks.

Ford

This remains a solid value play now, and demand could jump when the coronavirus issues have passed. Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) is one of the world’s largest vehicle producers, with over 6 million units manufactured and sold globally. The company has made significant progress executing on its One Ford plan and delivering best-in-class vehicles.

Ford is among the car brands with the most loyal customers, and it remains committed to positioning itself well within the evolving auto industry through balanced investments across electrification, autonomy and mobility services.

Ford last week reported that its third-quarter sales in China jumped 25.4%, compared with the year-ago period, totaling 164,352 vehicles. It is the company’s best result in nearly four years in the world’s largest automotive market. It was also a 3.6% increase compared with the second quarter of this year, as the country’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic continues to strengthen. Sales of Ford, Lincoln and JMC brand vehicles achieved year-over-year growth of 12.5%, 64.8% and 38.3%, respectively.

BofA Securities has a $9 price target on the venerable car company. The posted consensus target is $6.41. Ford stock recently rose above the $8 level for the first time since February.

If any stock has taken a beating over the past three years, it has been this legendary corporation. General Electric Co. (NYSE: GE) businesses are organized broadly under seven segments: Power, Renewable Energy, Energy Connections, Oil & Gas, Aviation, Healthcare, Transportation and GE Capital. The company’s products and services include power generation equipment, aircraft engines, locomotives, medical equipment, compressors and others. Over half of the business is tied to service and aftermarket support.

In 2018, the venerable American industrial giant got the ultimate humiliation of being removed from the Dow Jones industrial average after a stay of over 100 years. General Electric is still one of the most valuable brands in the world.

The BofA analysts continue to make the case that GE continues making operational improvements and lowering structural costs under the new leadership. While the company faces near-term pressures in Aviation, it had diverse operations. Over the medium term, improving free-cash-flow should support share price appreciation.

Investors receive a 0.65% dividend. The $11 BofA Securities price target is near the $11.61 consensus target. General Electric stock traded above $7.50 on Friday.

Hewlett Packard Enterprises

Shares of this spin-off from a Silicon Valley legend hold solid upside potential. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. (NYSE: HPE) consists of these four segments:

• Hybrid IT (provides servers, storage, data center networking and Pointnext brand services)
• Intelligent Edge (enterprise networking and connectivity for campus and branch environments, operating under the Aruba brand)
• Financial Services (enables flexible IT consumption models)
• Corporate Investments (including HP labs and business incubation projects)

In August, the company delivered a strong beat on the top and bottom lines due to strong execution on backlog and improving demand. BofA Securities views reinstatement of guidance as a net positive, indicating better visibility and improving trends. The stock remains inexpensive relative to peers.

The analysts also feel that continued cost improvements and gross margin structural changes (pivot to higher margin as-a-service and storage revenue) should drive profit growth. Quality of recurring revenue and position can drive a better profit profile over time.

BofA Securities has set a $15 price target. The posted consensus target is $13, and Hewlett Packard Enterprises stock traded mostly below $9.50 last week.

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Aggressive growth investors looking for more reasonable trading ideas, but wanting to avoid the pitfalls of Robinhood-inspired trading madness, should find all four of these legendary companies right up the proverbial alley. While it is doubtful they can return to all their past glory, it’s never out of the question, especially with new management at the C suite levels.

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