The market’s been swinging back and forth since falling a cliff when President Trump announced his tariff program. The S&P 500 is down more than 12% year to date as of this writing, though, and expect more volatility while negotiations are ongoing and results are yet to be seen.
Despite the market turmoil, there are some amazing stocks that continue to soar, and it’s even more obvious today why they’re such great stocks to own. Let’s take a look at Coca-Cola (KO -0.77%), Kroger (KR -1.76%), and MercadoLibre (MELI 1.00%) and see why they’re top stocks to buy right now.
1. Coca-Cola: Made in the U.S.A.
Coca-Cola is Berkshire Hathaway‘s longest-held equity position and one of Warren Buffett’s favorite stocks. One of the features he loves is that it’s a dominant player in the U.S. economy, and he often talks about not betting against that. There are always going to be rough periods interspersed with the better times, but Coca-Cola is a large, well-established industry giant, and customers keep buying its beloved beverages.
He also talks about its global brand name that “travels,” and having a huge, global footprint cushions it to some degree from trade wars. When tariff changes first came up, CEO James Quincey addressed how the company would manage through the impact, and he described a strategy with robust contingency plans for these kinds of issues. He explained that much of the product packaging is local and less susceptible to international tariff exposure and that most of the U.S. production is done with U.S.-based products. “I think we’re in danger of exaggerating the impact,” he said. “It’s not insignificant, but … packaging is only a small component of the total cost structure. So, firstly, it’s not a multimillion-dollar, billion-dollar problem relative to the input cost. It’s a much more manageable number.”
There’s something else that investors love about Coca-Cola stock at a time like this, and that’s its rock-solid dividend. Coca-Cola has paid and raised its dividend for 63 years straight, making it one of the best Dividend Kings on the market. When the market is in flux, investors flee to safe stocks, and Coca-Cola fits the bill. Even better, its dividend also has a high yield. At the current price, it is 2.7%, which is on the low end because the price has climbed so high.
Coca-Cola is a forever stock that provides security and passive income under almost any circumstances.
2. Kroger: Resilient essentials
Surprise, Kroger is also a Buffett stock. It’s the largest premium supermarket chain in the country, and it services a population that is less affected by macroeconomic concerns.
Over the past few years, it’s beefed up its business in a few key ways. It’s gone full-on digital, with a large assortment of omnichannel options to meet demand. It has also expanded its less expensive owned-brand collection, which attracts business from a wider customer base and provides a fallback for customers looking to save with high inflation.
What’s probably boosting its value in the market these days, though, is another confident stance regarding tariffs. Kroger also provided some context about how tariffs could affect it in its fourth-quarter earnings update, and it was a positive spin. “As a domestic retailer, I think we have less exposure to some of the international tariffs that some of our peers will see,” said CFO Todd Foley. He said the company might see some impact in produce but that “it’s not a massive impact” and that Kroger was looking to diversify its supplier base to account for it.
Kroger is also a dividend payer, and at the current price, it yields 1.7%, which is still higher than the S&P 500 average. It’s another safe bet for investors that shields their portfolios and provides a passive income stream.
3. MercadoLibre: The international superstar
MercadoLibre is a totally different kind of stock from Coca-Cola and Kroger, and it’s up 23% this year, crushing the market.
That’s because it operates in Latin America and isn’t affected by the new tariff program, at least not at this point when it’s largely affecting U.S. companies. There could be an impact down the line if trade wars erupt across the globe.
Well, that’s only partially why. The other reason is that it’s an incredible business reporting phenomenal performance with massive opportunities. Its consumer base in 18 Latin American countries is still underpenetrated in e-commerce, the company’s main business, giving it a tremendous growth runway. And it’s been leveraging its platform and first-mover’s edge to capture the opportunity as it develops.
It’s also a major player in fintech, and it offers a large suite of services on a digital app to this underbanked population. These two businesses work together and create a dominant platform that’s hard to compete with.
Even if there was no tariff program, MercadoLibre would be an excellent stock to buy. Adding in the tariff piece is another reason to consider buying the stock right now.
Jennifer Saibil has positions in MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway and MercadoLibre. The Motley Fool recommends Kroger. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
