With the market retreating ahead of President Donald Trump’s looming tariff deadline, several stocks offer investors the chance to try and insulate themselves from volatility, according to Goldman Sachs. On Monday, the S & P 500 and Nasdaq Composite initially sold off sharply in response to growing anxiety about the market outlook. The latest decline comes after a relentless, monthlong rout driven by concerns that tariffs will boost inflation, slow economic growth and hurt corporate profits. On Wednesday, new tariff are set to take effect on imports into the U.S., including a 25% tariff on cars made overseas. Bracing for more turmoil, Goldman’s chief U.S. equity strategist, David Kostin, slashed the investment bank’s year-end S & P 500 target to 5,700 from 6,200, which is lower than where the broad market index began the year. Against that updated forecast, Kostin believes investors should put money into Russell 1000 stocks that have shown “above-average earnings growth stability” over the past decade, “healthy” average earnings forecasts and low positive or negative correlation to “the major thematic drivers of ongoing market volatility.” In other words, stocks that are least likely to react to all those concerns about trade and tariffs, inflation and growth. Below are some of the stocks that came up in Goldman’s “Insensitive Portfolio.” Software and services provider Amdocs made the Goldman scree, having five percentage points of 10-year variability in EBITDA growth at the same time as analysts estimate 8% growth in earnings per share in 2025 and 2026. The stock has rallied this year, rising nearly 7% in contrast to the S & P 500’s roughly 6% decline in the period. Wall Street is also bullish, with all seven analysts covering Amdocs carrying the equivalent of a buy, and a consensus price target of about $103, implying more than 13% upside from Friday’s close, according to LSEG. Food and drug retailer Kroger – which has 32 percentage points of 10-year variability in EBITDA growth as well as 5% consensus EPS growth for 2025 and 8% for 2026 – is also buy-rated among analysts. More than half, 13 of 25, rate Kroger a strong buy or buy. Kroger shares have also outperformed the market lately, rising some 19% in the past six months and more than 11% year to date. KR 6M mountain KR, 6-month Boston Scientific has seen nearly identical gains as Kroger in those periods. Shares of the medical device company made Goldman’s screen, with 29 percentage points of 10-year EBITDA growth variability and expectations of 14% consensus EPS growth this year and next year.
