Interest rate rises, soaring energy prices and political turmoil in some parts of the world have battered stocks going into the final quarter of this year. To help investors navigate the volatility, Bank of America has revealed its top “short-term stock recommendations” for the next quarter. The investment bank’s analysts said in an Oct. 3 note that they expect the following five stocks to “significantly outperform” their peers this quarter: STMicroelectronics Bank of America’s analysts say shares in the semiconductor maker are expected to soar 108.4% to 71 euros ($71 ) by July next year from their current level. STMicro , the largest European manufacturer of semiconductors, has benefited enormously from shortages in microchips over the first half of the year and reported its highest gross margin in the past two decades, the bank’s research said. BofA’s analysts believe those issues will likely continue in the near future. “We expect pricing and mix tailwinds to continue into H2 given ongoing supply constraints. We expect gross margins to continue increasing in mid-term thanks to higher pricing power and an improved product mix,” they said. The company’s shares, which also trade on the NYSE, have declined by more than 35% this year. Fortum The analysts expect shares in Finnish energy company Fortum to rise by more than 40% to 20 euros per share by September next year. A 4 billion euro loan due from Uniper, the German energy giant that was recently nationalized, and another 4 billion euro in guarantees have “weighed hugely” on the stock price this year, according to the Bank of America. However, the nationalization of Uniper means the Helsinki-listed company has “de-risked” its balance sheet by 8 billion euros, the bank said, describing the company as a “pure play clean power generator.” Equinor Equinor is another energy company recommended by Bank of America Global Research. The analysts expect shares in the Norwegian company to rise by 24% to 453 Norwegian Krone ($43). The investment bank believes the natural gas producer is the primary beneficiary of soaring energy prices in Europe as it offers the most significant alternative to Russian gas for the continent. As gas flows from Russia have halted, Europe will increase its dependency on the liquified natural gas market, which is already very tight, according to Bank of America’s analysis. “Hence, we expect gas price to remain higher for longer and Equinor to be the main beneficiary,” the analysts said. Croda Croda , a specialty chemicals company, is now debt-free after a £700 million ($797 million) asset sale earlier this year. As a result, Bank of America predicts that the clear balance sheet will benefit its stock price in an era of rising interest rates. The London-listed company’s share price is expected to rise by 22.9% to £83 by August next year. Without debt, the company is expected to recycle more of its profits into new investments in the healthcare sector and improve revenue in the future.
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