In what could be the most unpredictable stock market of our lives, traders and investors are looking for any potential edge. The ROAR score, which I profiled in detail earlier this week, is one of many possible inputs we can consider to try to decrease the risk associated with investing.
And let’s be clear on this: That risk is abnormally high right now.
Despite this, several stocks are flashing signs that they may be ready to stage strong comebacks. In fact, many stocks within the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s ($DOWI) 30 members increasingly appear to be bottoming out.
ROAR starts out considering any stock as a potential winner. Because any stock can appreciate in price at any time. But at unique moments like this in market history, with so much hanging in the balance, assigning a specific level of risk to the stocks we consider could be a difference-maker.
And with that as a backdrop, let’s look at the three stocks within the Dow 30 that showed the highest ROAR scores as of April 24. Note that while they outpaced the Dow, their scores were all between 55 and 65. In ROAR terms, that means they are more likely to rise 10% from here before falling 10%, but only by a modest margin. These are not “slam dunks.”
Investors may also be able to conclude that with modestly higher ROAR scores, this trio exhibits a better balance of offensive and defensive characteristics. That’s fitting, as the three stocks highlighted here tend to be viewed as defensive names.
Stock #1: Boeing
I am in no position to speculate on whether tariffs or even increased warmongering in the geopolitical space is a viable threat to markets. But I can say that Boeing (BA) has a ROAR score of 55, which could hint at the market’s penchant for defense-driven transportation stocks right now.
As the chart shows, Boeing has been a volatile stock since mid-2024. So while it gained nearly 24% in just 10 trading days recently, it was still 5% below where it was early this year.
Stock #2: McDonald’s
McDonald’s (MCD) has the highest current ROAR score, coming in at 65. ROAR scores above 70 tend to be the ones considered the lower-risk opportunities, so McDonald’s is close but not quite there yet.
I’m showing the weekly chart instead of the daily here, since it shows MCD’s admirable steadiness over the past several years. It has been a true “low volatility stock” with consistency. That does not guarantee that the future will mimic the past, but it does increase the chances that MCD can be a relative shelter in the storm.
Stock #3: Walmart
Finally, while Walmart (WMT) is in the throes of the U.S.-China tariff struggle, the stock still graded out at 59 as of Thursday morning. That makes it the runner-up to MCD among the Dow 30. WMT’s earnings are not due until the second half of May, and that alone might buy some time for the high-quality stock with a wide moat.
The stock is 10% below its February all-time high, so there’s some room to close that gap.
The Bottom Line:
This is the definition of a “moving market.” In fact, it should get a speeding ticket! But while traders and investors look for signals that there are at least relatively safe havens, if not outright long-term value situations, the ROAR score approach is providing an additional, timely, risk-conscious input to their broader investment decision-making process.
