'My Favorite Stock For 2025,' Says Portfolio Manager, Who Also Notes Two Contrarian Plays During Growth Optimism

It’s been a roller coaster year for Wall Street as investors revise expectations during a period of rapidly changing policy announcements in the White House. While markets turned bearish in March and April as the Trump Administration threatened tariffs on several U.S. trade partners, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY) retraced some of its losses as the administration backed off some of its policy commitments and economic indicators look promising.

Stephanie Link, chief investment officer and portfolio manager at Hightower Advisors, is optimistic about the market’s prospects if tariff concerns can be averted.

“I think the biggest surprise is that the Atlanta Fed [GDPNow] is at 2.3% in the face of everything,” Link wrote on Thursday. “Consumer continues to spend — Walmart is proof of that. Labor market remains solid and inflation is coming down albeit slowly. EPS up 12% is impressive as well. Get through tariffs and we'll start to focus on more positive things — lower taxes and deregulation.”

Link noted two contrarian plays she is bullish on as 2025 enters its second half. She called Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) her “favorite stock for 2025” amid the company’s turnaround under new leadership. While the Arlington, Virginia-based company’s shares have fallen from all-time highs due to regulatory woes and safety concerns, its stock is up over 20% in 2025.

Link also highlighted private equity giant KKR & Co Inc (NYSE:KKR) as a firm benefiting from several positive trends.

“Added KKR this past week [with] the stock down 15% ytd and a play on growth, real assets, infrastructure and fee growth,” Link said.

She noted Quanta Services Inc (NYSE:PWR), Eaton Corporation PLC (NYSE:ETN) and Rockwell Automation Inc (NYSE:ROK) as other infrastructure plays.

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