The Tariff-Proof Stocks Wall Street Is Quietly Piling Into Right Now
247Wallst·2026-03-06 14:15

Core Viewpoint - Despite the S&P 500's stagnation and rising market anxiety, certain companies are thriving due to their immunity to tariff impacts and strong operational fundamentals [1]. Group 1: Waste Management (NYSE:WM) - Waste Management operates without international revenue, making it immune to tariff fluctuations, and reported a 2025 revenue of $25.204 billion, a 14.24% increase year-over-year [2]. - The company achieved a 30% adjusted EBITDA margin for the first time, with core pricing growth of 6.3% in 2025 [2]. - Free cash flow is expected to grow nearly 30% in 2026, supported by investments in recycling and renewable energy [2]. - The stock is up 12% year-to-date, trading at approximately 30x forward earnings, with a target price of $253 [2]. Group 2: Republic Services (NYSE:RSG) - Republic Services, the second-largest waste hauler in the U.S., mirrors Waste Management's tariff immunity and has a strong pricing power [3]. - The company reported a 16.91% increase in free cash flow to $2.433 billion for 2025, with a revenue guidance of $17.05 to $17.15 billion for 2026 [4]. - Core pricing growth was 5.9% for 2025, and the company returned $1.6 billion to shareholders through dividends and buybacks [4]. - The stock is up 9.6% year-to-date, trading at about 32x trailing earnings, with a consensus target of $244 [5]. Group 3: Welltower (NYSE:WELL) - Welltower operates in the senior housing sector, which is not affected by tariffs, generating revenue from occupancy rates and healthcare rents [6]. - The company reported a 20.4% year-over-year growth in same-store NOI for 2025, with occupancy rates reaching 89.5% [7]. - Normalized FFO guidance for 2026 is between $6.09 and $6.25 per share, and the quarterly dividend was raised by 10.4% [7]. - The stock is up nearly 11% year-to-date and has increased 34.6% over the past year, with a target price of $227.50 [8]. Group 4: WEC Energy Group (NYSE:WEC) - WEC Energy Group operates regulated utilities, providing a tariff-proof business model with state-approved rates [9]. - The company reported an adjusted EPS of $5.27 for 2025, an 8% increase year-over-year, and guided for 2026 EPS of $5.51 to $5.61 [11]. - The dividend has grown for 23 consecutive years, currently yielding about 3%, with retail electricity deliveries up 2.2% in 2025 [11]. - The stock is up 11% year-to-date, nearing its 52-week high of $117.60 [12]. Group 5: Visa (NYSE:V) - Visa operates a business model that is unaffected by tariffs, generating revenue from electronic transactions rather than physical goods [13]. - The company reported Q1 fiscal 2026 revenue of $10.9 billion, a 14.6% year-over-year increase, with processed transactions rising by 9% to 69.4 billion [14]. - Despite being down about 8.6% year-to-date, Visa has a consensus target price of $400 compared to its current price near $320 [14]. Common Thread - Four of the five highlighted stocks are outperforming the S&P 500 by double digits in 2026, indicating a shift in Wall Street's focus towards businesses less affected by trade policy uncertainties [15].