Graham Stephan Stock Portfolio: Top 5 Stocks

4. Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM)

Graham Stephan is not one to take individual stock recommendations lightly. This is because he believes that investing in individual stocks is risky. However, when he does recommend a stock, his followers take that advice to heart. Four years ago, in a video on investing $10,000 in different ways, Stephan singled out Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) as one of the stocks to buy. The context around the shares has changed dramatically since then, more so in recent months as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East lead to a dramatic fallout in global energy stocks because of the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

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However, the long-term thesis on Exxon Mobil Corporation (NYSE:XOM) remains intact, Hedge funds tracking the firm are focused on the divergence between the GAAP accounting and actual operational earnings power of the company in Q1 2026. While Exxon reported a GAAP net income of $4.2 billion, impacted by $700 million in settled financial hedge losses from Middle East shipping disruptions, the non-GAAP earnings excluding identified items and derivative timing effects skyrocketed to $8.8 billion, comfortably beating the $7.6 billion generated in Q1 2025. Adjusted EPS came in at $1.16, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by 8.4%.