Forget the High-Beta Hype: 10 ‘Sleep Well at Night’ Stocks to Buy Now

8. GE HealthCare Technologies (NASDAQ:GEHC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 59

Market Cap: $37.25 billion

Beta: 0.68

Forward P/E: 14.93

Revenue Growth (YoY): 7.19%

5-Day Return: 7.59%

GE HealthCare is showing that its recovery has legs. Third-quarter revenue rose 7.2%, with growth in every segment, and adjusted earnings per share jumped 25%, ahead of what management had expected. Net income and adjusted operating profit both grew faster than revenue. The company raised its full-year guidance on the strength of the quarter, and its chief executive credited commercial execution and customer adoption of new products.

The order book supports the outlook. Backlog stood at $23.7 billion, and a book-to-bill ratio above one means orders are outpacing shipments. That gives the company a sizable base of future equipment revenue.

Pharmaceutical Diagnostics, which supplies the imaging agents used in scans, was the standout, with revenue up 13%. GE HealthCare also plans to buy radiopharmaceutical maker SOFIE Biosciences in an all-cash deal meant to build out its U.S. PET supply footprint. Profit margins widened as well, helped by volume, pricing and cost productivity.

Cash generation was strong, and the board raised the quarterly dividend. For investors who want healthcare exposure without drug-development risk, a low forward P/E and a modest beta, paired with a sizable backlog, make for an appealing mix.

Dive deeper with our analysis on GE HealthCare Technologies (GEHC) here: Why GE HealthCare (GEHC) Is Doubling Down on Pharmaceutical Diagnostics?

7. Pan American Silver (NYSE:PAAS)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 41

Market Cap: $17.04 billion

Beta: 0.72

Forward P/E: 9.46

Revenue Growth (YoY): 17.72%

5-Day Return: 8.40%

Pan American Silver is turning strong metal prices into cash and handing a good share of it back. In the third quarter, it generated $377 million of attributable free cash flow and returned $300 million to shareholders through dividends and buybacks. Management said those returns are supported by cash generation over the first nine months and total available liquidity of $3.4 billion.

Costs are moving the right way in the silver business. Silver segment all-in sustaining costs came in at $11.21 per ounce, well below the level of a year earlier, and management expects the full-year figure toward the low end of its guidance range. Silver production also rose from last year, helped by a full quarter of output from the Juanicipio mine.

Growth projects add to the picture. Management expects the projects at La Colorada, Jacobina and Timmins to enhance production and lower the cost profile, creating long-term value for shareholders. The company can fund them while still paying out cash. A single-digit forward P/E and a modest beta mean the market is not asking much for that cash flow.

You can also read our analysis on Pan American Silver (PAAS) here: Pan American Silver (PAAS) Updates its Reserve Base. How Much Growth Reflects Better Mines?

6. Jazz Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:JAZZ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 46

Market Cap: $15.07 billion

Beta: 0.35

Forward P/E: 8.82

Revenue Growth (YoY): 10.38%

5-Day Return: 8.70%

Jazz Pharmaceuticals is growing across several drug franchises at once. In the third quarter, it posted record revenue of $1.2 billion, up 10% year over year, and management raised its full-year revenue guidance, saying sustained execution across the whole business gave it the confidence to do so. The rare sleep franchise remains the anchor: Xywav revenue grew 12%, and the company added 425 net patients in the quarter.

The pipeline gives the story a second leg. Ziihera has launched in first-line HER2-positive gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma, a cancer setting where Jazz is building its oncology presence. The company also closed its acquisition of Actio, which adds a candidate called ABS-1230 in rare and refractory epilepsies, an area where Jazz already sells its Epidiolex medicine.

That mix of sleep, epilepsy and oncology reduces dependence on any single product. Management has described its aim as a more innovative and diversified Jazz, and the quarter showed progress toward that goal. Investors are paying a single-digit forward P/E for a drugmaker with a low beta, which makes the shares one of the steadier ways to own biotech growth.

Read our analysis on Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) here: Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ) Places An $820M Epilepsy Bet

5. Yum China Holdings (NYSE:YUMC)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 35

Market Cap: $16.83 billion

Beta: 0.03

Forward P/E: 14.81

Revenue Growth (YoY): 8.45%

5-Day Return: 9.11%

Yum China is adding restaurants at a record pace while still widening margins. In the third quarter it opened a record 692 net new stores, and management raised its full-year target to more than 2,400 openings. Operating profit grew 13% year over year, and operating margin expanded for the tenth consecutive quarter, helped by streamlined operations and lower license fees after the company acquired the Pizza Hut brand in Mainland China.

Same-store transactions grew for the fifteenth straight quarter, even as comparable sales faced pressure from tough comparisons against last year’s delivery subsidies. Management says it is capturing new demand through smaller orders and solo dining, and side-by-side concepts such as KCOFFEE cafes and Pizza Hut’s Burger Bar give each location another way to earn.

Shareholders are paid while the footprint grows. Yum China is on track to return $1.5 billion to shareholders this year through dividends and buybacks, which the company says is about a tenth of its market value. With a beta of zero, a forward P/E under 15 and little reliance on the AI trade, the stock offers a growth-and-income profile that does not depend on the AI trade.