Wall Street suffered due to volatility in the first quarter of 2025. U.S. stock markets are likely to close the first quarter on a negative note. This is in contrast to the last two years' performances. 

Out of the three large-cap indexes, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite are in negative territory year to date, while the Dow has remained almost flat. The small-cap benchmarks — the Russell 2000 and the S&P 600 — are also in the negative zone year to date. Similarly, the mid-cap-specific S&P 400 index is also in the red.

Most financial researchers are busy talking about artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, next-generation quantum computing and massive deployment of 5G/6G wireless technologies. While doing this, we are missing out on several non-tech stocks that have thrived year to date. 

Here we recommend five such stocks that have provided double-digit returns year to date. Their current favorable Zacks Rank also indicates more upside in the near term. These are Tapestry Inc. TPR, WEC Energy Group Inc. WEC, CenterPoint Energy Inc. CNP, CME Group Inc. CME and Cardinal Health Inc. CAH. 

Volatility Likely to Continue

Wall Street is likely to remain volatile primarily due to uncertainty regarding the Trump administration’s tariffs and trade policies, as well as their impact on the U.S. economy, particularly on an already elevated inflation rate. 

Moreover, signs of cracks in a resilient labor market, dwindling personal spending reflected in lower-than-expected retail sales, prolonged softness in the manufacturing sector, the Fed’s ambiguity about further lowering interest rates anytime soon and the fear of a near-term recession dampened investors’ sentiment.

5 Non-Tech High Flyers in Q1 to Buy

These five non-tech stocks have provided double-digit returns year to date defying the negative trends of U.S. stock markets. These stocks have seen positive earnings estimate revisions for 2025 over the past 60 days. 

Moreover, these companies are regular dividend payers, which will act as an income stream during the market’s downturn. Finally, each of our picks currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks year to date.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Tapestry Inc.

Tapestry saw robust revenue growth, driven by Coach's exceptional performance, alongside improved profitability. International expansion is yielding positive results in key regions. TPR’s direct-to-consumer and digital strategies continue to be key differentiators, enabling margin expansion and customer engagement in the second quarter of fiscal 2025. 

TPR raised its full-year outlook, reflecting confidence. TPR expects revenues of $6.85 billion in fiscal 2025, suggesting 3% year-over-year growth on a reported basis. This is ahead of the previous guidance of $6.75 billion.

Tapestry has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 3% and 14.5%, respectively, for the current year (ending June 2025). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 6.3% over the past 60 days. CME has a current dividend yield of 1.87%.

WEC Energy Group Inc.

WEC Energy Group continues to benefit from contributions from its organic and inorganic assets. WEC’s strategic investments should strengthen its infrastructure and enable it to serve its customer base efficiently. LNG facilities and renewable assets should assist WEC in achieving its net carbon-neutral target by 2050.

Improving demand from large and small commercial and industrial (C&I) and residential customers is boosting its performance. WEC Energy has sufficient liquidity to meet its near-term debt obligations. We expect total revenues to improve in the 2025-2027 period.

WEC Energy Group has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 9.2% and 8.5%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.2% over the past 30 days. WEC has a current dividend yield of 3.42%.

CenterPoint Energy Inc.

CenterPoint Energy is likely to benefit from increasing electricity demand, backed by rapid electrification of transportation amid rising investments in renewable energy. CNP aims to invest substantially in upgrading its infrastructure. Successful returns from these investments should boost CNP’s long-term growth. CNP boasts a solid solvency position.

With the rapid electrification of the transportation sector, backed by growing clean energy adoption among industries across the board, the utilization of electric vehicles (EVs) has increased manifold in recent times. 

To tap the growth benefits of the EV market, CenterPoint Energy has been investing significantly in building a smarter, cleaner and more resilient ecosystem to meet the needs of EV drivers and fleet operators. To this end, CNP has been actively promoting off-road electrification, including electric forklifts and carts.

CenterPoint Energy has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 2.7% and 8%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.6% over the past 60 days. CNP has a current dividend yield of 2.50%.

CME Group Inc.

CME Group’s strong market position, driven by varied derivative product lines, bodes well. CME’s efforts to expand and cross-sell through strategic alliances, acquisitions, new product initiatives and a stable global presence are encouraging. 

While higher electronic trading volume adds CME’s scalability, product innovation and a growing proportion of volume from customers outside the United States have been driving results. Solid liquidity supports wealth distribution to shareholders.

CME Group offers Bitcoin and Ether options based on the exchange's cash-settled standard and micro-Bitcoin and Ethereum futures contracts. Its options give the buyer of the call/put the right to buy/sell cryptocurrency futures contracts at a specific price at some future date.

CME Group has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 4% and 3.4%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.8% over the past 30 days. CME has a current dividend yield of 1.91%.

Cardinal Health Inc.

Cardinal Health’s Pharmaceutical segment is the second largest pharmaceutical distributor in the United States. CAH’s products and services comprise pharmaceutical distribution, manufacturer and specialty services, and nuclear and pharmacy services, which are expected to be the major driving factors in the quarters ahead. In the past few quarters, this segment has been acting as a key catalyst when it comes to driving growth.

CAH’s Medical and Pharmaceutical offerings provide the company with a competitive edge in the niche space. CAH offers industry expertise and an expanding portfolio of safe products. CAH’s WaveMark is among the first in the industry to improve clinical lab processes with the help of cutting-edge automation. 

Cardinal Health has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of -1.9% and 5.4%, respectively, for the current year (ending June 2025). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 1.3% over the past 60 days. CAH has a current dividend yield of 1.52%.

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CME Group Inc. (CME) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH) : Free Stock Analysis Report

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Tapestry, Inc. (TPR) : Free Stock Analysis Report

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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