Podcast: ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

Ethical & Sustainable Investing News to Profit By!

ESG Stock Picks for January 2023. Articles include: “Jim Cramer recommends these 5 health care stocks in 2023”; “Goldman Sachs Says Investors Should Buy These 3 Solar Energy Stocks; Sees Over 50% Upside Potential”; “12 Best Solar Energy Stocks to Invest In Heading into 2023”; “8 Best Wind Power Stocks Of 2023”; and many more

Transcript & Links, Episode 97, January 13, 2023

Hello, Ron Robins here. Though a little late, I sincerely wish you a terrific, happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

So, welcome to my first podcast of 2023 episode 97 and published on January 13, 2023, titled “ESG Stock Picks for January 2023” — and presented by Investing for the Soul. Investingforthesoul.com is your site for vital global ethical and sustainable investing mentoring, news, commentary, information, and resources.

Remember that you can find a full transcript, and links to content – including stock symbols and bonus material – on this episode’s podcast page located at investingforthesoul.com/podcasts.

Now if any terms are unfamiliar to you, simply Google them.

Also, a reminder. I do not evaluate any of the stocks or funds mentioned in these podcasts, nor do I receive any compensation from anyone covered in these podcasts. Furthermore, I will reveal to you any personal investments I have in the investments mentioned herein.

Additionally, quotes about individual companies are brief so that I can get as many companies covered as possible in the time allowed. Please go to this podcast's webpage for links to the actual articles for more company and stock information. Also, several companies are covered more than once and there are also 12 article links below that time didn’t allow me to review here.

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1) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

So, let’s start with Jim Cramer recommends these 5 health care stocks in 2023, by Krystal Hur on cnbc.com.

These are the five stocks with brief comments by Krystal Hur.

“Danaher.

Cramer predicted that the company will have a banner year in 2023 and called it ‘one of the best-run companies in any industry.’

Pfizer.

Praising the vaccine maker’s acquisition of Arena Pharmaceuticals, Biohaven and Global Blood Therapeutics, he said that Pfizer stock is a steal.

UnitedHealth Group.

Cramer said that he likes the ‘best-of-breed’ managed health care stock.

Humana.

He called the stock a ‘great turnaround story.’

Edwards Lifesciences.

Cramer says he likes the stock because the company’s underlying business has been strong, despite the stock being down over 43% for the year.

Disclaimer; Cramer’s Charitable Trust owns shares of Danaher and Humana.” End quotes.

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2) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

Now back to familiar territory with this article titled Goldman Sachs Says Investors Should Buy These 3 Solar Energy Stocks; Sees Over 50% Upside Potential. It’s by TipRanks and found on yahoo.com. Here are some quotes from the story.

“Banking giant Goldman Sachs believes the Inflation Reduction Act… clears the way for at least a decade-long runway for stable installation growth across all residential, commercial and utility-scale markets…

We’ve used the TipRanks database to pull up three solar power recommendations by Goldman’s 5-star analyst Brian Lee. Lee has tapped these stocks as buying propositions, and sees them bringing 50% upside – or better…

1. Enphase Energy, Inc. (ENPH)

Inverters, Enphase’s chief product line, convert the DC power to usable alternating current (AC) power suitable for residential and commercial distribution…

Overall, there are 17 recent analyst reviews available on Enphase shares, and these include 14 Buys and 3 Holds for a Strong Buy consensus rating. (See Enphase stock forecast on TipRanks).

2. First Solar, Inc. (FSLR)

… has been in business since 1999 and is the largest US-based maker of photovoltaic (PV) panels, focuses on cutting-edge PV technology, from the manufacture of thin-film PV modules at commercial scale to the maintenance and recycling of spent panels…

Wall Street takes a bullish stance on First Solar. 12 Buys and 5 Holds issued over the previous three months make the stock a ‘Moderate Buy.' (See FSLR stock forecast on TipRanks).

3. Array Technologies, Inc. (ARRY)

… has built its niche around solar tracker technology, needed to keep photovoltaic panels properly oriented to the sun for maximum power production…

Overall, the 9 recent analyst reviews on ARRY add up to a Moderate Buy consensus rating, with 7 Buys, 1 Hold, and 1 Sell. (See Array stock forecast on TipRanks).” End quotes.

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3) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

Continuing on the solar theme is this article titled 12 Best Solar Energy Stocks to Invest In Heading into 2023. It’s by Mohammed Saqib, on Insider Monkey, and found on yahoo.com. Now some quotes on each stock by Mr. Saqib.

“We started with the holdings of Global X Solar ETF (RAYS) and ranked its holdings using Insider Monkey's proprietary hedge fund sentiment data which tracks the holdings of over 900 elite hedge funds.

12. Daqo New Energy Corp. (NYSE:DQ)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 20

Headquartered in Shanghai, Daqo New Energy is a global leader in the production of high-purity polysilicon for the solar PV sector…

On December 5, 2022, Chao Ji, an analyst at Goldman Sachs, reduced her price target on Daqo New Energy to $70 while keeping a Neutral rating on the stock.

11. Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc (NASDAQ:AY)

Hedge Fund Holders: 21

Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure is a United Kingdom-based sustainable infrastructure company that owns, operates, and invests in renewable energy, storage, efficient natural gas and heat, transmission lines, and water assets across North America, South America, and Europe.

10. Shoals Technologies Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SHLS)

Hedge Fund Holders: 21

The company sells EV Charging solutions in the United States for public and fleet electric car charging stations….

On November 16, 2022, Christine Cho, an analyst at Barclays… (said) the company is still in a strong position with improved backlog visibility and a more enticing value proposition.

9. Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ:CSIQ)

Hedge Fund Holders: 22

Canadian Solar is one (of the) world's largest solar technology and renewable energy firms. The company is a major solar photovoltaic module producer and a manufacturer of battery storage projects with a diverse geographical pipeline at various stages of development.

8. Sunnova Energy International Inc. (NYSE:NOVA)

Hedge Fund Holders: 25

Sunnova Energy International provides home solar and energy storage services… Sunnova Energy has roughly 195,000 subscribers…

On December 13, 2022, Biju Perincheril, an analyst at Susquehanna, reiterated his Positive rating on Sunnova Energy International.

7. SunPower Corporation (NASDAQ:SPWR)

Hedge Fund Holders: 26

SunPower Corporation is a leading provider of solar technology and energy services that provides fully integrated solar, storage, and home energy solutions to consumers, mainly in the United States and Canada, through a variety of hardware, software and financing options, as well as Smart Energy solutions.

6. Array Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARRY)

Hedge Fund Holders: 29

Array Technologies is a global utility-scale solar tracker technology…

On December 6, 2022, Michael Blum, an analyst at Wells Fargo, started covering Array Technologies… with… an Overweight rating on the stock.

5. Altus Power, Inc. (NYSE:AMPS)

Hedge Fund Holders: 33

Altus Power is a clean energy electrification company headquartered in Connecticut, USA. The company creates and operates photovoltaic solar energy storage systems…

On December 13, 2022, Ryan Levine, an analyst at Citi, reduced his price target on Altus Power to $10 while keeping a Buy rating on the stock…

4. SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ:SEDG)

Hedge Fund Holders: 44

SolarEdge Technologies is an Israeli company that designs and distributes photovoltaic inverters, energy generation monitoring software, and battery energy storage devices…

On December 14, 2022, Christine Cho, an analyst at Barclays, raised her price target on SolarEdge Technologies to $396 and upgraded the stock’s rating to Overweight.

3. First Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:FSLR)

Hedge Fund Holders: 45

First Solar is a global PV solar energy solutions provider and a major American solar technology company… First Solar… is the world’s largest producer of thin-film PV solar modules.­

On November 14, 2022, Corinne Blanchard, an analyst at Deutsche Bank, started covering First Solar with a price target of $180 and a Buy rating on the stock.

2. Sunrun Inc. (NASDAQ:RUN)

Hedge Fund Holders: 47

Sunrun Inc. is a company that designs and develops home solar energy systems in the United States. Furthermore, the company provides battery storage systems…

On November 11, 2022, Elvira Scotto, an analyst at RBC Capital, reduced her price target on Sunrun to $42 while keeping an Outperform rating on the stock.

1. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH)

Hedge Fund Holders: 59

The company develops and manufactures microinverters, solar panels, and energy storage systems for the residential and commercial markets. Enphase Energy, Inc… operates in more than 21 countries worldwide.

On October 26, 2022, Biju Perincheril, an analyst at Susquehanna, increased his price target on Enphase Energy, Inc. to $310 from $290 while keeping a Positive rating on the stock.” End quotes.

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4) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

From solar, now to wind power with this article titled 8 Best Wind Power Stocks Of 2023, by Cory Mitchell on forbes.com. Due to the structure of the article, I’m going to just list the company names here.

Dominion Energy, Inc. (D) Northland Power (NPI.CA) Eversource Energy (ES) Iberdrola S.A. (IBDRY) Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. (BEP) Vestas Wind Systems (VWDRY) Boralex Inc. (BLX.CA) Orsted A/S (DNNGY)

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5) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

Next is this article America's Most Responsible Companies 2023 by Newsweek and Statista, found on newsweek.com. Some quotes…

“Newsweek has partnered with global research and data firm Statista for our fourth annual list of America's Most Responsible Companies. This year our list includes 500 of the U.S's largest public corporations.” End quotes.

The top five companies are HP (HP), General Mills (GIS), Whirlpool Corporation (WHR), Merck & Co (MRK), and Clorox (CLX).

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6) ESG Stock Picks for January 2023

Now many ethical and sustainable investors -- particularly if they’re looking for income -- will seek ethical dividend-paying stocks. Thus, this article is for them! It’s titled 16 Ethical Dividend Stocks to Invest in Today and is by the Impact Investor on theimpactinvestor.com. Here’re some quotes from the article.

“I pride myself on being an ethical investor…. I sometimes choose ESG stocks… However, I also make investment decisions independent of ESG rankings based on my ethics.

I particularly value companies that provide opportunities for advancement to all their people and help equalize access to the world’s resources. Protecting the environment also is significant for me. I also avoid ‘sin’ stocks…

Of course, I expect a dividend yield from my stocks.” End quotes.

Among the dividend-paying stocks The Impact Investor recommends are: Nestle SA (NSRGY), Proctor & Gamble (PG), 3M (MMM), The Clorox Company (CLX), and Becton, Dickinson and Company (BDX).

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Now some Other Honorable Mentions – no particular order

1. Title: 10 Best-Performing Technology ETFs in 2022 on yahoo.com. By Omer Farooq.

2. Title: 7 Best Socially Responsible Funds on Investing usnews.com. By Jeff Reeves.

3. Title: Brookfield Infrastructure: It's Not Been This Cheap In A Long Time (NYSE:BIP) on seekingalpha.com. By Jonathan Weber.

4. Title: 10 Cheap Solar Stocks to Buy on yahoo.com. By Affan Mir.

5. Title: AvalonBay Communities a Top Socially Responsible Dividend Stock With 3.9% Yield (AVB) on nasdaq.com. By BNK Invest.

6. Title: Got $5,000? 3 Top Infrastructure Stocks to Buy for the Long Term on fool.com. By Reuben Gregg Brewer.

7. Title: 3 Tech Titans Worth Owning in 2023 (and Beyond) on fool.com. By Justin Pope, Will Healy, and Jake Lerch.

8. Title: The Best Energy Dividend Stock for a Decade of Passive Income on fool.com. By Matt DiLallo.

Articles From Outside the US

1. Australia: Some upside surprises, and 8 ethical stocks to watch - livewiremarkets.com. By Australian Ethical.

2. Australia: ASX shares: Six sustainability ETFs worth watching on afr.com. By Tony Featherstone.

3. India: Top 10 companies in India for CSR and Sustainability in 2022 on thecsrjournal.in. By the CSR Journal.

4. Canada: 2023 Responsible Funds Guide by Corporate Knights on corporateknights.com.

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Ending Comment

Well, these are my top news stories with their stock and fund tips -- for this podcast: “ESG Stock Picks for January 2023.”

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Contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you for listening.

Again, wishing you and your family and friends a great 2023!

Talk to you next January 27th.

Bye for now.

© 2023 Ron Robins, Investing for the Soul