Don't Miss Out: 3 Blue-Chips Set to Pop This Earnings Season

As we enter a new earnings season, there are several reasons for optimism about the economy. However, potential headwinds remain, causing some investors to focus on what could happen rather than what will or won’t happen.

That’s why investors may take a wait-and-see approach to their investment decisions. Analysts are forecasting an average of 5% year-over-year (YOY) earnings growth for many companies in the S&P 500. There’s good news and bad news in that number.

The good news is that growth expectations have increased in recent weeks, particularly among tech stocks. However, the pace of growth is still expected to be markedly slower than in the prior year.

A key reason for the slowdown is that companies still await certainty around tariffs. The picture has become a little clearer, but until the final numbers are in, companies, analysts, and investors will have a tough time making accurate forecasts.

One way to invest around this uncertainty is to look for large-cap, blue-chip companies. These companies have strong balance sheets with strong cash flow and pricing power.

Here are three stocks that are not only supported by secular growth trends and capable management but are also projected to outpace the broader index in earnings growth during the second half of 2025.

1. Alphabet: An Undervalued Tech Stock Poised for a Strong Comeback

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOGL) has been one of the worst-performing Magnificent 7 stocks in 2025. The primary concern is how the growth of generative AI will impact the company’s search business.

That question will play out over years. However, in the company’s first-quarter earnings report, revenue was up 12% YOY and earnings per share (EPS) were up 49% YOY. That growth was consistent across each of the company’s Services verticals, including YouTube's growing popularity.

But the real growth story continues to be in Google Cloud, which is increasing its revenue faster, on a percentage basis, than Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) and Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) with their AWS and Azure platforms.

Alphabet also has next-stage growth levers such as autonomous driving (i.e., Waymo), AI chip development, and quantum computing. The company continues to invest in each of these initiatives while increasing its free cash flow and announcing a $70 billion share buyback.

The Alphabet analyst forecasts on MarketBeat give GOOGL stock a consensus price target of $199.95, which is an upside of around 13%. That's slightly below the EPS growth expectations of around 14.8%. The stock becomes even more attractive when you consider it’s trading around 20x forward earnings, which is a discount to itself as well as to many technology stocks.

2. Eli Lilly: GLP-1 Lead Will Keep Expanding Despite Growing Competition

Eli Lilly & Co. (NYSE: LLY) was one of the best-performing stocks in 2024, a year dominated by a narrow group of stocks. The good news for LLY stock investors is that as the breadth of the rally expands to more stocks and sectors, LLY stock looks poised to move even higher.

With its Mounjaro and Zepbound GLP-1drugs, the company has built a formidable lead in the GLP-1 category. Eli Lilly is working on an oral version of this treatment that will meet a key patient need.

Investors should also focus on Lilly’s pipeline, which includes potential treatments for Alzheimer’s disease and cancer. These two sectors will likely show strong growth over the next decade.

Since making an all-time high in August 2024, LLY stock is down nearly 15%. However, it’s up nearly 7% since the company delivered its first-quarter earnings, beating YOY revenue and earnings by 45% and 29% respectively. Analysts are projecting earnings growth of more than 34% in the next year. They also give LLY stock a consensus price target of $1,012. That’s a gain of over 31%.

At over 62x earnings, Lilly stock trades at a premium to the broader market— but it’s actually trading at a discount to its historical average.

3. JPMorgan: A Rock-Solid Choice for Uncertain Investors

To many investors, bank stocks are predictable and boring. However, with a total return of over 256% in the last five years, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) continues to make boring beautiful.

Banks have benefited from higher interest rates, which have allowed them to post significant gains in net interest income. However, some investors are concerned about putting their money in bank stocks, as the Fed will likely begin cutting rates in 2025.

But no matter where interest rates move, the strength of JPMorgan’s balance sheet makes it a winner. If interest rates go lower, JPMorgan will see increased loan growth with less risk of default.

Among these three stocks, JPM stock is expected to deliver the most modest earnings growth at 7.2%, still above the S&P average. That’s not unusual for a bank stock. Investors also need to account for the company’s dividend, which has a yield of 1.92%.

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The article "Don’t Miss Out: 3 Blue-Chips Set to Pop This Earnings Season" first appeared on MarketBeat.