The analysts pick:

1. Visa (V)

• With a $431.58 billion market cap, Visa (V) is the world’s largest publicly traded financial services company. It was responsible for more than 13 trillion transactions in 2021 and works with over 100 million merchants around the globe.
• Visa is sitting comfortably as the world transitions from cash to digital currencies. It also benefits from the gradual rise in prices (inflation). This is because its standard digital money model takes a small cut of all digital transactions.
• Visa has a history of outperforming market expectations. It is no longer the fastest-growing digital payment provider. However, its stability and consistent return on cash make it an attractive investment opportunity.
• Visa suffered a massive blow in revenue in 2020 as a result of the pandemic, but has bounced back with a vengeance. The company faced new challenges in 2022 when it withdrew its services in Russia in response to the conflict in Ukraine. It also had to deal with the aggressive interest rate hikes imposed by the Federal Reserve to tame inflation, which had a huge knock-on effect on global exchange rates. Despite all this, Visa reported a revenue increase of 19% over the year.
• Visa is one of the few companies not to report low profitability during this period of economic disruption. On the contrary, the company's net income increased 32% year- over-year with an almost unbelievable profit margin of 46.6% (as of August 2022).
• Next earnings release: Expected October 22nd, 2022

https://s1.q4cdn.com/050606653/files/doc_financials/2022/q3/Visa-Inc.-Third-Quarter-2022-Financial-Results-Presentation.pdf

3. ASML Holdings (ASML)

• Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ASML Holdings has held up better than many other technology companies in these turbulent times. While it certainly hasn’t been immune to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, it has held its own. Now many investors are contemplating how well the company will handle the current economic crisis and the threat of recession and inflation.
• ASML controls almost 90% of the lithology systems’ market for the semiconductor industry. Some of its biggest customers include Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing and Samsung.
• The company has spent the last two decades developing the latest EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithology machines. These are now being used to create the world’s smallest and most advanced chips.
• ASML is set to be a dominant player in supplying the components for the world’s semiconductor manufacturers in the long term. They have a monopoly on EUV technology lithography machines, and they are needed to continue to make smaller, more efficient chips.
• In 2021, the semiconductor market grew by 26.3%, and ASML generated an impressive €9 billion in sales in the first six months of 2022. The company expects to end the year with 10% growth in revenue over the 2021 total revenue of €18.6 billion. The company’s current backlog confirms that this strong revenue growth is likely to continue.
• Next earnings release: Expected October 25th, 2022

https://russellinvestments.com/uk/blog/market-volatility-drivers-mwir

5. Exxon Mobil (XOM)

• Oil giant Exxon Mobil, trading as XOM, saw share prices rise 4.3% after the release of its Q2 reports. It was a mixed report which saw sales lower than expected, but profits far exceeding predictions. Analysts predicted investors would earn $3.74 per share but the company far exceeded this by earning $4.14 per share instead.
• Ramped-up production, almost record high oil prices and margins coupled with aggressive cost controls all helped Exxon achieve its most profitable quarter ever. Exxons earnings grew more than 280% year-on-year.
• Exxon built up an exceptional cash flow and reinvested its money in its refinery business. Exxon has also increased its annual dividend to $15 billion.
• It’s true that higher oil prices are clearly a positive for ExxonMobil’s bottom line: it doesn't have as much downside from lower oil prices as some of the upstream oil companies due to its comprehensive refining and chemicals businesses.
• A pullback in July has reduced shares 20% from their 52-week high, creating an attractive entry point for investors, even when you take into account the 40% gain over the previous 12 months.
• Next earnings release: Expected November 4th, 2022

https://www.barrons.com/articles/exxon-stock-dividends-buybacks-51652201225

https://corporate.exxonmobil.com/-/media/Global/Files/investor-relations/quarterly-earnings/earnings-announcements/2022-earnings-announcements/2q-earnings-release.pdf