History says these 30 controversial stocks are likely to outperform, according to UBS

• Investors gravitate toward the same stocks to their detriment, a new report indicates.

• Companies that Wall Street analysts disagree about tend to outperform over time.

• Here are 30 stocks that analysts are split about right now, according to UBS.

There’s an old saying that remains relevant to investors: If we all think alike, no one is thinking.

Groupthink is prevalent everywhere, including on Wall Street. With the exception of a few outspoken contrarians, investors tend to ride the stock market’s momentum instead of going against the grain since missing a massive rally can be costly — especially for fund managers.

However, picking the same stocks as everyone else can hinder outperformance.

Stocks that equity analysts agree either have a bright or dismal future have historically lagged behind those that the Street is split on, according to a mid-March report from UBS.

The firm found that companies with a higher so-called ratings dispersion from analysts have beaten those with low dispersions by 1.6% a year since the end of 2010. High-dispersion stocks have outperformed their low-dispersion peers 74% of the time in that span, UBS noted.

For reference, high-ratings-dispersion stocks’ returns are better than high growth over low growth and high momentum over low momentum. Even still, this strategy is usually overlooked.

Within this high-dispersion strategy, companies tied to technology or adjacent sectors tend to perform best, according to UBS. Another reason to consider this method is that it has a low correlation to other stocks, which is a risk-management plus.

30 stocks that Wall Street is split on

Since analyst alignment can be a bad omen for companies, it follows that investors should look for firms that can spark debates among those who follow them.

Below are 30 stocks with the highest dispersion in ratings from analysts, sorted alphabetically by sector and within their sector, if applicable. Along with each name is its ticker, market capitalization, and sector. Note that UBS doesn’t necessarily recommend these companies.

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1. Electronic Arts

Ticker: EA

Market cap: $36.6B

Sector: Communication Services

2. Paramount Global

Ticker: PARA

Market cap: $8.1B

Sector: Communication Services

3. Verizon Communications

Ticker: VZ

Market cap: $169.4B

Sector: Communication Services

4. Warner Bros. Discovery

Ticker: WBD

Market cap: $21.7B

Sector: Communication Services

5. CarMax

Ticker: KMX

Market cap: $13.1B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

6. Carnival

Ticker: CCL

Market cap: $21B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

7. Ford Motor

Ticker: F

Market cap: $49.4B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

8. Lululemon Athletica

Ticker: LULU

Market cap: $56.8B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

9. Pool

Ticker: POOL

Market cap: $15.5B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

10. Tesla

Ticker: TSLA

Market cap: $538.8B

Sector: Consumer Discretionary

11. APA Corp.

Ticker: APA

Market cap: $9.8B

Sector: Energy

12. EQT Corp.

Ticker: EQT

Market cap: $15.1B

Sector: Energy

13. American Express

Ticker: AXP

Market cap: $161.4B

Sector: Financials

14. Ameriprise Financial

Ticker: AMP

Market cap: $41.6B

Sector: Financials

15. CME Group

Ticker: CME

Market cap: $78.6B

Sector: Financials

16. Comerica

Ticker: CMA

Market cap: $6.9B

Sector: Financials

17. Northern Trust

Ticker: NTRS

Market cap: $16.8B

Sector: Financials

18. PNC Financial Services

Ticker: PNC

Market cap: $60.9B

Sector: Financials

19. Align Technology

Ticker: ALGN

Market cap: $24B

Sector: Healthcare

20. Amgen

Ticker: AMGN

Market cap: $148.3B

Sector: Healthcare

21. Edwards Lifesciences

Ticker: EW

Market cap: $55.5B

Sector: Healthcare

22. Illumina

Ticker: ILMN

Market cap: $21.1B

Sector: Healthcare

23. Steris

Ticker: STE

Market cap: $23B

Sector: Healthcare

24. Vertex Pharmaceuticals

Ticker: VRTX

Market cap: $107B

Sector: Healthcare

25. Carrier Global

Ticker: CARR

Market cap: $52.6B

Sector: Industrials

26. Caterpillar

Ticker: CAT

Market cap: $170.9B

Sector: Industrials

27. Generac

Ticker: GNRC

Market cap: $7B

Sector: Industrials

28. Old Dominion Freight Line

Ticker: ODFL

Market cap: $47.8B

Sector: Industrials

29. Rockwell Automation

Ticker: ROK

Market cap: $32.9B

Sector: Industrials

30. United Rentals

Ticker: URI

Market cap: $45.5B

Sector: Industrials

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