Johnson & Johnson is the world's largest and most diverse healthcare firm. It has two divisions: pharmaceutical and medical devices. These now represent all of the company's sales following the divestment of the consumer business, Kenvue, in 2023. The drug division focuses on the following therapeutic areas: immunology, oncology, neurology, pulmonary, cardiology, and metabolic diseases. Geographically, just over half of total revenue is generated in the United States.

This pick list highlights constituents of the Morningstar US Large Cap Index that we believe offer investors the best risk-adjusted return prospects. Stocks of large-cap companies where neither growth nor value characteristics predominate. Stocks in the top 70% of the capitalization of the U.S. equity market are defined as large cap.

Focusing on Min Vol stocks can be a relatively safer investment strategy during turbulent times -- and the current economic environment certainly is challenging. The so-called "Magnificent 7" were leading the markets higher and now are leading the market lower. There was an initial shift from Big Tech to small-caps and then a bit of a shift back. But now there's an overall downshift in equities of all stripes. Meanwhile, the economy is hard to read. The labor market is cooling, inflation hasn't fallen enough, interest rates are still elevated, and yet GDP is steady. Did the Fed wait too long to start cutting interest rates? Yet as the market fluctuates, we note that investors exit equities at their own peril. That's because long-term returns from stocks consistently have outpaced long-term returns from other asset classes. Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point, returns history, indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various periods. Argus has developed a sophisticated approach to Min Vol investing built around our proprietary quality and safety screens. The following is a partial list of stocks (from a range of industries) that we like and that are included in our current thematic Min Vol model portfolio.

Rapidly rising inflation in 2022 knocked stocks into a bear market. While growth strategies suffered the most, value strategies also declined. Even bond prices were lower that year. Stocks have recovered and a new bull market has started, but gains have been largely driven by only a handful of high-tech companies. Inflation remains an issue and the Federal Reserve has yet to lower rates. Is a recession in the offing? With all the uncertainty, what's a potential equity strategy for investors amid all the uncertainty? Argus believes that Min Vol is an all-weather strategy that is timely in any investing climate. Academic literature and, more to the point, returns history, indicate that Min Vol can deliver market-matching returns on an absolute basis and superior returns on a risk-adjusted basis over various time periods.