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.

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.

Booking Holdings offers a variety of online booking services, including airline tickets, car rentals, cruises, hotel rooms, and vacations. Booking Holdings operates in Europe, North America, South America, the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, and Africa. The company's brands, Booking.com, Agoda, KYAK, OpenTable and Priceline, enable customers to reserve hotel rooms anywhere in the world. More than 80% of bookings are international (primarily in Europe). In July 2014, Booking Holdings acquired OpenTable, which provides restaurant reservations online in the U.S. and internationally. In May 2013, it acquired KAYAK Software Corp. KAYAK searches travel sites to obtain the lowest hotel room and airline ticket prices. In 2012, the company bought TravelJigsaw, now called Rentalcars.com, a provider of rental car services in Europe. In 2007, it acquired Agoda, an online travel company offering hotel bookings in Asia. We think management's efforts to expand its services and diversify geographically have enabled the company to gain market share over the past five years. Although some of its competitors entered Europe before Booking Holdings, savvy acquisitions have, in our opinion, enabled the company to become a leader in the European market.

Insider buying tends to get more attention than insider selling. Indeed, Peter Lynch famously noted that 'insiders might sell their shares for any number of reasons, but they buy them for only one: they think the price will rise.' Up until recently, 2024 was a very good year for equity investors, with all-time highs booked on a regular basis. So as insiders grew increasingly cautious over the past few months, it was easy to assume they were simply taking a little off the top. But about four weeks ago, the caution became more pronounced, and we noted in recent commentaries that 'insiders have increased their selling activity;' and then 'insiders continue to...cash in;' and then insider sentiment is 'deeply into bearish territory.' Finally, last week, we detailed that certain sell/buy ratios from Vickers Stock Research were at their most-bearish levels since February of 2023. So insider caution turned into a bearish stampede. More important (and keeping in mind the words of Peter Lynch) is the following: Are insiders starting to think that prices are again attractive? Not yet. Current insider-sentiment readings from Vickers remain very bearish for a third week, with the action on the NYSE especially bleak. Meanwhile, the Insider Index from Vickers now sits at its most-bearish reading since August of 2021. This will all turn eventually -- and we plan to call it out. But for now, playing defense remains the order of the day it seems. On a sector basis, selling by insiders last week was greatest in Information Technology, with shares valued at $114 million sold versus roughly $19 million bought. Buying outpaced selling in Communication Services. This week, analysts at Vickers highlighted insider transactions of interest at Appian Corp. (NGM: APPN) and The St. Joe Co. (NYSE: JOE)