Although the state and federal elections have been on many investors’ minds over the past few months, third-quarter earnings season is in full swing—and industry- and company-specific fundamentals ultimately will drive returns.
Most of our picks posted solid third-quarter results, though the growing expectation that the Federal Reserve will hike interest rates by 25 basis points in December has contributed to a rotation out of real estate investment trusts and other dividend-paying equities. Accordingly, the two utility stocks in the Lifelong Income Portfolio trade at reasonable valuations once again.
Here’s how our picks fared during the third quarter. You can find our takes on Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI), AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) in A Big Deal and Third-Quarter Earnings.