Hot or Not, Stock Market Edition: 04/22/2025

It’s been a bumpy ride so far in 2025. Here’s a look at some of the best and worst stocks of the year after the first quarter.

• HOT: Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ: SFM) is a shining star in 2025; investors are going for the gold (literally) with stocks like Royal Gold (NASDAQ: RGLD) 
• NOT: Despite its best efforts, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is having an ugly 2025; Boeing (NYSE: BA) still hasn’t recovered from its 2024downturn

P.S. For more stocks making moves, check out our new Zen Ratings Upgrades & Downgrades screener.

🔥 HOT: Few stocks capture the volatility of 2025 as Sprouts Farmers Market (NASDAQ: SFM). The fresh produce-focused grocery store has returned 25% YTD but has soared as high as 40% in mid-February and fallen as low as 2% in mid-March. If you have a weak stomach for volatility, we recommend steering clear of this one. But SFM’s Momentum, Growth, and Financials all get B scores, and we give the stock an overall Zen Rating of B with a Buy recommendation.

🥶 NOT: Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) is finally prioritizing development speed and innovation under the direction of its new CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, but it may be too little, too late. INTC is down 6.4% YTD, which doesn’t sound too bad until you look at its price chart. The stock put in an enormous double top and has fallen 31.4% from its yearly high. Intel has been getting its clock cleaned by AMD in the consumer CPU space for years, and with Nvidia maintaining its stranglehold on chips aimed at AI workloads, there’s not much room at the table for Intel. We give INTC a Strong Sell recommendation and a Zen Rating of F.

🔥 HOT: Gold as a safe haven during uncertain economic times is a tale as old as time, one that still holds true in 2025. Royal Gold (NASDAQ: RGLD) is a gold mining company that provides exposure to gold and other precious metals for investors. Oh, and shares of the company are up 38.7% YTD. There’s not much that needs to be said other than RGLD is one of the best ways to get exposure to gold if you’re worried about a recession. The company gets solid B ratings in Sentiment, Financials, and Momentum, and an overall Zen Rating of A. (P.S. Here’s another gold winner we’re watching.)

🥶 NOT: Boeing (NYSE: BA) has lost 9.2% so far this year, which actually isn’t bad considering the S&P 500 is down 10.7%. Boeing’s business was ravaged by last year’s scandal concerning quality checks of its planes, and now it’s contending with headwinds from the fallout related to the U.S.’s new tariff policy. If other countries seek non-U.S. manufacturers for their aircraft going forward, it could put a big dent in Boeing’s bottom line. Right now, we give BA respective D ratings for Value and Financials and an F rating for Sentiment. All things considered, we’ve settled on an F Zen Rating and a Strong Sell recommendation for BA.

What to Do Next?

• 200 Stocks to Sell Now >
• See All “A” Rated Stocks with +32.52% Average Annual Return >
• 2 New Stocks to Buy from Steve Reitmeister >

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