Look, we’ve all been there. Someone mentions “buy and hold forever” stocks and you immediately think of your uncle’s dusty portfolio filled with companies that peaked when flip phones were cool. But here’s the thing – sometimes the crowd actually gets it right.
A fancy new system called the “Social Heat Score” (yes, that’s a real thing) has been tracking what people are actually talking about online. Think of it as the stock market’s version of checking if a restaurant is actually good by seeing how many people are posting about it on Instagram. Except instead of overpriced avocado toast, we’re talking about companies that might actually make you money.
Dollar General: The Walmart That Actually Fits in Your Town
First up is Dollar General (DG), which scored a whopping 91.5 on the social heat meter. Before you roll your eyes at “another retail stock,” hear me out. This isn’t your typical strip mall disaster waiting to happen.
Dollar General has cracked the code that even Amazon struggles with: being everywhere people actually need stuff. With 20,000 stores, they’re basically the corner bodega of rural America, except they sell everything from groceries to – and I’m not making this up – Dolly Parton kitchenware.
The genius part? Even rich people are shopping there now. When your CEO casually mentions that “customers with a little extra money in their pocket” are trading down to your stores, that’s not a red flag – that’s a moat the size of Texas.
Advance Auto Parts: The Comeback Kid Nobody Saw Coming
Next is Advance Auto Parts (AAP), which sounds about as exciting as watching paint dry. But sometimes the best investments are hiding in the most boring places.
This company has been the automotive retail equivalent of that friend who keeps saying they’re going to get their life together – except this time, they actually might be doing it. After years of being the worst performer in their space, they’ve got a new CEO who seems to know what he’s doing.
The stock is down 75% from its highs, which in finance speak means “either this is a screaming buy or it’s going to zero.” Given that analysts expect profits to jump 58% next year, it’s looking more like the former.
Alibaba: The Chinese Tech Giant That Actually Makes Money
Finally, there’s Alibaba (BABA), which has been so beaten down that people forgot it’s actually a pretty incredible company. While everyone’s obsessing over ChatGPT, Alibaba quietly built an AI model called Qwen3 that’s almost as good – and cheaper to run.
Here’s the kicker: their cloud business now makes more money than their original e-commerce empire. It’s like if Amazon’s AWS division became more profitable than their retail business, except it actually happened and nobody noticed because, well, China.
Trading at just 18 times earnings while sitting on world-class AI tech? That’s what we call a “no-brainer” in the business.
The bottom line: sometimes the internet knows what it’s talking about. These three companies have both the social buzz and the fundamentals to potentially reward patient investors. Just don’t blame me if your portfolio starts looking suspiciously smart.