Low-Beta Stocks to Own Amid Uncertainty: JJSF, USAC, NGS & COCO
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December 18, 2025 — 07:06 am EST Written by Nilanjan Banerjee for Zacks-> CNBC reports that investors are preferring safer, more stable stocks since they expect uncertainty ahead. Investors are also nervous as some companies are preferring more complex borrowing methods to fund data center projects, according to CNBC. Thus, it seems that markets will remain uncertain.Thus, to sail through the uncertainty, one can bet on low-beta stocks like J & J Snack Foods Corp. JJSF, USA Compression Partners, LP USAC, Natural Gas Services Group, Inc. NGS and The Vita Coco Company, Inc. COCO.Beta measures the volatility or risk of a particular asset compared to the market. In other words, beta measures the extent of a security’s price movement relative to the market. In this article, we are considering the S&P 500 as the market.If a stock has a beta of 1, then the price of the stock will move with the market. So, the stock is more volatile than the market if its beta is more than 1. In the same way, the stock is not as volatile as the market if its beta is less than 1.For example, if the market offers a return of 20%, a stock with a beta of 3 will return 60%, which is overwhelming. Similarly, when the market slips 20%, the stock will sink 60%, which is devastating.We have taken a beta between 0 and 0.6 as our prime criterion for screening stocks that are less volatile than the market. However, this should not be the only factor to be considered while selecting a winning strategy. We need to take into account other parameters that can add value to the portfolio.Percentage Change in Price in the Last 4 Weeks Greater Than Zero: This ensures that the stocks saw positive price movement over the last month.Average 20-Day Volume Greater Than 50,000: A substantial trading volume ensures that the stocks are easily tradable.Price Greater Than or Equal to $5: They must all be trading at a minimum of $5 or higher.Zacks Rank Equal to 1: Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks indicate that they will significantly outperform the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.Here are four of the 30 stocks that qualified for the screening:J & J Snack Foods J & J Snack Foods is a well-known name in the snack food industry. The company has a strong balance sheet and is highly focused on returning capital to shareholders. JJSF has a negligible debt load with a much higher cash balance and is determined to accelerate repurchases of stock.USA Compression PartnersUSA Compression Partners is a renowned name in the natural gas compression business. It is well-positioned to benefit from rising demand for cleaner fuels and higher LNG export volumes. On its latestearnings call USAC unveiled its plan to add most of its new equipment by year-end, setting the stage for further growth next year.Natural Gas Services The United States is sending more natural gas overseas as Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG). To do this, gas needs to travel through pipelines to coastal export terminals. This creates higher demand for Natural Gas Services’ compression equipment to push the gas through the pipelines. So, as more LNG is exported and more pipelines are built, companies like NGS benefit by renting out more of their compression machines.The Vita Coco CompanyCOCO is a well-known producer of healthy and natural drinks. In the United States, The Vita Coco Company is known for its leading coconut water brand. In this business category, COCO is thriving since demand for coconut water is booming across every region, highlighting a strong business outlook.You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your two-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.The Research Wizard is a great place to begin. It's easy to use. Everything is in plain language. And it's very intuitive. Start your Research Wizard trial today. And the next time you read an economic report, open up the Research Wizard, plug your finds in, and see what gems come out.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material.Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: https://www.zacks.com/performance. Want to be tipped off early to our 10 top picks for the entirety of 2026? History suggests their performance could be sensational. From 2012 (when our Director of Research Sheraz Mian assumed responsibility for the portfolio) through November, 2025, the Zacks Top 10 Stocks gained +2,530.8%, more than QUADRUPLING the S&P 500’s +570.3%. Now Sheraz is combing through 4,400 companies to handpick the best 10 tickers to buy and hold in 2026. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these stocks when they’re released on January 5. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free reportVita Coco Company, Inc. (COCO) : Free Stock Analysis ReportJ & J Snack Foods Corp. (JJSF) : Free Stock Analysis ReportNatural Gas Services Group, Inc. (NGS) : Free Stock Analysis ReportUSA Compression Partners, LP (USAC) : Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchThe views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.This data feed is not available at this time.