Energy drink demand is showing up where it counts: volumes, utilization, and follow-through. 

If you want to catch value being rebuilt through real demand rather than hype, this is worth your attention.

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Industrials

Ball Corporation (NYSE: BALL) has quietly worked its way back into the conversation after a stretch where sentiment ran ahead of reality.

Fourth-quarter results landed better than expected, and the reaction wasn’t subtle... shares jumped as investors started pricing in stronger execution rather than lingering doubt.

Analysts followed quickly, lifting price targets as visibility improved around margins, volumes, and capital discipline under new leadership.

What makes this interesting isn’t just the post-earnings pop.

Beverage can volumes are growing faster than the broader industry, capacity is tightening ahead of new plants coming online, and management is clearly focused on profitable growth instead of expansion for its own sake.

If you’re looking for value that’s being rebuilt through execution rather than optimism, this setup deserves a closer look.

Volumes and Operating Discipline Start to Show Through

Management highlighted strong volume growth in North and Central America, which outpaced overall industry demand.

Manufacturing discipline and network optimization are helping translate that demand into steadier margins, which makes the recent earnings beat feel repeatable rather than lucky.

Capital Returns Reinforce the Reset Story

Roughly $1.54 billion was returned to shareholders through dividends and buybacks, a reminder that cash flow remains healthy.

That capital discipline adds credibility to the turnaround narrative and gives you downside comfort while execution continues to improve.

Insurance

The Hartford Insurance Group (NYSE: HIG) continues to do what good insurers are supposed to do: grow premiums, manage risk, and return capital without making a spectacle.

Fourth-quarter results came in strong, with revenue up year over year and earnings well ahead of expectations.

Analysts responded by nudging price targets higher, pointing to stable underwriting margins, improving visibility around capital returns, and healthier net interest income.

This isn’t a turnaround story; you’re looking at a company executing within its lane. Business Insurance continues to perform, Personal Insurance profitability has improved, and Employee Benefits remains steady.

If you like insurers that quietly compound rather than surprise, this setup probably feels familiar... in a good way!

Underwriting and Expense Control Drive Consistency

Lower catastrophe losses and better expense discipline helped convert premium growth into real earnings power.

That’s the kind of operational improvement you want to see if you’re trusting an insurer through different market cycles.

Add a Cushion

Ongoing share repurchases and strong core ROE reinforce balance sheet strength.

For you, that means downside support while management keeps allocating capital with discipline instead of chasing growth.

Financial Services

Ameriprise Financial (NYSE: AMP) just delivered one of those quarters that doesn’t require mental gymnastics to explain.

Revenue cleared expectations, client activity stayed healthy, and earnings followed through without drama. Analysts responded by lifting price targets, pointing to strong advisor-driven flows, steady margins in the wealth management business, and easing concerns around recruiting pressure that had hung over the name since late 2024.

This isn’t a bargain-bin value story, and it doesn’t pretend to be. It’s a quality value.

Returns on equity remain among the strongest in the space, and capital returns continue to run north of 100% of adjusted operating earnings.

If you’re comfortable paying for consistency instead of optionality, this setup probably already makes sense to you.

Client Flows Support Earnings Quality

Growth this quarter was driven by existing advisors, not flashy deals or financial engineering.

Strong wrap flows signal engaged clients and repeatable revenue, which matters more than one-time wins if you’re thinking beyond the next headline.

Capital Discipline Remains the Anchor

A fresh dividend and continued capital returns reinforce balance sheet confidence.

For you, that combination helps keep downside risk contained while the business compounds steadily, quarter after quarter, without needing perfect market conditions.

Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) still looks like the market’s idea of a utility, but the recent quarter showed real progress where it actually counts.

Postpaid phone additions came in stronger than expected, cost discipline is tightening, and management is clearly steering the ship toward free cash flow instead of headline growth.

Analysts raised targets not because Verizon suddenly became exciting, but because execution is improving and expectations remain manageable.

For you, this is about owning something that doesn’t need perfect conditions to work. If you like names where cash returns do most of the heavy lifting and surprises tend to be modest but positive, Verizon fits that profile better than the price action suggests.

The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) took a sharp hit after earnings, but the underlying business didn’t unravel the way the stock's move might imply.

Revenue beat expectations, policy counts continued to grow, and profitability stayed intact even as premiums were adjusted lower for select customers. Several analysts noted the move looked more like positioning and sentiment resetting than fundamentals breaking down.

That matters if you’re thinking beyond the next few sessions. For you, the real variables remain underwriting discipline and catastrophe exposure, not quarter-to-quarter noise.

If those stay in check, this looks less like a problem stock and more like one that needs time to reprice calmly.

Newmont Corporation (NYSE: NEM) is less about company-specific surprises and more about macro forces reasserting themselves.

Analyst targets jumped after higher long-term gold price assumptions, and Newmont’s size gives it direct leverage to that shift without needing heroic execution. The business is diversified across regions and metals, which helps smooth operational risk when sentiment swings.

For you, this is exposure to a backdrop where uncertainty, central bank buying, and geopolitical tension are back in the conversation.

If you want gold exposure that’s straightforward and liquid, Newmont is the kind of name you keep on the shortlist and size deliberately.

That's our coverage for today; thanks for reading! Reply to this email with feedback or any value names you'd like us to dig into.

Best Regards,
—Noah Zelvis
Undervalued Edge