If you followed the Barron’s playbook last year, you’re probably sitting pretty right now.

The publication has just released their scorecard for their 2025 stock picks, and the results are good. In a market environment that had plenty of chop, their basket of 10 stocks delivered a total return of 27.9%, nearly doubling the S&P 500’s respectable 15.3% return over the same period.

Here is the breakdown of how their 10 picks in 2025 performed and, more importantly, where they are betting for 2026.

Big Tech and China led the way in 2025

The outperformance was driven by massive moves in heavy hitters. The standout winner was Alibaba (BABA), which ripped 81.0% higher, followed closely by Alphabet (GOOGL) at 67.5%.

It wasn’t all tech as financials played a big role, with Citigroup (C) rallying almost 60%.

The winners:

It certainly wasn’t a perfect strike rate. Moderna (MRNA) shed 32.2%, while Everest Group (EG) dipped roughly 11%. But when your winners win this big, you can afford a few duds.

The 2026 Picks: Betting on “Laggards Leading”

For the year ahead, Barron’s is pivoting hard. If 2025 was about growth and recovery, 2026 looks like a deep value, contrarian play. Is that a warning to be defensive?

The theme for the new list is explicitly “Laggards Leading,” with a distinct value bent. A glance at the list shows they are fishing in beaten-down waters—several of these names are sitting on significant negative YTD returns.

The Top 10 Picks for 2026:

1. Amazon (AMZN): The odd one out in a value list? Maybe, but it’s the anchor here.

2. Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY): Down 9.5% recently, but paying a hefty 4.9% dividend.

3. Comcast (CMCSA): A true contrarian pick. Down 26.5% YTD with a 4.8% yield and trading at 6.7x 2026 earnings.

4. Exxon Mobil (XOM): Energy remains a staple. It’s curiously rallied lately despite falling oil prices.

5. Fairfax Financial (FRFHF): The Canadian holding company is actually up 27.3% YTD, bucking the “laggard” trend of the list. Still at only 10.2x earnings

6. Flutter Entertainment (FLUT): Betting on the gambler? The stock is down 15.5%.

7. Madison Square Garden Sports (MSGS): Flat performance recently, pure asset play.

8. SL Green Realty (SLG): The scariest chart on the list? Down nearly 35% YTD, but yielding a massive 7.0%. This is a direct bet on a commercial real estate turnaround.

9. Visa (V): A defensive growth play trading at roughly 25x earnings. Long a hedge fund favorite.

10. Walt Disney (DIS): The Mouse House is down slightly YTD, trading at a reasonable 16.5x forward earnings.

The Bottom Line

This is a defensive, high-yield pivot compared to the 2025 list. Barron’s is betting that the high-flyers will cool off and capital will rotate into the dogs of the market—specifically real estate (SLG), media (CMCSA, DIS), and pharma (BMY).

With yields on some of these names pushing 5-7%, they are clearly positioning for a market where total return comes from income rather than just multiple expansion.