The economy is reopening, consumer activity is surging and Americans are beginning their summer travel this Memorial Day weekend.
CNBC's "Trading Nation" asked its traders for two of their top summer picks to watch after the long weekend.
"My pick is the one-stop shop for Memorial Day fun. Where else can you get beach towels, sunscreen in bulk and meat to grill and cases of booze other than Costco?" Nancy Tengler, chief investment strategist at Laffer Tengler Investments, said on Friday.
Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters.
Costco has barely moved this year – rising by just 0.4%, compared with the 45% gain for the XRT retail ETF. The company reported earnings last week.
"We like the earnings report. The stock has sold off because there are concerns over margins but net sales for the quarter were up 22%, ecommerce was up 41% versus Walmart's 37% and versus 66% a year ago. Average transaction size is going up, membership sales are excellent," said Tengler.
Still, the threat of inflation is a worry for Tengler when it comes to this stock and she warns investors to remain cautious.
Local
In-depth news coverage of the Greater Boston Area.
"The company talked about inflation in just about every aspect of their business, which compressed margins, so I wouldn't be in a big hurry but I would dip my toe in here," said Tengler. "It's attractive on our valuation board and it will be a beneficiary of consumers getting out and spending money as they have been but really for the kinds of things we enjoy in the summer like the beach and barbecues."
Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Sandler, is betting on beer company Molson Coors this summer.
"This is a stock that's reversing a multi-year downtrend going back to 2016 and it looks like a big bottom is getting set. And from our perspective, a close above $60 technically suggest another leg higher is starting to unfold," Johnson said during the same interview.
Molson Coors closed Friday at $58.32 a share. It would need to rise by just 3% to hit Johnson's target.
Johnson adds that a return to ballparks and a full season of games will keep Molson Coors thriving this summer
"Fundamentally, think about this, people haven't been out to the ballparks, they haven't been out to games, they haven't been anywhere, so I suspect they're probably going to indulge a bit when they go out to the ballparks and have a couple of beers and I suspect that will [mean] very good on-premise sales numbers coming up for Coors," Johnson said.
Shares have outperformed this year, climbing 29% in more than double the gains of the S&P 500.
Disclosure: Laffer Tengler Investments and Tengler hold COST.
