3 Stocks to Buy and Hold Even if There's a Stock Market Sell-Off in the Second Half of 2026
The Motley Fool highlights three stocks it says could hold up in a 2026 market sell-off: EZCORP (EZPW), Carriage Services (CSV), and York Water (YORW). It cites EZCORP’s expansion (control of Founders One; online car title loans in Texas) and gold-linked scrap margin rising from ~22% to ~38%. It notes CSV’s May Knoxville acquisition and $60M credit facility, and YORW’s ~$48M stock offering for capital projects.
How this was made
The 30-second read
Why it matters
It provides concrete expansion/financing/capital-raise details for each company, but it does not introduce a new earnings/regulatory decision or fresh guidance that would force an immediate repricing.
Market read
Traders can use the disclosed financing/capex and margin-sensitivity points as diligence inputs, but the article is primarily a long-hold thesis.
What to watch
For CSV, integration and leverage risk could outweigh acquisition-driven growth; for YORW, regulated return caps and interest-rate moves can dominate the impact of the capital raise.
Background
The piece argues that in a potential second-half 2026 sell-off, three less-popular businesses should hold up because their customers keep spending.
Ticker impact
EZCORP says it took control of Founders One and expanded to ~1,500 stores, plus launched an online Texas car-title loan platform.
Near-term trading impact is limited; the main actionable angle is monitoring gold-price sensitivity and whether scrap margins mean-revert.
The piece provides specific expansion details and scrap-margin figures, but it is still an editorial “buy/hold” framing rather than a fresh filing/print.
Carriage Services entered the Knoxville market via a funeral home acquisition and secured a new $60 million credit facility to fund more deals.
Moderate medium-term support if deal pipeline executes; near-term reaction likely muted because the article is not a new earnings/guidance catalyst.
The $60M facility and acquisition are concrete, but the article does not provide incremental financial guidance or a new regulatory/earnings datapoint.
York Water raised about $48 million in a stock offering to fund its capital program and tuck-in acquisitions across Pennsylvania.
Potentially modest downside/volatility around dilution/utility-rate expectations, with longer-term support from funded capex and acquisitions.
The offering amount and use of proceeds are specific, but the article is still a thematic hold-through-the-storm pitch rather than a new rate decision or earnings print.
Market effects
Reinforces defensive demand narratives for pawn lending, funeral services, and regulated utilities; highlights commodity (gold) sensitivity for pawn-related margins.
No direct regional macro catalyst; only company-specific geographic expansion (EZPW) and Pennsylvania acquisition focus (YORW).
Limited—no cross-border policy, trade, or global macro shock described.
Counterpoint
The article’s “recession-proof” framing may understate cyclicality: pawn volumes can rise in downturns, but credit losses and gold-driven margin normalization could pressure results.
Key entities
- companyEZCORP
Pawn lender expanding via Founders One control and a Texas online car-title loan platform; scrap margins tied to gold are highlighted.
- companyCarriage Services
Funeral home operator restarting growth with a Knoxville acquisition and a new $60M credit facility.
- companyYork Water
Dividend-paying regulated utility raising ~$48M via stock offering to fund capex and small municipal water/wastewater acquisitions.
