Small- and mid-cap stocks (SMID) have underperformed large-caps over the past 12 months, but may be in a better position to generate market-beating returns going forward. For one thing, SMID companies tend to focus on domestic markets, so their businesses could be less disrupted by the fallout from unrest in the Middle East, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, events related to China, or other geopolitical developments. As well, the prices of SMID stocks generally are lower than the prices of large-caps, with the P/E ratio on the Russell 2000 Small-Cap Index of 13 compared to a trailing P/E of 25 for the S&P 500. Finally, there are long stretches in the record books when SMID stocks have outperformed large-caps. From 2003-2021, for example, the Russell 2000 Index had climbed 450%, compared to an advance of 330% for the S&P 500 index. Here are the stocks with market caps below $20 billion that are on the Argus BUY list and recently were added to Argus' Mid-Cap Theme Model Portfolio.

Southwest Airlines is the largest domestic air carrier in the United States by passengers boarded. Southwest operates over 700 aircraft in an all-Boeing 737 fleet. Despite offering some longer routes and a few perks for business travelers, the airline predominantly specializes in short-haul, leisure flights, using a point-to-point network. Southwest operates a low-cost carrier business model.

Southwest Airlines is a low-fare, low-cost airline based in Dallas. It has more than 56,000 employees and serves 103 destinations in the U.S. and 10 other countries. Its fleet is comprised mainly of Boeing 737s. The company has approximately 750 aircraft, making it the world's largest operator of single-aisle planes. It generated revenue of $26.1 billion in 2023.

The stock market fell back a bit on Friday, with the impact most notable on the likes of the Nasdaq Composite index, semiconductor chipmakers, and recently high-flying stocks such as Nvidia. Time will tell if this is the beginning of a reset for stocks, but this one-day action aligns with recent insider-sentiment data from Vickers Stock Research. Indeed, for more than a month, that data has clearly suggested that corporate executives, directors, and beneficial owners as a group have become increasingly defensive while stocks pushed higher day after day after day. That is unchanged this week.