By Doug Busch

Looking back at past stock picks offers a useful lens into how market conditions evolve over time. Some ideas played out as expected, while others ran into headwinds that tested conviction. In a market shaped by sector rotation and bouts of volatility, revisiting these calls isn't just about tracking performance. It's about understanding what worked, what didn't, and what that says about where future opportunities may lie next.

This week we discuss the following picks:

   -- American Airlines, introduced by Teresa Rivas in February. 
 
   -- Universal Technical Institute, covered by Dan Victor in September. 
 
   -- Kinder Morgan, written by Teresa Rivas in June. 

This note revisits recent stock picks where new developments favor fresh buy or sell signals. Read last weeks edition here.

American Airlines

The airline stock is up 10% over the past year, but has been under pressure, falling 30% year to date. It trades 35% off its most recent 52-week high and has declined nine of the last 12 weeks. On its ratio chart against the U.S. Global Jets ETF, it has lagged for the last decade. The stock is down 20% since our recommendation.

Looking at AAL's monthly chart one can see how round number theory has come into play at the $10 figure:

Dating back to April-May 2022 two spinning tops at $10 formed a floor and saw a run to $26 a year later. A doji candle appeared in August 2024. Another spinning top appeared last April. Each time the stock bounced off $10, a bearish descending triangle formed. However, I think a solid floor has been built at $10. With a drop in oil prices, AAL could break above the pattern.

Would not not expect a run toward the mid-$50s where the top occurred in July 2017 and February 2018 with dojis recorded, but it is plausible AAL could move toward $17 by early 2027. That represents a gain of 55% from current prices. Remain bullish above $9.25. American Airlines was trading around $11.50 Wednesday.

Universal Technical Institute

The technical education provider is up more than 40% over the past year and is having a dazzling 2026, up 39% so far. The stock trades right at the highs of its three-week winning streak from February, with two of the three weeks rising by 18%. The stock is up 27% since our recommendation.

Looking at the stock's weekly chart, one can see the firm overall uptrend over the last three years:

UTI has been a consistent performer against rivals as seen on the ratio chart against the State Street Consumer Discretionary Select Sector SPDR ETF. Its current double bottom base saw a successful retest of a prior short cup base at the very round $20 level from the summer of 2024. The double bottom pattern began with doji candles during the last week of May and first week of June 2025, and the low occurred where a bullish morning star completed the first week of December. One can enter here just above the $35.10 pivot and look for the stock to move toward $50 by year end, representing a gain of 39% from current prices. Remain bullish above $33. Universal Technical Institute was trading around $36 Wednesday.

Kinder Morgan

The energy infrastructure name is up 31% over the past year, and 21% year to date. The stock pays a 3.5% dividend yield. It is just 4% from its most recent 52-week high. The last four weeks KMI has been digesting an eight-week winning streak that saw it rise 28%. The stock is up 17% since our recommendation.

Looking at the daily chart shows a long consolidation period that started in January 2024 between the rough $25-$30 levels:

Along the way KMI broke above a double bottom pivot of $29 on Jan. 22 (notice the doji candle on Oct. 2 created the trigger). As leading stocks do, it is now offering an add on buy point on the way up, above a bull flag formation. A break above a $34.50 pivot would negate the two recent doji candles from March 3 and March 27 and could see the stock travel toward $41 by year end, representing a 24% gain from current prices. Remain bullish above $32. Kinder Morgan was trading around $32.50 Wednesday.

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Doug Busch is the senior technical analyst at Barron's Investor Circle . His technical view is added to stock picks, including those published exclusively for Investor Circle readers. A glossary of technical terms is updated regularly with new entries.

This content was created by Barron's, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. Barron's is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.

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April 09, 2026 01:29 ET (05:29 GMT)

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