Stocks to buy as a recession approaches: UBS screens for high quality
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UBS highlights what to own and avoid as the stock market moves to its next phase and recession risks rise.
Its screens favor higher and improving quality over lower quality and less improvement, strategist Keith Parker wrote in a note. 
The definition of "quality" is not absolute. UBS has said before, but a higher return on capital, higher and more reliable profits and a low debt-to-equity ratio are good hallmarks.
To position, UBS is upgrading technology (XLK) to Overweight from Underweight, led by software (IGV).
It is upgrading Real Estate (XLRE) to Overweight, keeping Healthcare (XLV) Overweight and keeping Consumer Staples (XLP) Underweight.
Financials (XLF) remain Overweight and Industrials (XLI) remain Underweight.
The higher and improving quality stocks:

Synopsys (NASDAQ:SNPS), delta quality 100%
CF Industries (CF), 99%
Coterra Energy (CTRA), 97%
Exxon Mobil (XOM), 97%
Chevron (CVX), 97%
Discover Financial (DFS), 96%
Pfizer (PFE), 95%
Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL), 94%
Trimble (TRMB), 94%
Paychex (PAYX), 94%
Visa (V), 94%
NextEra Energy (NEE), 94%
Coca-Cola (KO), 94%
CBRE Group (CBRE), 92%
Lamar Advertising (LAMR), 92%
U.S. Bancorp (USB), 91%
ConocoPhillips (COP), 90%

The lower and less improving stocks:

Broadridge Financial (NYSE:BR), delta quality 4%
NOV (NOV), 5%
Ameren (AEE), 6%
OGE Energy (OGE), 6%
Ashland Global (ASH), 8%
Aon (AON), 9%
ITT (ITT), 10%
Netflix (NFLX), 11%
Conagra (CAG), 12%

See stocks with strong earnings that Quant Rating grades at the top of the class.