GOLDMAN SACHS: These 6 stocks are built to stand tall in the face of rate hikes

Ticker: RF

Industry: Financials

Rationale: "We expect a combination of stable expenses, improving loan growth, stronger net interest margins and increased shareholder payouts to help RF deliver on its financial targets."

Ticker: CAT

Industry: Industrials

Rationale: "Machinery’s share of industrial capex is still in the early stages of recovery ... Management’s focus on structurally improving returns on capital and harvesting its investments should drive strong FCF growth through 2019."

Ticker: PSX

Industry: Energy

Rationale: "We see cash flow increasing meaningfully for PSX heading into 2018 as large projects come into service and capex needs step down, which should help sufficiently cover its dividend."

Ticker: CSCO

Industry: Information technology

Rationale: "We see 2018 as a key gross margin inflection point ... CSCO recently raised its quarterly dividend by 14% and we see further upside to payouts."

Ticker: AMGN

Industry: Healthcare

Rationale: "New product cycles, led by approved drug Repatha (high cholesterol treatment) and upcoming approval of Erenumab (migraine drug) should drive the next leg of growth and help offset revenue/margin loss from patent expiry in its base business ... AMGN recently announced a 15% DPS growth rate for 2018 (in line with our estimate) and we see another 10% growth in 2019."

One group of stocks could be poised to defy mounting fears of a trade war