Stocks stumbled out of the gate in September. Use these hedges to guard against volatility, Evercore ISI says

* Evercore ISI recommends negative beta stocks to hedge September volatility. * Screen identified 115 S&P 500 stocks with negative 6-month betas. * Energy, utilities, financials and staples dominate the top 20 list. Evercore ISI advises investors to use negative-beta stocks as a volatility buffer this September. The firm screened the S&P 500 for stocks whose daily moves over the past six months ran opposite the index, identifying 115 names. From those, 20 stocks with the most negative betas were highlighted; energy, utilities, financials and consumer staples dominate the list. Energy names are viewed as a "synthetic put" on oil-price shocks, with Occidental Petroleum (beta -1.23) and Chevron (beta -0.90) cited. Defensive staples picks include Kroger and Altria.