11
The Best Stocks To Buy Now
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Compare the Best Stocks To Buy
The Best Stocks to Buy Now
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
Best for semiconductor enthusiasts
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
Forward P/E
P/E
1-year return
AMD is one of the darlings of the semiconductor industry.
The stock has been ablaze with excitement surrounding artificial intelligence stocks. Intel is one of AMD’s primary competitors. But the Santa Clara, California-based company has managed to dig in its heels and gain market share in the CPU, GPU and data processing space. The firm continues to grow in key markets, mainly high-performance computing, gaming and AI. Revenue growth has been solid. AMD’s first-quarter revenue from the 2026 fiscal year was up 38% year over year. The semiconductor smashed expectations, with an earnings beat of $0.08 per share. Diluted EPS clocked in at $0.84 per share.
Analysts expect AMD to continue full steam ahead, with growth estimates of more than 75% in 2026.
Regarding competition pressure, Nvidia still reigns supreme in the AI GPU space, which limits AMD in that lucrative market. The company also relies on the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) for its chip production.
- Consistent gains in market share in the CPU space
- Financial momentum
- Growth in key AI markets
- A high P/E that sparks valuation concerns
- Exposure to geopolitical risks because of its international supply chain
- Nvidia’s dominance in the GPU space
Broadcom (AVGO)
Best for AI workloads
Broadcom (AVGO)
Forward P/E
P/E
1-year return
AVGO is a “picks and shovels” stock. In other words, you can be exposed to other Big Tech names like Alphabet or OpenAI. Those “big shot” companies partner with Broadcom.
AVGO holds the majority of the market share for application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs). Broadcom has also been very strategic in acquisitions; AVGO acquired VMware in 2023 for $69 billion, a move that expanded Broadcom’s reach into cloud computing and virtualization.
Sales will continue with a hot streak, expected to grow over 61% in the 2026 fiscal year. Earnings per share (EPS) beat expectations for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, clocking in at $2.44 per share.
As a sign of AVGO’s strength, the company announced a $10 billion share repurchase program through December 2026—a stance that should, in theory, increase share prices and improve EPS.
AVGO is also different than many other tech companies in that it actually offers a dividend, although a modest one, at $0.65 per share.
A potential con: Broadcom is exposed to the smartphone market. In the past, Apple has represented 20% of AVGO’s net revenue, and now Apple is creating its own Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chips. In fact, Apple introduced its own wireless networking chip in October 2025.
- Strategic acquisitions to diversify the business
- A big player in ASICs
- Pays a cash dividend
- Lower gross margins on custom AI chips
- High stock valuation, also potentially overbought in early 2026
KLA Corp. (KLAC)
Best for semiconductor adjacent exposure
KLA Corp. (KLAC)
Forward P/E
P/E
1-Year Return
KLA provides equipment and services to semiconductor manufacturing, and its products are integral to the process. This positions the company well in a high-growth field.
This is another “pick-and-shovel” stock pick with exposure to the semiconductor industry, which performed well in 2025, and continues to do so because of the AI boom. For those new to the lingo, “pick-and-shovel” is a stock strategy of choosing suppliers that are part of the infrastructure for a booming industry.
If you’re wondering about KLA’s clients, these are names you’ve probably heard of before: Intel, TSMC, Samsung, Nvidia and more.
Because many of KLA’s customers are based in Asia, there is some geopolitical risk if trade and export tensions continue to exist between the U.S. and China. KLA’s stock also trades at a reasonably high multiple.
- Strong market position
- Growth potential within the semiconductor industry
- Solid financial performance
- Dependence on a few semiconductor manufacturing companies
- Exposure of geopolitical risks in Asia
- High valuation
Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR)
Best for automotive exposure
Monolithic Power Systems (MPWR)
Forward P/E
P/E
1-Year Return
There’s a long laundry list of business areas that MPWR supports—from consumer electronics and power solutions for computing storage to components that support electric vehicles.
The West Palm Beach, Florida-based AI company notched record quarterly revenue of $804.2 million with its Q1 2026 earnings report —26.1% higher year over year.
More than two-thirds of the company’s revenue is represented by its businesses in enterprise data, storage and automotive. According to the MPWR’s 10-K filing with the Securities Exchange Commission, “Storage and computing was our largest end market in 2025, closely followed by enterprise data.”
Analysts expect the stock to outpace the S&P 500, growing at more than 30% in 2026.
- Consecutive quarters of EPS growth
- Diversified across multiple business segments
- Expensive stock price
- Exposure to supply chains in China and Taiwan
- Foreign exchange exposure
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB)
Best for industrial stock
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies (WAB)
Forward P/E
P/E
1-Year Return
Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies, the long name for the company that goes by Wabtec, provides passenger and freight rail products and locomotives. In January 2026, the company inked a $386 million order with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), providing more battery-diesel locomotives to update New York City’s transit system. Wabtec operates internationally, too, with multiple contracts to provide rail components to metro and rail projects across India.
In WAB’s most recent earnings, the company Q1 of fiscal year 2026 reported sales up by 13% year over year. The company reported that sales were driven by its freight and transit segment. In terms of earning trends, the company, through Q1 of fiscal 2026, boasts four consecutive EPS beats.
- Consecutive EPS growth
- Positive net margin
- Exposed to supply chain issues
- Foreign exchange rate exposure from international sales
Methodology: How we score our products
The top stocks listed above all meet the following criteria and are traded on major U.S. stock exchanges:
- Analyst Consensus of “Buy” or Better: A high number of “buy” ratings from analysts suggest the stock is expected to outperform the broader market.
- Market Capitalization of $10 Billion or More: Companies with a market cap of over $10 billion typically dominate their industries and possess competitive advantages. Smaller companies, with market caps under $10 billion, tend to receive less attention from the media and analysts and carry higher investment risks.
- Altimeter Overall Grade of “B” or Higher: Only stocks rated “B” or above by Altimeter are included. This grade reflects factors like profitability, earnings stability, valuation and growth expectations. Stocks that score “B” or better rank in the top quarter of over 5,000 companies in Altimeter’s database, signaling strong potential for improving returns and favorable valuations.
- Positive Earnings-Per-Share Growth: For our analysis, we looked at stocks that had delivered positive EPS growth over the past five years, which is an indicator of strong financial and profitability performance. We also screened for stocks that had positive projected EPS growth for 2026.
Top Performing Stocks This Year
While the highest returns might look flashy, it’s important to remember that a stock’s performance is backward-looking and not an indicator of future returns. That’s why we curated a shortlist of stocks above based on methodologies to screen for risks and future projections.
But it’s only natural to be curious about the heavy hitters that are performing well this year. That’s why listed below are the top performing stocks in the S&P 500 based on year-to-date returns.
What To Look for When Buying Stocks
When shopping for stocks, it’s important to do your due diligence with research and understand key metrics in the decision-making process.
You can easily find a company’s financial statements on Yahoo Finance and Google Finance. From there, you can examine metrics and data within those reports, such as revenue, profit margins and earnings.
Metrics help investors gain insight into a company’s overall financial health. You’ll also want to consider the company’s future growth since that will affect stock appreciation and earnings. Look through reports, stay current on the news and follow expert analysis. Many stock analysts also examine the company’s overall management team and leadership. That way, they can understand how strategic decisions are made.
If you’re new to investing, you’ll want to look for companies with a competitive edge, with the potential for growth and stability. Valuation is also important, where metrics like a stock’s price-to-earnings or price-to-book ratios come into play. When compared to a company’s industry peers, these metrics can help you gauge whether a stock is overvalued or undervalued.
To sum up, before making a stock purchase, apply research and learn What Is the Stock Market.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How long should I hold these stocks?
How long you should hold stocks depends on your objectives and what the market is doing. In general, most investors build wealth by holding stocks long term. Our picks for the best stocks to buy now include a lot of technology and semiconductor stocks. These industries have done extremely well over the past several years and are likely to do so for the next few years at least. But will they still do well in 20 years, or will some of these companies be replaced by the next innovation? You’ll have to keep up with industry trends to know when the best time to sell is and you probably won’t get the timing perfectly right. That’s part of the risk of investing in individual stocks.
How much should I invest in stocks?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. If you’re younger, you have a longer time horizon and can allocate more of your investment portfolio. In other words, you have some wiggle room to be riskier, allocating up to 70% to 90% of your portfolio to stocks.
As you approach retirement, you need to be slightly more conservative with your investments. It is typically recommended that you trim your stock portfolio allocation to around 60% to 70% by the time you are in your 40s or 50s. As you age, you want to turn more to bonds and cash holdings for stability and lower risk tolerance.
If you still need more help, a financial advisor can help you tailor your strategy based on your specific needs and circumstances.
Disclosures
- [1]INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE
[2]Other fees, such as exchange fees, may apply. Please view our fee disclosure to view a full listing of fees.