After back-to-back years of 20%-plus gains in 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 is up another 14.6% in 2025. The S&P 500’s forward earnings multiple of 22.9 is also well above its 10-year average of 18.6, raising concerns about potentially bloated stock prices. In other words, stock selection may be important for investors in 2026.
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The 10 best stocks to buy included below are all recommended by Argus analysts and have a Thomson Reuters consensus rating of “positive,” an Argus A6 quantitative rating of “buy” and a Market Edge rating of “long”:
| Stock | Implied change* |
| W. R. Berkley Corp. (ticker: WRB) | 7% |
| NetApp Inc. (NTAP) | 19% |
| Chubb Ltd. (CB) | 4% |
| Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) | 16% |
| FedEx Corp. (FDX) | -6% |
| Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK) | 4% |
| HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA) | 12% |
| Sanmina Corp. (SANM) | -22% |
| Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO) | 3% |
| Eaton Corp. PLC (ETN) | 13% |
*From Nov. 13 close.
W. R. Berkley Corp. (WRB)
W. R. Berkley is a Connecticut-based insurance company that underwrites a range of commercial insurance and reinsurance products around the world. Analyst Kevin Heal says sticky price hikes and elevated demand for property and casualty insurance will be tailwinds for W. R. Berkley’s business in 2026. In addition, Heal says higher intermediate and long-term interest rates will benefit the company’s fixed-income portfolio, allowing Berkley to invest new insurance premiums and maturing bonds at higher rates. Finally, Heal says the company’s impressive return on equity outshines its competitors. Argus has a “buy” rating and $82 price target for WRB stock, which closed at $76.96 on Nov. 13.
NetApp Inc. (NTAP)
NetApp provides storage hardware, software and services to a wide range of enterprise customers. Analyst Jim Kelleher says NetApp achieved all-time highs in fiscal 2025 for operating profit, gross profit, operating margin and earnings per share on a non-generally accepted accounting principles basis. Despite challenges related to macroeconomic uncertainty and an uneven demand environment, NetApp grew non-GAAP EPS in the mid-single-digit percentage range in fiscal 2025. Kelleher says NetApp has focused on its cloud services business and is positioned to capitalize on the enterprise artificial intelligence market. Argus has a “buy” rating and $130 price target for NTAP stock, which closed at $109.60 on Nov. 13.
Chubb Ltd. (CB)
Chubb is a property and casualty insurance company that provides commercial insurance and reinsurance. The company also underwrites life and health insurance and has a high-end personal lines insurance franchise. Heal says Chubb benefits from its experienced management team, its valuable worldwide brand and its pristine balance sheet. He says Chubb’s underwriting results have been solid and the company has posted record core operating earnings, excluding catastrophes. Heal says Chubb’s margins are improving, its retention rates remain high and its overseas operations are growing. Argus has a “buy” rating and $308 price target for CB stock, which closed at $296.22 on Nov. 13.
Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT)
Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s largest defense, security and intelligence firms and is also an important supplier to NASA and other non-defense government agencies. The company produces missile and targeting systems, as well as mission systems for ships, submarines and aircraft. It also manufactures Black Hawk and Seahawk military helicopters. Analyst Kristina Ruggeri says ongoing geopolitical tensions will support sales, and Lockheed’s overseas revenue provides important geographical diversification. Ruggeri says Lockheed’s technology has been integral to recent U.S. military operations, highlighting its value. Argus has a “buy” rating and $530 price target for LMT stock, which closed at $455.85 on Nov. 13.
FedEx Corp. (FDX)
FedEx is a leading air freight and logistics company that has been a major beneficiary from growth in e-commerce sales. Ruggeri says the shift to online retail and the resilience of the overall consumer sector have been tailwinds for FedEx. However, she says pricing wars and soft industrial demand have been challenges for the company. Fortunately, Ruggeri says FedEx is also relatively insulated from tariff impacts given no international country represents more than 3% of revenue and U.S. sales make up roughly 75% of total revenue. Argus has a “buy” rating and $250 price target for FDX stock, which closed at $267.34 on Nov. 13.
[READ: 5 Best Nuclear Energy Stocks and Funds to Buy Now]
Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK)
Bank of New York Mellon is a trust bank, which involves managing cash for large investment funds, providing day-to-day funding for large corporations and serving as a fixed-income clearing firm. The bank generates much of its income from transaction fees. Analyst Stephen Biggar says Mellon’s updated commercial business model is proving increasingly effective at landing multi-product relationships, producing accelerated product development and generating higher organic growth. Biggar says the bank’s Pershing unit, which focuses on custody, clearing and advisory services, will be a key long-term growth driver. Argus has a “buy” rating and $116 price target for BK stock, which closed at $111.04 on Nov. 13.
HCA Healthcare Inc. (HCA)
HCA Healthcare is one of the largest for-profit health care facilities companies. HCA operates 190 hospitals and 2,400 ambulatory sites of care in the U.S. and U.K. Analyst David Toung says HCA is investing to expand capacity for outpatient surgeries, emergency services, cardiovascular procedures and other high-acuity services that will contribute to profitable growth. Toung says HCA’s sizable free cash flows support its dividend and allow for aggressive share buybacks. Finally, he says the aging U.S. population will serve as a long-term demand tailwind. Argus has a “buy” rating and $530 price target for HCA stock, which closed at $473.28 on Nov. 13.
Sanmina Corp. (SANM)
Sanmina is an electronic manufacturing services company that provides customized services to original equipment manufacturers in industries such as communications, enterprise computing, multimedia, automotive, and defense and aerospace. Kelleher says Sanmina is generating positive momentum in growth areas such as AI networking, providing hyperscale customers with liquid-cooled racks and other offerings. He says Sanmina’s recent acquisition of ZT Systems should boost its portfolio and help the company offset weakness in the automotive market. Kelleher says Sanmina’s global manufacturing network will help it navigate tariff challenges. Argus has a “buy” rating and $120 price target for SANM stock, which closed at $154.54 on Nov. 13.
Cisco Systems Inc. (CSCO)
Cisco Systems provides networking, cloud, and cybersecurity hardware and software solutions. Kelleher says the need for networking and other services for large AI applications is driving carrier, cloud service provider and enterprise network spending, supporting Cisco’s order growth. He says demand for AI inference, AI training infrastructure, AI connectivity, and other AI software and services has been robust in recent years. Looking ahead to 2026, Kelleher says Cisco’s annualized recurring revenue, software revenue, remaining performance obligations and other focus metrics are trending in the right direction. Argus has a “buy” rating and $80 price target for CSCO stock, which closed at $77.38 on Nov. 13.
Eaton Corp. PLC (ETN)
Eaton is a diversified industrial equipment and parts producer that makes electrical systems and components. Ruggeri says Eaton is perfectly positioned to capitalize on megatrends in its major end markets such as electrification, energy transition, digitalization and infrastructure spending growth. Not only does she anticipate record backlogs and strong order trends will fuel long-term earnings growth, she also predicts sustainable share buybacks, margin expansion and revenue growth for Eaton over the next several years. Ruggeri is particularly bullish on Eaton’s high-growth data center business. Argus has a “buy” rating and $400 price target for ETN stock, which closed at $354.07 on Nov. 13.
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10 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2026 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 11/14/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
