Bill Ackman, founder and manager of hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, is one of the most accomplished value investors of his era. Ackman famously made a $2.6 billion profit on a $27 million market hedge during the COVID-19 pandemic and then immediately reinvested that profit on long positions that subsequently made him even more profit.
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Now that value investing legend Warren Buffett has stepped down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (ticker: BRK.A, BRK.B), some investors have shifted their focus to Ackman’s holdings. Here are seven of the best Bill Ackman-owned stocks to buy in 2026, according to CFRA:
| Stock | Implied upside* |
| Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) | 8% |
| Brookfield Corp. (BN) | 30% |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | 3% |
| Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) | 30% |
| Meta Platforms Inc. (META) | 36% |
| Visa Inc. (V) | 35% |
| Mastercard Inc. (MA) | 26% |
*From Aug. 21 closing price, per CFRA price targets.
Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER)
Uber Technologies has developed mobile applications that enable ridesharing service providers and Uber Eats food and delivery service providers to transact with end users. The company generates nearly all its revenue from fees paid by restaurants and drivers for use of its massive, global platform. Uber is Pershing’s largest public stock holding. Uber represents about 12.8% of Ackman’s total portfolio, and his 34.3 million-share stake is worth about $2.4 billion. Analyst Brooks Idlet says Uber will create significant long-term value as a leading robotaxi aggregator. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $85 price target for UBER stock, which closed at $78.80 on Aug. 21.
Brookfield Corp. (BN)
Brookfield is a uniquely structured asset manager that invests in renewable power, real estate infrastructure, insurance and private equity. The company’s asset management business generates high-growth fee revenue, its real estate assets produce steady cash flow and its insurance segment provides access to capital. Like Buffett’s Berkshire, Brookfield is structured as a holding company that can use its insurance “float” as a source of low-cost capital that can be redeployed into high-yield alternative assets. Analyst Kenneth Leon says Brookfield will capitalize on growing demand for alternative assets. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $54.25 price target for BN stock, which closed at $41.69 on Aug. 21.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
Microsoft is the world’s largest software company that is best known for Windows, Office and Azure cloud services. Analyst Angelo Zino says Microsoft has opportunities to leverage its full artificial intelligence stack to profit from infrastructure, applications and everything in between. Zino says he is encouraged by Azure recently crossing $100 billion in standalone annual revenue and Microsoft 365 Copilot reaching 30 million seats. He says copilots, cloud services, OpenAI collaborations and search expansion will help Microsoft further monetize AI technology. Ackman probably also likes Microsoft’s reasonable valuation. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $500 price target for MSFT stock, which closed at $483.24 on Aug. 21.
[Read: 10 Best Growth Stocks to Buy for 2026]
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
Amazon is a market leader in e-commerce and public cloud services. In its recent letter to shareholders, Pershing Square said the negative market response to Amazon’s capital expenditures is an overreaction. Analyst Arun Sundaram says Amazon’s bullish tailwinds include e-commerce automation, Amazon Web Services AI cloud sales, advertising growth and additional margin expansion. Sundaram says live sports and Prime Video have contributed to a growing advertising business, while “other bets” such as Alexa+, LEO satellites and Amazon’s Globalstar acquisition could have huge payoffs down the road. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $335 price target for AMZN stock, which closed at $258.63 on Aug. 21.
Meta Platforms Inc. (META)
Meta Platforms is a market leader in social media and online advertising and is the parent of Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Zino says Meta has an attractive valuation, but it also has impressive cost discipline, AI monetization traction and a resilient core advertising business. Meta is aggressively investing in infrastructure to establish itself as a leader in AI-backed digital advertising, and Ackman is clearly not put off by large capex numbers. Zino says monetization of business subscriptions and AI agents will boost Meta’s future earnings. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $750 price target for META stock, which closed at $549.90 on Aug. 21.
Visa Inc. (V)
Visa is a global credit card leader and owner of the world’s largest electronic payment network. In the first quarter of 2026, Berkshire completely exited stakes in Visa and competitor Mastercard that the company had held since 2011. Ironically, Ackman stepped in and established large stakes in both companies just one quarter later. Analyst Alexander Yokum says Visa has an attractive valuation, improving business fundamentals and an adaptable business. In addition to maintaining its core payments growth runway, Yokum says Visa has also expanded into value-added services. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $500 price target for V stock, which closed at $371.04 on Aug. 21.
Mastercard Inc. (MA)
Mastercard is one of the world’s largest credit card and payments providers. Berkshire’s exit of Mastercard and Visa was reportedly part of the company’s efforts to offload stock positions that had been managed by Todd Combs after Combs left Berkshire for JPMorgan Chase. Ackman apparently believes Combs was on the right track with Mastercard. Yokum says Mastercard has impressive business fundamentals, including nearly 40% of revenue coming from value-added services. He forecasts compound annual earnings growth in the mid-teens percentage range for Mastercard. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $730 price target for MA stock, which closed at $580.63 on Aug. 21.
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7 Best Bill Ackman Stocks to Buy originally appeared on usnews.com