Stocks With Strong Buy Rating
When seeking out the best stocks to buy now, investors will need to be brave and patient in regard to timing, as well as agile as the stock market eventually transitions from bear market to bull market. Go ahead and add resolute to the character traits you'll need this year, because many market strategists say you can't get from one market to the other without going through a recession first.
stocks with strong buy rating
Given the uncertain, sometimes roiling backdrop for stocks, where should investors look when seeking out the best stocks to buy now? A popular piece of advice among Wall Street strategists now is to resist the bargain-basement appeal of the most beaten-up stocks and focus instead on high-quality shares. "Investors should avoid volatile names and be cautious on both deep-value and unprofitable growth companies," says Koesterich. "Instead, emphasize quality with a focus on earnings consistency and good profitability."
Now may be a good time to tilt toward value-oriented companies and small-cap stocks, both longtime underperformers that are showing signs of new life. Over the past five years, for example, the S&P 500 Value Index (opens in new tab) has returned 6.2% annualized, compared with 9.1% for the S&P 500 Growth Index (opens in new tab). Through early 2023, value has outperformed growth, with a 4.1% return compared to growth's 3.8% gain. "We would stick with value. These cycles last a while," says Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at money management firm Carson Group (opens in new tab). Sectors typically grouped in the value style include energy, financials, industrials and materials.
So, with all of this in mind, here are 12 of the best stocks to buy now. The names featured here vary by size and industry and are not meant to compose a diversified portfolio. But all, for one reason or another, are well positioned to benefit from a transition to a bull market from a bear market in 2023.
Take Advanced Micro Devices (AMD (opens in new tab), $76.61), a leading semiconductor manufacturer. Analysts have mixed ratings on one of Wall Street's best semiconductor stocks in part because an economic slowdown and negative investor sentiment are near-term obstacles.
Haliburton (HAL (opens in new tab), $35.71) is one of the world's largest energy services companies, according to Argus Research (opens in new tab), with more than 40,000 employees and operations in over 70 countries. It supplies products and services to assist in energy exploration and production, from locating the oil to constructing and completing the well to managing geological data.
Deckers Outdoor (DECK (opens in new tab), $402.61) may be known for its Uggs brand of cozy sheepskin footwear, but analysts at BofA Securities (opens in new tab) believe that the small-midsize company's crown jewel is its HOKA brand running shoes, with a (pun intended?) "clear runway for growth." BofA expects HOKA brand sales to double to $2.2 billion by fiscal year 2025 (ending March 31). Total company revenues in fiscal 2022: $3.2 billion.
BofA likes DECK'S historically conservative management team, which has a strong track record of beating expectations. In short, Deckers is a "high-quality stock with a compelling growth trajectory," say the analysts.
Matador Resources (MTDR (opens in new tab), $52.38) is an oil and gas exploration and production company that has risen alongside its fellow energy stocks over the last 12 months. Specifically, MTDR stock is up more than 20% year-over-year.
Even with its impressive growth on the charts, MTDR is one of best values on this list of the best stocks to buy now. Shares are currently trading at just 5.1 times forward earnings, well below Matador's five-year average of 11.2.
Why is Merck (MRK (opens in new tab), $109.16) on this list of the best stocks to buy now? The pharmaceutical giant is known for its high returns over the past decade. Analysts are upbeat toward MRK, too, as evidenced by a consensus rating of Buy. Of the 27 analysts that follow Merck tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence, 13 say it's a Strong Buy, seven have it a Buy, six call it a Hold and one rates it at Sell.
Speaking for the bulls is Credit Suisse (opens in new tab) analyst Trung Huynh, who has an Outperform (Buy) rating on MRK. "Change is afoot with a new management team, which faces the patent expiration of its most important asset, Keytruda, by year-end 2028," Huynh writes in a note to clients. "However, MRK's high, consistent earnings growth, which is considerably above peers, should be the key to outperformance over the next few years."
Lululemon Athletica (LULU (opens in new tab), $316.54) is a retailer of leisure attire. The stock is relatively flat in the last 12 months, despite comparable-store sales rising 22% in the last reported quarter compared with a year earlier. Rarely do you get to buy such a fabulous company at a price that appears so depressed.
"Our bullish outlook reflects the company's strong recent performance and our expectations for further growth in the oilseeds business and improvement in the origination and nutrition division," says Argus Research analyst Taylor Conrad (Buy). "The balance sheet is clean and management signaled confidence with the increased dividend."
Sell-side analysts work at investment banks and are the ones who will issue recommendations of "strong buy," "outperform," "neutral," or "sell." Buy-side analysts instead work for investment firms or funds and choose investments that coincide with the fund's investment strategy."}},"@type": "Question","name": "Why Are Some Recommendations Made as "Outperform" and Others as "Buy"?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Among sell-side firms, there is no standardized recommendation system, with different investment banks using their own internal rating scale. Thus, one bank may issue a "buy" rating that is equivalent to another bank's rating of "outperform." In both cases, the analysts have determined that the stock in question should have returns in excess of the broader market.","@type": "Question","name": "Should I Sell a Stock I Own If It Receives an Analysts Rating of "Sell"?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "Analysts' ratings are arrived at based on fundamental and econometric analysis of a company and its future prospects. But, analysts can sometimes be wrong or make a mistake. As a result, you will want to consider the consensus of recommendations from several professional analysts. If they all (or mostly) recommend "sell," you may want to consider reducing or closing out your position in that stock,"]}]}] Investing Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All Simulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard Economy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All News Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All Reviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All Academy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All TradeSearchSearchPlease fill out this field.SearchSearchPlease fill out this field.InvestingInvesting Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All SimulatorSimulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard EconomyEconomy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal FinancePersonal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All NewsNews Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All ReviewsReviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All AcademyAcademy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All Financial Terms Newsletter About Us Follow Us Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok Twitter YouTube Table of ContentsExpandTable of ContentsThe Scale of RatingsMapping the BasicsExamples of Analyst RatingsFAQsFundamental AnalysisToolsUnderstanding Buy, Sell, and Hold Ratings of Stock AnalystsByMitchell GrantFull Bio LinkedIn Mitchell Grant is a self-taught investor with over 5 years of experience as a financial trader. He is a financial content strategist and creative content editor.Learn about our editorial policiesUpdated July 12, 2022Reviewed byJeFreda R. Brown Reviewed byJeFreda R. BrownFull Bio LinkedIn Twitter Dr. JeFreda R. Brown is a financial consultant, Certified Financial Education Instructor, and researcher who has assisted thousands of clients over a more than two-decade career. She is the CEO of Xaris Financial Enterprises and a course facilitator for Cornell University.Learn about our Financial Review BoardFact checked byKirsten Rohrs SchmittIn order to reach an opinion and communicate the value and volatility of a covered security, analysts research public financial statements, listen in on conference calls, and talk to managers and the customers of a company, typically in an attempt to come up with findings for a research report. 041b061a72