Analysts' Top S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now

Shopping for stocks when markets are at record levels might seem unwise. After all, the idea is to buy low. Add in the great global uncertainty unleashed by the war with Iran — to say nothing of the lack of clarity on rate cuts — and it's understandable if folks are reluctant to put cash to work these days.

On the other hand, fresh highs tend to beget more fresh highs, and the current bull market has been nothing if not resilient.

As Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at Carson Group notes, the current bull market is up more than 99%. Of history's seven bull markets that made it to 100%, they lasted another three years on average, with a median age of 1.8 years.

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At the same time, not only has a strong corporate earnings season lifted sentiment, but forward earnings estimates are marching higher. In turn, rising expected operating profits have helped make valuations more attractive.

Besides, every market features select names that are set to outperform.

Although the Magnificent 7 stocks have done much of the bull market's heavy lifting, that hardly means these names are doomed to underperform from here. Indeed, many of them are in pronounced drawdowns. At the same time, a rotation out of these stocks has capital flowing to other, sometimes sleepier, sectors.

As we'll see below, five of Wall Street's top-rated S&P 500 stocks to buy hail from the Magnificent 7. Companies from the financial, health care and industrials sectors are ably represented, too.

How we found analysts' top-rated S&P 500 stocks

It's well known that industry analysts are reluctant to slap Sell ratings on the names they cover. There are several reasons for this, some more defensible than others.

What's less commonly understood is that Strong Buy recommendations, while not nearly as rare as Sell calls, are in somewhat short supply, too.

If you run a screen of the S&P 500 using data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, you'll see that analysts assign a consensus Sell recommendation to only one stock.

At the other end of the ratings spectrum stands the Street's highest recommendation of Strong Buy. A total of 44 stocks made the cut there as bullish sentiment soars.

First, a note on our methodology: S&P Global Market Intelligence surveys analysts' stock recommendations and scores them on a five-point scale, in which 1.0 equals Strong Buy and 5.0 means Strong Sell.

Any score of 2.5 or lower means that analysts, on average, rate the stock a Buy. The closer the score gets to 1.0, the stronger the Buy call.

In other words, lower scores are better than higher scores.

Have a look at the chart below to see the 44 stocks in the S&P 500 that score an elite Strong Buy recommendation from industry analysts. Investors who fear it's too late to buy Amazon.com (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT) or Nvidia (NVDA) will be happy to see they easily made the list.

As much as artificial intelligence (AI) is driving capital spending and market sentiment, analysts see plenty of reasons to be bullish on names across multiple sectors. Here we highlight what Wall Street has to say about three less sexy stocks on the list this month.

GE Aerospace

GE Aerospace (GE), which retained the classic GE ticker following the 2024 spinoff of GE Vernova (GEV), has seen its shares take off as the company establishes itself as a high-margin, pure-play aerospace leader with significant competitive moats.

In a report titled "No sign of stopping the growth engine; reiterate Buy," BofA Securities analyst Ronald Epstein said the company's "robust demand and best-in-class execution support double-digit growth in 2026."

The analyst likes the stock over the longer haul, too, noting that GE Aerospace is well-positioned to benefit from the ongoing ramp-up in commercial aircraft production and sustained aftermarket demand. "Following the spin-off of GE Vernova, we see the company as leaner and focused on execution and safety," Epstein added.

Meanwhile, the company's robust free cash flow – which exceeded $5.7 billion last year – allows GE to aggressively fund R&D and investments in manufacturing infrastructure, all while continuing to return cash to shareholders. GE boosted its dividend by nearly 30% last year. At the same time, it repurchased more than $7 billion in stock.

Shares have delivered only market matching returns so far in 2026 (after adding more than 86% last year), but that just has the stock priced for outperformance, Wall Street says. Of the 22 analysts covering GE, 16 rate it at Strong Buy, three say Buy and two call it a Hold. A lone analyst has a sell recommendation on the name. Nevertheless, that works out to a consensus recommendation of Strong Buy.

Smurfit WestRock

After losing about a quarter of their value in 2025, Smurfit WestRock (SW) shares are beating the broader market by about 4 percentage points this year, and bulls say they are just getting started. After all, the company is still finding its feet.

SW was formed by the 2024 merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock Company, creating the world's largest paper packaging company. Smurfit WestRock's operations in 40 countries make it the revenue leader in the world of corrugated cardboard, containerboard, consumer packaging and more.

"We see long-term upside potential and expect earnings growth congruent with growth in e-commerce and growth in demand for sustainable paper and packaging goods," writes Argus Research analyst Alexandra Yates, who rates shares at Buy. "We also expect to see margin growth with operational efficiency improvements in the coming quarters."

Moreover, SW expects $400 million in synergies (also known as cost cuts) as a result of the merger.

With a forward P/E of less than 14, SW trades at 36% discount to the broader market. The dividend yield, at 4.2%, is pretty spicy compared to the S&P 500's yield of less than 1.1%.

Of the 15 analysts covering the materials stock, 10 rate it at Strong Buy and five have it at Buy. That works out to a consensus recommendation of Strong Buy.

DexCom

DexCom (DXCM) stock is off about 3% so far this year, but bulls say that makes DXCM a bargain buy.

A regulatory warning and concerns about reimbursement rates have pressured DXCM stock, but analysts say those overhangs are overdone.

"We see shares as disconnected from fair value given 2025 challenges that we expect to subside in 2026," writes Jefferies analyst Matthew Taylor, who rates the health care stock at Buy.

The analyst says insurance coverage for non-insulin T2 is likely in the near term, and is "a major catalyst" for the industry. Additionally, DXCM's margins should benefit from the launch of its 15-day wearable sensor, a better sales mix and leveraging its new plant in Malaysia.

Jefferies, which calls DexCom a Franchise Pick (one of its best ideas), has plenty of company on the Street. Shares have carried a consensus Strong Buy recommendation for more than a year.

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