The Fed, under new boss Kevin Warsh, raised rates on Wednesday afternoon for the first time in three years, and laid the groundwork for another 0.25% hike in the final quarter of 2026.

Thankfully, the rate hike didn’t come as a surprise to Wall Street since the odds of a hike ramped up to a near-certainty in the lead-up to today’s announcement. Investors have also been grappling with higher long-term rates for the last several weeks.

Escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran and their impact on the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the midterm elections in November, add to the near-term volatility. This backdrop might spook investors.

But investors with long-term horizons should remember that uncertain times when the market is jittery often prove to be some of the best times to buy.

CNN’s Fear & Greed index, which Wall Street uses as a contrarian buy and sell signal, is already at the low end of Fear (28 out of 100) compared to 38 a week ago and Greed (64) this time last month.

On top of that, the S&P 500’s earnings growth outlook, even stripping away soaring tech earnings and mind-boggling growth from Nvidia, Micron, and Alphabet, remains strong.

This backdrop means that investors who can handle some near-term swings might want to buy best-in-class stocks that are experiencing strong upward earnings revision trends.

Let’s explore how investors can use a Zacks screen to help find a handful of the best Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks out of a group of over 200 highly ranked stocks to buy right now and throughout the rest of 2026 and beyond.

Zacks Rank Basics

Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy)stocks outperform the market in good and bad times. However, there are over 200 stocks that earn a Zacks Rank #1 at any given time.

Therefore, it’s helpful to understand how to apply filters to the Zacks Rank in order to narrow the list down to a more manageable and tradable set of stocks.

Buying the Best "Strong Buy" Stocks

There are only three items on this screen. But together, these three filters can result in some impressive returns.

• Zacks Rank equal to 1

Starting with a Zacks Rank #1 is often a strong jumping off point because it boasts an average annual return of roughly 24.4% per year since 1988.

• % Change (Q1) Est. over 4 Weeks greater than 0

Positive current quarter estimate revisions over the last four weeks.

• % Broker Rating Change over 4 Week equal to Top # 5

Top 5 stocks with the best average broker rating changes over the last four weeks.

This strategy comes loaded with the Research Wizard and is called bt_sow_filtered zacks rank5. It can be found in the SoW (Screen of the Week) folder.

Here is one of the five stocks that qualified for the Filtered Zacks Rank 5 strategy today…

Best Stocks to Buy Now: Electrical and AI Infrastructure Stock ECG for Growth, Value, and 50% Upside

Everus Construction Group (ECG Quick QuoteECG - Free Report)  is an under-the-radar construction firm experiencing massive growth as it builds and maintains the electrical, mechanical, and power-line systems that keep factories, data centers, and the grid running.

The power-hungry AI arms race, combined with electrification and the reshoring of critical manufacturing is projected to increase U.S. electricity demand 50% or more by 2050.

ECG is thriving in the capex-heavy boom across its two core business segments: electrical and mechanical and transmission and distribution. Its E&M segment revenues soared 42% to $1.01 billion in Q2, driven by “continued growth in the data center submarket.”

Its T&D unit popped 7% to $227.5 million, sparked “by higher workloads in the utility end market, particularly in the transmission and distribution submarkets.”

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The electrical construction company expanded its Q2 earnings by 59%, crushing our estimate by 49%. Its beat-and-raise performance pushed its FY27 EPS estimate 25% higher, with FY26 up 20%. Its upward earnings revisions earn Everus a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and extend a strong run of positive earnings revisions.

Everus is projected to grow its revenue by 23% in 2026 and 11% next year to reach $5.14 billion, while boosting its adjusted EPS by 33% and 14%, respectively.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

ECG stock, which spun off from MDU Resources Group, Inc. (MDU Quick QuoteMDU - Free Report)  in late 2024, has jumped ~115% in the past two years. Despite this run, the stock has pulled back ~33% from its May highs alongside many other AI capex-boosted stocks. Its average Zacks price target implies ~56% upside from its current levels, and it’s attempting to find technical support at the vital level highlighted above.

The pullback, mixed with the transmission and distribution construction company’s strong earnings growth outlook, has it trading at a 55% discount to its highs and near its early IPO levels at 18.9X forward 12-month earnings. 

Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start looking for the newest companies that fit these criteria. It's easy to do. And it could help you find your next big winner. Start screening for these companies today with a free trial to the Research Wizard. You can do it.

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Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. 

Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: www.zacks.com/performance_disclosure