The bulls started buying again on Monday as third-quarter earnings season starts to ramp up, with reports out from Meta, Tesla, and others in the coming days.

No matter what happens this week, the world’s largest semiconductor maker and one of the most important companies in the world, Taiwan Semiconductor, reported a strong beat-and-raise Q3 on October 15. TSMC physically builds and manufactures almost all the cutting-edge semiconductors for Nvidia and most other AI giants.

Taiwan Semi upped its guidance, citing “continued strong demand for our leading-edge process technologies, including the steep ramp-up of our 2-nanometer technology.” This backdrop signals that the AI spending boom remains full steam ahead, at least for the biggest and most important players in the industry.

Looking at the full year, total S&P 500 earnings are expected to grow by +28.8% in 2026 on +9.8% higher sales, with growth projected in 15 out of 16 sectors. Better still, S&P 500 earnings are projected to grow another 19.0% in 2027 and 16.9% in 2028.

This backdrop means that investors who can handle some near-term swings might want to buy best-in-class stocks right now as Q3 earnings season heats up.

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.

Best "Strong Buy" Stock Screen Parameters

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 "Strong Buy" Stocks to Buy Now: Under-the-Radar Finance Stock SHG

Shinhan Financial Group Co (SHG Quick QuoteSHG - Free Report)  is one of South Korea’s largest banks and financial institutions. It handles everyday banking (checking accounts, savings, and loans), credit cards, stock trading and investment banking, insurance, and money management for both consumers and businesses.

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Shinhan Financial benefits from its dominant position in South Korea’s large and stable banking market. On top of that, its wealth management, insurance, and other segments provide upside. It is also expanding outside of South Korea into countries like Vietnam, Japan, India, and beyond.

SHG is projected to expand its revenue by 12% in 2026 and another 8% next year to reach $13.93 billion. The South Korean financial services giant is also expected to grow its adjusted earnings by 33% in FY26 and 12% next year. Plus, Shinhan Financial’s earnings outlook has jumped since its last report, with its upward EPS revisions earning it a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

The stock has climbed 105% in the last five years to blow away the Zacks Finance sector’s 44%. SHG is up 35% in the past 12 months to outpace its highly ranked Banks – Foreign industry, which is in the top 23% of roughly 250% Zacks industries.

Investors can buy Shinhan Financial down 18% from its early September highs, while its average Zacks price target implies 41% upside. 

The dividend-paying stock is attempting to find support right now at its 200-day moving average. Shinhan Financial is also trading at its most oversold RSI levels in the last 12 months.

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