We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
Zacks looks at stocks recently upgraded to a “Strong Buy” rating, ranked by the Zacks Indicator Score.
Top five stocks recently earning a #1 rating includes aluminum and oil and gas companies.
Best stocks to buy now include Ovintiv, BP and APA Corporation.
When looking for stocks to buy, new investors often choose names they know – but there are far more potentially profitable stocks out there beyond Meta, NVIDIA, Google or other “Magnificent Seven” stocks.
Professional and institutional investors know better, looking beyond the headlines to search for stocks that are ripe to buy, no matter the company's size, industry or renown.
The Zacks Rank uses four factors related to earnings estimates to classify stocks into five groups, ranging from "Strong Buy" to "Strong Sell." The list below includes some of the latest stocks given a "Strong Buy” rating in the past two weeks, according to Zacks Equity Research, ranked by our proprietary Zacks Indicator Score.
This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.
The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank.
An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank (265 out of 265) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Zacks Sector Rank assigns a rating to each of the 16 Sectors based on their average Zacks Rank.
A sector with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The sector with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top sector (1 out of 16), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Sectors. The sector with the worst average Zacks Rank (16 out of 16) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.
The scores are based on the trading styles of Value, Growth, and Momentum. There's also a VGM Score ('V' for Value, 'G' for Growth and 'M' for Momentum), which combines the weighted average of the individual style scores into one score.
Value ScoreA
Growth ScoreA
Momentum ScoreA
VGM ScoreA
Within each Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A, is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.
As an investor, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.
Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season.
The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. In fact, when combining a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time, while they also saw 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
Ovintiv is a Permian-Montney powerhouse with deep premium inventory and differentiated execution across North America’s leading oil basins. Strong well performance, disciplined capital spending and rapid NuVista synergies supported $634 million in first-quarter free cash flow. Management expects operational efficiencies and active share buybacks to enhance returns, while a fortified balance sheet and ample liquidity support value creation.
Potential Risks
Ovintiv remains exposed to commodity-price volatility, widening basis differentials, inflationary service costs, transportation constraints and regulatory changes, while operational disruptions or weaker well productivity could pressure cash flow.
Forecast
A Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) plus a B for Value and an A for Momentum signals estimate revisions and price action are aligned, even with a C Growth Score. The Price, Consensus & EPS Surprise chart shows 2025–2026 estimates sliding, then inflecting higher as surprises turn more consistently positive, a setup for additional upward revisions if commodity tape cooperates.
This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.
The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank.
An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank (265 out of 265) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Zacks Sector Rank assigns a rating to each of the 16 Sectors based on their average Zacks Rank.
A sector with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The sector with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top sector (1 out of 16), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Sectors. The sector with the worst average Zacks Rank (16 out of 16) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.
The scores are based on the trading styles of Value, Growth, and Momentum. There's also a VGM Score ('V' for Value, 'G' for Growth and 'M' for Momentum), which combines the weighted average of the individual style scores into one score.
Value ScoreA
Growth ScoreA
Momentum ScoreA
VGM ScoreA
Within each Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A, is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.
As an investor, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.
Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season.
The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. In fact, when combining a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time, while they also saw 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
Vistance Networks provides broadband, Wi-Fi and networking solutions through its Aurora and RUCKUS businesses. The company delivered 22% year-over-year sales growth in first-quarter 2026, while core Adjusted EBITDA climbed 38%. Aurora revenue rose 33%, supported by DOCSIS 4.0 shipments and future unified node launches, while Wi-Fi 7 wins and continued investment in selling resources could further strengthen growth and profitability ahead.
Potential Risks
Vistance Networks faces risks from restructuring actions, transaction execution, customer spending slowdowns, inflation, supply-chain pressures and intense competition that could affect margins, growth initiatives and future profitability.
Forecast
A Zacks Rank #1 with an A Value Score but D grades for Growth and Momentum suggests the case hinges on revisions more than tape strength. The chart shows estimates bottoming in 2024–2025, then stepping sharply higher into 2026–2027 alongside more recent beats, though volatility remains elevated.
This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.
The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank.
An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank (265 out of 265) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Zacks Sector Rank assigns a rating to each of the 16 Sectors based on their average Zacks Rank.
A sector with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The sector with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top sector (1 out of 16), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Sectors. The sector with the worst average Zacks Rank (16 out of 16) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.
The scores are based on the trading styles of Value, Growth, and Momentum. There's also a VGM Score ('V' for Value, 'G' for Growth and 'M' for Momentum), which combines the weighted average of the individual style scores into one score.
Value ScoreA
Growth ScoreA
Momentum ScoreA
VGM ScoreA
Within each Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A, is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.
As an investor, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.
Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season.
The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. In fact, when combining a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time, while they also saw 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
BP is an integrated energy company with operations across upstream production, refining, trading and customer businesses. The company delivered strong first-quarter 2026 performance, driven by higher refining margins. BP also expects continued progress through structural cost reductions, portfolio simplification and disciplined balance-sheet management, supporting future cash flows, dividends and long-term shareholder returns.
Potential Risks
BP remains exposed to volatile oil and gas prices, Middle East disruptions, refining-margin pressure, higher maintenance activity and execution risks tied to divestments, debt reduction and operational performance.
Forecast
A Zacks Rank #1 with an A Value Score is constructive and the C Growth Score suggests steady earnings potential, but the Momentum Score of F warns that the market trend has been uneven. The chart shows 2025 estimates sliding, then 2026–2027 stabilizing and nudging higher, alongside mixed surprises that have improved lately, setting up further revisions if trading and margins cooperate.
This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.
The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank.
An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank (265 out of 265) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Zacks Sector Rank assigns a rating to each of the 16 Sectors based on their average Zacks Rank.
A sector with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The sector with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top sector (1 out of 16), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Sectors. The sector with the worst average Zacks Rank (16 out of 16) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.
The scores are based on the trading styles of Value, Growth, and Momentum. There's also a VGM Score ('V' for Value, 'G' for Growth and 'M' for Momentum), which combines the weighted average of the individual style scores into one score.
Value ScoreA
Growth ScoreA
Momentum ScoreA
VGM ScoreA
Within each Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A, is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.
As an investor, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.
Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season.
The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. In fact, when combining a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time, while they also saw 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
APA is an oil and gas producer with core operations in the Permian, Egypt and Suriname. Management expects higher U.S. oil output, continued cost reductions and $450 million of run-rate savings by year-end 2026. Suriname’s GranMorgu project, targeted for first oil in mid-2028, and expanding Egypt gas activity could strengthen free cash flow generation and shareholder returns over time meaningfully.
Potential Risks
Commodity-price volatility, Egypt production-sharing terms, North Sea uncertainties and potential drilling delays in Suriname could pressure cash flows, while weaker execution may limit planned savings, returns and growth.
Forecast
A Zacks Rank #1 with an A Value Score and C Growth Score is constructive, though the D Momentum Score flags uneven tape action. The chart shows 2025–2026 consensus easing, then flattening with a small 2027 uptick, while recent surprises skew positive, supportive for further revisions if operations hold.
This is our short term rating system that serves as a timeliness indicator for stocks over the next 1 to 3 months. How good is it? See rankings and related performance below.
The Zacks Industry Rank assigns a rating to each of the 265 X (Expanded) Industries based on their average Zacks Rank.
An industry with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The industry with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top industry (1 out of 265), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Industries. The industry with the worst average Zacks Rank (265 out of 265) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Zacks Sector Rank assigns a rating to each of the 16 Sectors based on their average Zacks Rank.
A sector with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #1's and #2's will have a better average Zacks Rank than one with a larger percentage of Zacks Rank #4's and #5's.
The sector with the best average Zacks Rank would be considered the top sector (1 out of 16), which would place it in the top 1% of Zacks Ranked Sectors. The sector with the worst average Zacks Rank (16 out of 16) would place in the bottom 1%.
The Style Scores are a complementary set of indicators to use alongside the Zacks Rank. It allows the user to better focus on the stocks that are the best fit for his or her personal trading style.
The scores are based on the trading styles of Value, Growth, and Momentum. There's also a VGM Score ('V' for Value, 'G' for Growth and 'M' for Momentum), which combines the weighted average of the individual style scores into one score.
Value ScoreA
Growth ScoreA
Momentum ScoreA
VGM ScoreA
Within each Score, stocks are graded into five groups: A, B, C, D and F. As you might remember from your school days, an A, is better than a B; a B is better than a C; a C is better than a D; and a D is better than an F.
As an investor, you want to buy stocks with the highest probability of success. That means you want to buy stocks with a Zacks Rank #1 or #2, Strong Buy or Buy, which also has a Score of an A or a B in your personal trading style.
Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) looks to find companies that have recently seen positive earnings estimate revision activity. The idea is that more recent information is, generally speaking, more accurate and can be a better predictor of the future, which can give investors an advantage in earnings season.
The technique has proven to be very useful for finding positive surprises. In fact, when combining a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, stocks produced a positive surprise 70% of the time, while they also saw 28.3% annual returns on average, according to our 10 year backtest.
Okeanis Eco Tankers owns a young fleet of fuel-efficient oil tankers that mainly operate in the spot market. Tight tanker supply, longer global oil shipping routes and rising demand for compliant vessels could support stronger freight rates going forward. The company’s modern fleet, lower financing costs and history of outperforming peers may help drive healthy cash generation and attractive shareholder returns in a favorable shipping market.
Potential Risks
The tanker business can be unpredictable, and weaker shipping rates, slower oil demand, easing geopolitical tensions or more vessel supply could reduce earnings and pressure the stock price.
Forecast
A Zacks Rank #1 with an A Momentum Score suggests revisions and price action are reinforcing each other, even with C grades for Value and Growth. The chart shows 2025 EPS consensus depressed, then a steep step-up into 2026–2027 alongside frequent recent beats, supportive for further upward estimates if rates stay elevated.
It’s important to understand what this list is, and what it isn’t.
For decades, the Zacks Rank has been a proven system that has helped investors identify stocks most likely to outperform. Instead of relying on hunches or hype, it’s grounded in earnings estimate revisions — a factor strongly correlated with stock price movement. When combined with additional fundamental metrics, the approach becomes even more powerful.
Still, it’s important to understand these basics:
While the list offers exposure across several industries, it is not a fully diversified portfolio. You should think of it as a starting point, not a complete investing strategy.
Even though these stocks are backed by a proven system, nothing protects you from short-term downside. Depending on market conditions, most — or even all — could decline in the near term.
The Zacks Rank works because it captures trends in earnings momentum. That power plays out over weeks and months, not days. Investors with patience and discipline are more likely to benefit.
Before buying any single stock, check how it aligns with your goals, risk tolerance, and broader portfolio.
Methodology
The Zacks Rank is a proprietary stock-rating model that uses trends in earnings estimate revisions and earnings-per-share (EPS) surprises to classify stocks into five groups: #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy), #3 (Hold), #4 (Sell) and #5 (Strong Sell). The Zacks Rank is calculated through four primary factors related to earnings estimates: analysts' consensus on earnings estimate revisions, the magnitude of revision change, the upside potential and estimate surprise (or the degree in which earnings per share deviated from the previous quarter).
Zacks builds the data from 3,000 analysts at over 150 different brokerage firms. The average yearly gain for Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks is +23.62% per year from January, 1988, through June 2, 2025.
For this list, only companies in the top 50% of industries that have average daily trading volumes of 100,000 shares or more were considered. Stocks with a share value of $5 or less were excluded. These companies earned Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) between May 4, 2026 and May 16, 2026. All information is current as of market open, May 18, 2026.
Common Questions of New Investors
Where to Buy Stocks
To invest in stocks, you must open a brokerage account, fund the account and purchase stocks through your selected brokerage. Investors may also purchase stocks through a financial advisor or an automated robo advisor. Some publicly traded companies also offer a direct stock purchase plan, where you can purchase shares directly from the company.
Alternative Ways to Invest in Stocks
You can also invest in stock funds, such as mutual funds, index funds and exchange-traded funds, where the fund managers select the pool of stocks that follow an investing strategy. These funds may broadly cover an entire index, such as the S&P 500, or specific types of stocks, such as industries like technology and energy companies, company size such as small cap companies, or location like international companies.
How to Start Investing in Stocks Today
It’s easy to start investing by opening an online brokerage account. Opening a standard brokerage account takes about 20 minutes and you’ll need to have some personal information ready, such as your social security number and your bank details to fund your account.
You’ll need to decide whether to open a taxable account (most common), a tax-deferred retirement account such as a traditional IRA or a tax-free retirement account such as a Roth IRA, which is funded with after-tax dollars, but qualified withdrawals are tax-free. A margin account allows for borrowing to purchase stocks and is best for experienced traders.
Set goals before you begin investing – determine how much you can afford to invest and your tolerance for risk.
What to Look for When You Buy Stocks?
The goal in all equities investment is to buy low and sell high, growing your wealth over time. Researching the companies to invest in is key – what kind of product or service do they offer? How do they compare with competitors? How fast are they growing? Does the stock pay regular dividends to shareholders? Does the stock help diversify your portfolio by giving you exposure to a market segment you currently don’t hold?
Understanding fundamental analysis can help determine whether the stock has the potential for growth at its current purchase price. Factors that can help determine that include earnings per share (EPS), price-to-earnings ratio and PE growth. Technical analysis is used looking at statistical patterns to potentially predict future price moves. Some investors may look for a growth and income strategy, looking for stocks with solid revenues that pay good dividends, or a value strategy, looking if a current stock price is below what their revenue, EPS and other factors suggest.
Analysts also often look for the momentum of a stock by looking at moving averages of a stock's closing price over a 50-day, 100-day or 12-month trailing time period to determine signals whether to buy or sell a stock.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Strong Buy 
