In this article, we’ll look at the 10 Best Consensus Buy-Rated Stocks to Invest in.
Wall Street’s consensus calls are starting to matter more again. With interest rates still well above the post-pandemic floor and earnings revisions turning more selective, dispersion across sectors has widened. In that kind of market, stocks with mixed ratings don’t offer much conviction on their own. What stands out instead are names where analysts are aligned, not just positive, but collectively constructive on upside and earnings visibility.
That tone is echoed across major 2026 outlooks. BlackRock says it will “stay pro-risk and overweight U.S. stocks,” signaling that the firm still sees opportunity for domestic equities. Meanwhile, J.P. Morgan Asset Management argues that investors seeking resilience should focus on “companies that can translate investments into healthy profits,” particularly in an environment where higher rates reward balance sheet strength and return discipline.
Even the more measured forecasts reinforce the same point. Vanguard expects U.S. growth to hover near 1% in 2026, a reminder that the backdrop is steady but not booming. Fidelity cautions that “valuations are high” and that policy uncertainty remains a factor. Put together, the consensus among asset managers is constructive but measured.
In a market where asset managers are leaning pro-equity but urging precision, consensus Buy ratings can act as a filter. When multiple analysts converge on the same names, it often reflects a shared view on earnings visibility, balance sheet strength, and thematic exposure. In view of this, we’ll look at the 10 best consensus Buy-rated stocks to invest in.
Our Methodology
To identify the 10 Best Consensus Buy-Rated Stocks to Invest in, we used the Finviz screener and filtered for companies with a market capitalization above $2 billion that carry a consensus “Buy” or better rating from analysts. We then used CNN’s compilation of analyst ratings to rank the stocks based on their median upside as of February 16, 2026. We have also included the number of hedge funds that hold the stock as of Q3 2025.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
10. KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 33.69%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 89
On February 9, 2026, BofA lowered its price target on KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) to $160 from $164 previously but still maintained a Buy rating, revising EPS estimates following fourth-quarter results across its brokers, asset managers, and exchanges coverage.
Earlier, on February 6, 2026, Morgan Stanley raised its price target on KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) to $177 from $176 previously and kept an Overweight rating, citing what it views as an attractive entry point with the stock down 22% year to date.
KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) reported fourth-quarter asset management segment revenue of $1.64 billion on February 5, 2026, compared with the $1.78 billion consensus estimate. Total revenue was $5.74 billion versus $3.26 billion in the prior year. Co-CEOs Joseph Bae and Scott Nuttall said 2025 was a strong year, highlighted by record annual figures across key metrics, including Fee Related Earnings, Adjusted Net Income per share, capital raised, and capital invested. They also announced the acquisition of Arctos Partners, describing it as a scaled platform in sports investing and capital solutions for asset managers, with experience in secondaries. Management said it remains confident in the firm’s long-term positioning.
KKR & Co. Inc. (NYSE:KKR) is an investment firm focused on private equity, real estate, credit, and other alternative asset strategies across global markets.
9. Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 37.62%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 112
On February 12, 2026, JPMorgan analyst Jeremy Tonet raised his price target on Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) to $239 from $233 previously and maintained an Overweight rating on the company.
Earlier, on February 10, 2026, Jefferies analyst Julien Dumoulin-Smith upgraded Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) to Buy from Hold and increased the price target to $203 from $191 previously, citing a more favorable risk/reward profile after the stock’s recent selloff. The firm noted that Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) is down significantly since September despite announcing Texas data center contracts and what it described as an “attractively priced” Cogentrix acquisition, and said current levels do not reflect future data center contract potential.
On February 6, 2026, Goldman Sachs analyst Carly Davenport also upgraded Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) to Buy from Neutral and lifted the price target to $205 from $200 previously. The firm pointed to the recent pullback and higher estimates, adding that the Meta deal demonstrates Vistra’s ability to secure sizeable power purchase agreement contracts with a shorter ramp, even amid policy uncertainty and affordability concerns.
Vistra Corp. (NYSE:VST) operates as an integrated retail electricity and power generation company in the United States across its Retail, Texas, East, West, and Asset Closure segments.
8. HubSpot, Inc. (NYSE:HUBS)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 39.43%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63
On February 13, 2026, Citi raised its price target on HubSpot (NYSE:HUBS) to $640 from $600 previously and maintained a Buy rating. A day earlier, on February 12, 2026, Bernstein increased its price target on HubSpot, Inc. (NYSE:HUBS) to $463 from $448 previously and kept an Outperform rating, saying the company delivered a solid Q4 in line with its preview, including 20% revenue growth and margin improvement, particularly on a GAAP basis as stock-based compensation declined. That same day, Canaccord analyst David Hynes lowered his price target to $485 from $600 but maintained a Buy rating, stating that trends are not worsening and pointing to what he described as a real moat driven by the company’s structural positioning. He said net new customer additions remain healthy, management expects those trends to persist in 2026, and the company is not shedding seats due to AI-driven efficiencies.
HubSpot, Inc. (NYSE:HUBS) reported fourth-quarter revenue of $846.7 million on February 11, 2026, above the $830.81 million consensus estimate. CEO Yamini Rangan said 2025 was a “transformative year” driven by momentum in the company’s agentic customer platform and acceleration upmarket. She pointed to growing AI adoption through Breeze Customer Agent and Breeze Prospecting Agent, as well as stronger traction among larger customers looking to consolidate technology stacks and lower total cost of ownership. Management said it is entering 2026 focused on expanding its upmarket presence and driving durable growth.
HubSpot, Inc. (NYSE:HUBS) provides a cloud-based customer relationship management platform for businesses in the Americas, Europe, and the Asia Pacific.
7. Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 40.06%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 40
On February 11, 2026, Baird lowered its price target on Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB) to $90 from $95 but still maintained an Outperform rating, updating its model after results that the firm said showed continued solid execution and initial 2026 guidance that came in firm. That same day, JPMorgan also reduced its price target on Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB) to $88 from $98 previously while keeping an Overweight rating.
Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB) reported fourth-quarter revenue of $969.8 million on February 10, 2026, above the $950.17 million consensus estimate. CEO Rob Painter said the company “surpassed expectations on both top and bottom lines,” closing 2025 with record annualized recurring revenue of $2.39 billion and record fourth-quarter revenue of $970 million. Management also highlighted record gross and operating margin levels and said the company is positioned to continue executing on its Connect & Scale strategy in 2026.
Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB) sees fiscal 2026 revenue in a range of $3.81 billion to $3.91 billion, compared with the $3.84 billion consensus estimate.
Trimble Inc. (NASDAQ:TRMB) provides technology solutions that help professionals and field workers enhance and transform their work processes, including software for architecture, engineering, construction, and related industries.
6. IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 43.76%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 61
On February 11, 2026, Morgan Stanley lowered its price target on IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) to $240 from $265 but still maintained an Overweight rating, updating its estimates after the company’s quarterly results.
On February 10, 2026, IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) and the Duke Clinical Research Institute announced a collaboration aimed at advancing clinical research in obesity and related cardiometabolic trials. Chief Medical and Scientific Officer Jeffrey Spaeder said the partnership is designed to “set a new standard for prospective collaboration” between life science service companies and academic research organizations, with a focus on accelerating clinical trial planning and delivery. The companies said the combined capabilities are intended to improve trial efficiency and speed timelines for bringing therapies to patients.
IQVIA reported fourth-quarter revenue of $4.36 billion on February 5, 2026, above the $4.08 billion consensus estimate. CEO Ari Bousbib said the company closed 2025 with strong performance across all segments, delivering near double-digit revenue and EPS growth, along with its strongest quarter of the year in R&DS net bookings. He added that expanded go-to-market efforts, operational discipline, and AI-related investments supported topline growth across both commercial and clinical businesses, positioning the company for 2026.
IQVIA Holdings Inc. (NYSE:IQV) provides clinical research services, commercial insights, and healthcare intelligence to the life sciences and healthcare industries in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Asia-Pacific.
5. AECOM (NYSE:ACM)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 48.34%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 37
On February 11, 2026, Truist analyst Jamie Cook increased the firm’s price target on AECOM (NYSE:ACM) to $132 from $126 and maintained a Buy rating. The analyst said fiscal Q1 EPS came in ahead of management expectations, supported by net service revenue growth of 2% on a constant currency basis and 5% when adjusting for fewer working days. Truist also noted that the company’s pipeline reached a record level, with the Americas pipeline up 20% year over year and the early-stage pipeline up 34% year over year.
A day earlier, on February 10, 2026, BofA analyst Michael Feniger raised his price target on AECOM to $118 from $117 and kept a Buy rating following what he described as a “solid” fiscal Q1 report. The firm slightly increased its estimates after the results and said AECOM is positioned to benefit from infrastructure tailwinds, margin expansion, and strong backlog visibility.
AECOM reported Q1 revenue of $3.83 billion on February 9, 2026, above the $3.53 billion consensus estimate. CEO Troy Rudd said the company “outperformed our expectations on every key financial metric” and raised full-year guidance. Backlog increased 9%, supported by a 1.5 book-to-burn ratio and several large project wins. Management also highlighted ongoing investments in Advisory, Program Management, and technology initiatives, including AI, aimed at expanding the addressable market and reinforcing long-term growth targets.
AECOM (NYSE:ACM) provides professional infrastructure consulting services for governments, businesses, and organizations internationally.
4. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 53.05%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 102
On February 11, 2026, Goldman Sachs lowered its price target on Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) to $246 from $286 previously but still maintained a Buy rating ahead of the company’s fourth-quarter report, saying it expects solid fundamentals that demonstrate resilience relative to the broader software sector. That same day, RBC Capital reduced its price target on Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) to $245 from $300 previously and kept an Outperform rating as part of a broader Q4 software preview. The firm cited negative investor sentiment toward software and said it prefers companies with a clearer path to AI monetization and consolidation across cyber, data and infrastructure, and vertical SaaS. RBC also updated its price target models to reflect significant year-to-date multiple compression.
On February 2, 2026, Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) announced a multi-year, $200 million collaboration with OpenAI aimed at helping enterprises derive more value from proprietary data using AI. The agreement makes OpenAI models natively available to Snowflake’s 12,600 global customers through Snowflake Cortex AI across all three major clouds and includes joint go-to-market initiatives focused on deploying AI agents across enterprise environments.
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) provides a cloud-based data platform that enables organizations to consolidate data, build applications, and apply artificial intelligence to generate business insights.
3. Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 62.18%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 83
On February 11, 2026, RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg lowered the firm’s price target on Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) to $340 from $380 and maintained an Outperform rating as part of a broader research note ahead of Q4 earnings in software. The firm cited negative investor sentiment toward the sector and said it prefers companies with a clearer path to AI monetization and consolidation across cyber, data and infrastructure, and vertical SaaS. RBC also said it is updating its price target models to reflect significant year-to-date multiple compression.
Earlier, on February 2, 2026, JPMorgan upgraded Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) to Overweight from Neutral with an unchanged $319 price target, pointing to “diverging fundamentals” across the industrial software space. The firm said Autodesk stands out for its leadership in design and building information modeling software and highlighted the rapid adoption of cloud and AI technologies. JPMorgan added that the company is positioned to capture an outsized share in high-growth verticals such as data centers and infrastructure.
On February 10, 2026, Reuters reported that Autodesk filed a lawsuit against Alphabet’s Google, alleging infringement of its “Flow” trademark. According to the complaint filed in San Francisco federal court, Autodesk said it began using the Flow name in September 2022 for visual effects and production management products and was surprised when Google launched its own Flow software in May 2025, targeting similar customers.
Autodesk, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) provides 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software solutions globally, including products such as AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, Autodesk Build, BIM Collaborate Pro, BuildingConnected, and Tandem.
2. Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 75.70%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 42
On February 11, 2026, Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Martino initiated coverage of Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT) with a Buy rating and a $36 price target, calling it one of the “most defensible growth assets in software today.” The firm said Samsara is digitizing physical operations by pairing edge hardware with a cloud platform that converts operational data into actionable insights and added that the stock deserves a premium valuation.
That same day, RBC Capital lowered its price target on Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT) to $35 from $46 previously but still maintained an Outperform rating as part of a broader Q4 software preview. The firm cited negative investor sentiment toward software and said it prefers companies with a clearer path to AI monetization and consolidation across cyber, data and infrastructure, and vertical SaaS. RBC also updated its price target models to reflect significant year-to-date multiple compression.
On February 6, 2026, Piper Sandler reduced its price target to on Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT) $37 from $49 previously and kept an Overweight rating, saying that despite muted sentiment in software, the stock could respond favorably to earnings given current upside levels, operational budget stickiness, and what it described as already “de-risked” FY27 numbers that could support mid-20s growth.
Samsara Inc. (NYSE:IOT) provides a platform that connects and analyzes physical operations data, combining IoT devices with cloud-based software that integrates AI, workflows, analytics, alerts, APIs, and data security capabilities.
1. Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS)
Consensus Rating: Buy
Potential upside: 80.06%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
On February 13, 2026, Bernstein analyst Peter Weed upgraded Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) to Outperform from Market Perform with a price target of $228. The firm cited valuation for the upgrade, calling Zscaler the “cheapest” cybersecurity vendor. Bernstein said growth is expected to fall below 20% by 2028 and decline through 15% within five years, but added that the company should continue adding new customers, albeit at a 25%–35% slower pace than pre-2024 levels.
On February 11, 2026, RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg lowered his price target on Zscaler to $250 from $290 and maintained an Outperform rating as part of a broader Q4 software preview. The firm cited negative investor sentiment toward software and said it prefers companies with a clearer path to AI monetization and consolidation across cyber, data and infrastructure, and vertical SaaS. RBC also said it is updating its price target models to reflect significant year-to-date multiple compression.
On February 6, 2026, Zscaler announced the acquisition of SquareX to expand its zero-trust capabilities into the browser. The company said the deal is intended to redefine browser security by enabling lightweight extensions across any browser, removing the need for third-party browsers. The acquisition closed on February 5, and financial terms were not disclosed.
Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) operates as a cloud security company, offering products such as Zscaler Internet Access, Zscaler Private Access, Zero Trust Firewall, Cloud Sandbox, and Zero Trust Browser.
While we acknowledge the potential of ZS to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ZS and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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