In this article, we will discuss the 10 Best Performing S&P 500 Stocks So Far in 2026.

On April 22, Andrew Slimmon, Morgan Stanley Investment Management Senior Portfolio Manager, joined CNBC’s ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the latest market trends. Slimmon described the current stock market as pivoting between strong micro fundamentals and concerning macro headwinds. He highlighted that 2026 has been one of the best years in memory for earnings revisions, which he considers a powerful signal for the market. However, this positive news is being weighed against a noise of macro worries, including the war with Iran, AI disruption, and private credit. He noted that while these concerns recently caused a 9% market decline, the subsequent 12% rally indicates that investors are struggling to decide which factor should take precedence.

When discussing market valuation, Slimmon argued that at the end of the year, investors will shift their focus toward the consensus earnings estimate for 2027, which currently sits at $375 per share, a significant increase from $357 at the start of the year. He considers a P/E multiple of 20 reasonable, even if interest rates remain elevated. By multiplying these figures, Slimmon arrived at a target of roughly 7,500 for the S&P 500. He contrasted this with the market’s position a few weeks prior at 6,300, noting that at the current level of 7,100, the market appears overbought. Nevertheless, Slimmon viewed geopolitical washouts as buying opportunities, as he does not believe a 20x multiple is expensive for current market conditions.

Our Methodology

We used screeners to identify S&P 500 stocks that have exhibited strong year-to-date share price performance (at least 40%), and limited our final selection to companies that have recently reported noteworthy developments likely to impact investor sentiment. These stocks are also popular among analysts and elite hedge funds.

Note: All data was sourced on April 27. 

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 498.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 303 percentage points (see more details here).

10 Best Performing S&P 500 Stocks So Far in 2026

10. SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB)

Year-to-Date Performance: 44.74%

SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) is one of the best performing S&P 500 stocks so far in 2026. On April 24, SLB reported its Q1 2026 financial results, highlighted by a 3% year-on-year revenue increase to $8.72 billion. This growth was fueled by the integration of ChampionX, which contributed $838 million to the top line. However, the quarter was marked by geopolitical headwinds, specifically widespread disruptions in the Middle East that led to the demobilization of operations.

Excluding the ChampionX acquisition, global revenue actually declined by 7% compared to the previous year, reflecting a challenging start to 2026 as customers took action to safeguard personnel and facilities. Furthermore, GAAP EPS fell 14% year on year to $0.50, while adjusted EBITDA decreased 12% to $1.77 billion. These declines were most pronounced in the Well Construction and Reservoir Performance divisions, which were hit hardest by the Middle East conflict and associated pricing headwinds.

Despite these pressures, the Digital segment showed resilience with a 9% revenue increase, supported by $1.02 billion in ARR and an expanding technology collaboration with NVIDIA to develop AI infrastructure for the energy industry. Looking ahead, SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) leadership anticipates a gradual rebalancing of global liquid supply and demand through 2027.

SLB N.V. (NYSE:SLB) provides technological solutions for the energy sector. Its portfolio includes carbon management & production, stimulation services, various drilling services, and more. It is also involved in the development & production of roller-cone and fixed-cutter drill bits, as well as several tech-based intelligent systems.

9. Jabil Inc. (NYSE:JBL)

Year-to-Date Performance: 48.93%

Jabil Inc. (NYSE:JBL) is one of the best performing S&P 500 stocks so far in 2026. On April 15, Sivers Semiconductors announced a collaboration with Jabil to develop a 1.6T linear receive optical/LRO transceiver module designed for next-gen hyperscale AI data centers. This partnership uses Sivers’ high-performance Distributed Feedback/DFB lasers to create a solution that delivers exceptional data speeds while significantly reducing power consumption.

The new module offers a 2.5x lower energy footprint compared to traditional alternatives, addressing a critical need for energy efficiency in scaling AI infrastructure. The collaboration is timed to capitalize on a rapidly expanding market, with industry reports projecting that 800G and higher-speed optical transceivers will account for 80% of the pluggable market by 2030. As data centers face increasing pressure to provide higher bandwidth without a proportional increase in power usage, Jabil intends to use Sivers’ photonics expertise to meet these performance and sustainability targets at scale.

The 1.6T LRO transceiver is specifically engineered to support the high-density, low-power requirements essential for modern AI clusters. By combining Jabil Inc.’s (NYSE:JBL) global engineering and manufacturing capabilities with Sivers’ precision laser technology, the partners aim to accelerate the deployment of greener data economy solutions.

Jabil Inc. (NYSE:JBL) offers electronics and diversified manufacturing services, including engineering, supply chain, and production solutions across global markets through its EMS and DMS operating segments.