In this article, we will discuss: 10 Best Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Jeffrey Talpins. For more stocks, you can head to 5 Best Stocks to Buy According to Billionaire Jeffrey Talpins.
As of July 2026, Jeffrey Talpins, the founder of the hedge fund Element Capital Management, was worth $2.8 billion. He is the chief investment officer and the chief executive officer of Element Capital. Talpins set up Element Capital in 2005, which makes the fund relatively young when compared to some of the other names in the industry. The fund is an alternative investment manager that focuses on macro investing.
As of the first quarter of 2026, the fund disclosed holdings worth $1 billion in its 13F filings. This marked a sharp jump over the year ago figure of $402 million. When it comes to hedge funds, most media coverage focuses on well known names such as Ken Griffin’s Citadel, DE Shaw’s DE Shaw, or Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square. However, Element Capital, while not as widely discussed, nevertheless carries a punch when it comes to returns.
This fact was clear through Institutional Investor’s 2025 Rich List. In this list, Element Capital ranked in 12th place and was tied in the ranking with Joseph Edelman’s Perceptive Advisors. The ranking came courtesy of Jeffery Talpings raking in a cool $900 million during the year, which placed him higher than Tiger Global’s Chase Coleman, who brought in $800 million.
So which stocks were in the fund’s latest 13F filings? Take a look below to find out!
Jeffrey Talpins of Element Capital
Our Methodology
For this article, we scanned Element Capital Management’s Q1 portfolio and picked its top holdings. Puts, calls, and ETF holdings were ignored. 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 599.2% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 372 percentage points (see more details here).
10. Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)
Element Capital’s Stake: $6 million
Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) is one of the largest and most important defense manufacturers in America. Its shares are up by 16.4% over the past year and by 9.8% year-to-date. Jefferies discussed the firm on June 25th as it cut the share price target to $575 from $595 and kept a Hold rating on the stock. The bank commented that Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT)’s upcoming second quarter earnings could see its revenue grow by 5%, but added that it now expects the firm to miss analyst estimates for earnings due to weaker margins in its aeronautics and space business.
With global warfare moving increasingly towards drones, as demonstrated by Ukraine’s gains against Russia, Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) made an important announcement on June 3rd. This announcement saw the firm use a container launched missile to destroy a drone. In late May, the firm won more than $350 million in contracts for Foreign Military Sales customers.
Greenskeeper Asset Management discussed Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Rounding out our top performers in the first quarter were our defense holdings: Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) +25% and General Dynamics (GD) +2%. Ongoing global conflicts and the fraying of the NATO alliance continue to underscore the critical need for sustained investment in national defense. Beyond their defense segments, both companies reached a historic milestone this quarter with the successful Artemis II mission—the first crewed flight around the moon since 1972. Lockheed Martin was responsible for the Orion crew module and the spacecraft’s complex flight software, while General Dynamics provided the essential emergency radios and transponders that linked the astronauts to mission control. With the crew now safely home, we can officially declare: ‘mission accomplished.'”
9. Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)
Element Capital’s Stake: $6.1 million
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) is another major defense contractor. Its shares are up by 8% over the past year and are down by 6.3% year-to-date. Several analysts discussed the firm in June. For instance, Citi slashed the share price target to $587 from $628 and kept a Buy rating on the stock. Citi’s coverage came as part of its focus on the defense sector ahead of the second quarter earnings season. Discussing the firms along the lines of aerospace and non-aerospace stocks, the bank remarked that the aerospace firms could post big earnings beats but disappoint with guidance raises.
Jefferies commented on Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) first on May 26th and then on June 26th. On the 26th of May, it remarked that the aerospace company was experiencing cost pressures from its B-21 program and rising capital expenditures. As a result, it cut Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC)’s share price target to $628 from $742. Then, in June, it further reduced the price target to $580 and commented that the firm should keep its full-year 2026 guidance unchanged.
8. DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD)
Element Capital’s Stake: $7.3 million
Chemicals giant DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD)’s shares are up by 53% over the past year and by 14% year-to-date. One of the more regular commentators on the firm has been RBC Capital. It discussed the firm on November 18th, according to The Fly, and remarked that DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD)’s electronics division spinoff could prove to be beneficial for the firm. RBC cut the share price target to $48 from $100 and kept an Outperform rating as part of its coverage. Then, on January 21st, it raised the share price target to $51 from $48 and kept the rating unchanged. More recently, Citi kept a Buy rating and raised the share price target to $170 from $68 in a major bump ahead of the firm’s second quarter earnings.
In May, DuPont de Nemours (NYSE:DD) reported its first quarter earnings to post $1.7 billion in net sales and $0.55 in adjusted earnings per share. The results saw the firm beat analyst estimates of $1.687 billion and $0.48. Investors were impressed with the results as the shares closed 8.4% higher on May 5th.
7. Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)
Element Capital’s Stake: $8.2 million
Commerce platform and discovery engine Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)’s shares are down by 38% over the past year and by 16.9% year-to-date. Most of the firm’s troubles in 2026 can be traced to its earnings. For instance, Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)’s shares closed a whopping 16.8% higher on February 13th after the firm reported its earnings on February 12th. The results saw the firm post $1.32 billion in revenue and $0.67 in earnings per share to miss analyst estimates of $1.33 billion and $0.69. Additionally, Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)’s shares also guided $951 million to $971 million in Q1 revenue, which missed analyst estimates of $980 million.
The narrative did improve following the first quarter earnings. Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)’s shares closed 6.9% higher on May 5th after it posted $1 billion in revenue and $0.27 in earnings per share to beat analyst estimates of $966 million and $0.23. The revenue also sat at the high end of the guidance provided during the Q4 results.
TimesSquare Capital U.S. Mid Cap Growth Strategy discussed Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“For the Communication Services sector, we prefer to invest in media and services companies that are either well placed from an advertising perspective for their target audience or that provide differentiated services. Pinterest, Inc. (NYSE:PINS) is an image-based social media platform. We exited our position following slower-than-expected fourth-quarter results and cautious guidance, attributed to advertising pullbacks by retailers impacted by tariffs. Its shares were down -44% while held in the quarter. The combination of softer-than-expected results along with lackluster forward guidance led us to liquidate the position.”
6. CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)
Element Capital’s Stake: $8.9 million
CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) is a financial services company that operates options trading markets. Its shares are down by 16.3% over the past year and by 12.3% year-to-date. Several analysts discussed the firm in June. For instance, Rothschild bumped the stock’s rating to Buy from Neutral and increased the share price target to $323 from $316. The financial firm outlined that CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) stood to benefit from the growing interest in retail trading and prediction markets and added that the recent pullback in the shares could provide an attractive entry opportunity. On June 17th, Piper Sandler reiterated an Overweight rating and a $320 share price target for CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME). It discussed the company’s recent management shuffle, through which its CEO is due to retire and be replaced by the CFO.
A day later, Keefe Bruyette commented on CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME)’s retail exposure and remarked that concerns about overexposure were excessive. The financial firm added that the trading markets firm could benefit from higher volume in the year’s second half.
Alpha Wealth Insiders Fund discussed CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) in its Q1 2026 investor letter:
“Business: CME Group Inc. (NASDAQ:CME) is the world’s leading and most diverse derivatives marketplace. It operates several of the most prominent exchanges globally, providing a platform for market participants to manage risk and capture opportunities across virtually every major asset class.
Insider Buying/Selling: Director Shepard continue to buy shares, most recently 1470 at $297.38 on 3-26-26 .
Recent News: CME Group has already released preliminary volume data for the first quarter, which suggests a significant revenue beat is possible. Continued tensions and a specific “Iran-Strait of Hormuz deadline” set by the Trump administration have kept energy and metals markets in a state of high activity. WTI Crude prices near $110/barrel drove energy contracts to a record single-day high of 8.3 million in early March. Interest Rate Uncertainty: As the CME FedWatch Tool shows markets pricing out Fed rate cuts, interest rate futures reached a record ADV of 5.7 million contracts internationally.
Our Thesis: This is a near monopoly and one of the few ways to play hedging volatility in an uncertain world. We’ve owned it off and on for years. It has a place in our long term portfolio as well as our trading account.”
While we acknowledge the potential of CME 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 CME and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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