In this article, we will discuss: 10 Best Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Billionaire D.E. Shaw. For more stocks, you can head to 5 Best Stocks to Buy in 2026 According to Billionaire D.E. Shaw.
In the hedge fund industry, few names are more recognizable than that of D. E. Shaw. Shaw is known for having founded his namesake hedge fund, D. E. Shaw & Co. He is among the richest people in the world, with a net worth of $8.8 billion as of July 2026 according to Forbes Magazine. Having set up the firm in 1988, Shaw took a back seat in 2002 when he stopped managing trading operations to focus on DE Shaw Research instead.
When it comes to performance, D. E. Shaw, along with other heavy hitters such as Citadel and Bridgewater, is among the top globally. In January, a Reuters report claimed that the fund’s two flagship funds, i.e. the Oculus Fund and the Composite Fund, generated net returns of 28.2% and 18.5% in 2025, respectively. Data from DisruptionBanking shows that the global hedge fund average was 18%, which implies that Shaw’s funds outperformed the average fund.
With first quarter hedge fund filings available, we decided to check which stocks were prominent in D. E. Shaw & Co.’s 13F filings. So read on below to find out!
David E. Shaw of D.E. Shaw
Our Methodology
For this article, we scanned D. E Shaw & Co.’s Q1 13F filings and picked its top holdings. 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. Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
D. E. Shaw’s Q1 2026 Stake: $1 billion
Social media giant Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) has been in the news lately due to its reported decision to sell excess computing capacity. The reports come as discussions and debates about its spending, despite not having an established cloud computing business is rampant. Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s shares are down by 13% over the past year and by 2.9% year-to-date. The firm is also under fire due to the purportedly addictive nature of its social media platforms. On June 30th, a California judge rejected the firm’s application to dismiss a lawsuit filed by state attorneys accusing Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) of designing platforms to be addictive to teenagers.
Cantor Fitzgerald discussed the shares on July 6th. It reiterated a Buy rating and a $750 share price target on Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s shares. Amidst its aggressive focus on artificial intelligence, a media report in July suggested that the firm’s CEO was unhappy about the pace of progress of agentic artificial intelligence.
9. Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)
D. E. Shaw’s Q1 2026 Stake: $1.2 billion
Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) has shaped up to be one of the hottest stocks on the market. The shares are up by 711% over the past year and by 214% year-to-date. More recently, the shares have struggled and have had to contend with several dips. As Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) is the only American company capable of manufacturing high end memory chips, its ability to cater to the AI industry has been at the center of debate for the firm. For instance, Phillip Securities kept a Buy rating on the shares and raised the share price target to $1,870 from $530 on June 29th. The financial firm discussed Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)’s ability to enter into more long term agreements, as it outlined that it expects the current memory chip shortage to extend beyond 2027.
Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) also announced on July 9th that it would invest an additional $3 billion into chip manufacturing facilities in America. The investment builds on the firm’s earlier plans. Its chief procurement officer outlined that “securing a reliable supply of critical input materials is essential to supporting Micron’s long-term growth and technology roadmap.”
ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Strategy discussed Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) in its Q2 2026 investor letter:
“The Russell rebalance substantially reduced the weighting of the Magnificent Seven in the Russell 1000 Growth Index (RLG), with Apple, Microsoft and Amazon shifting toward the Russell 1000 Value Index while Alphabet’s weight increased (Exhibit 1). Factoring in the net effect of these changes, the index saw a reduction in top-heavy concentration, which we view as a welcome change. At the same time, the rebalance has caused the index to become more momentum oriented, with Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) entering the benchmark at an almost 400 basis point weighting the most immediate example.
With semiconductors becoming more than 30% of the RLG, we also initiated a position in Micron, a leading memory provider that we believe is well-positioned to benefit from growing AI infrastructure investment as AI data centers require significantly more memory than traditional computing systems. We see Micron as a differentiated way to gain exposure to the AI buildout while diversifying our semiconductor holdings.”
