In this article, we will look at the 11 Most Profitable Large Cap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.
On August 16, FedWatch’s Ben Emons joined CNBC Television for an interview to elaborate on his bull case that the all-time record highs are still to come. He noted that the retail sales data have shown economic acceleration as the control group, which is an important economic metric for the GDP, was revised upwards. Emons explained that this means that the economy is coming out of the summer slow phase and entering an acceleration. He acknowledged the weakness in the labour market but believes that it will trigger a Fed rate cut, which, combined with the retail sales data, will lead the stocks to hit a new record high.
Emons mentioned that the results of the upcoming Fed meeting could lead to a pullback; however, he sees this as a buying opportunity. He sees the possibility of a 50 basis point cut as viable to ensure labour market weakness is tackled. Thus, he noted that even if the Fed decides to show caution in the upcoming meeting, other members might make it happen in October.
He also discussed the Fed’s balance sheet runoff, which removes liquidity by letting mortgage-backed securities and Treasuries mature without replacement. This is a subtle form of tighter financial conditions. Emons suggests that the Fed may soon end this runoff, which could benefit the mortgage market and narrow spreads between MBS and Treasuries.
While providing investment advice, he noted that sectors related to electric equipment and AI have outperformed; therefore, he likes materials, staples, and energy stocks, which have lagged but could benefit from the upcoming market rally.
With that, let’s take a look at the 11 most profitable large-cap stocks to buy according to analysts.
Stocks
Our Methodology
To compile the list of 11 most profitable large-cap stocks to buy according to analysts, we used the Finviz stock screener, Yahoo Finance, and CNN as our sources. Using the screener, we aggregated a list of profitable large-cap stocks with market capitalization between $10 billion and $200 billion and a TTM net income of more than $500 million. Lastly, we ranked the stocks in ascending order of the analyst upside potential sourced from CNN. We have also added the number of hedge fund holders sourced from Insider Monkey’s Q1 2025 database. Please note that the data was recorded on August 15, 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
11 Most Profitable Large Cap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts
11. Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW)
Market Capitalization: $118.285 billion
TTM Net Income: $1.24 billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 77
Analyst Upside Potential: 24.23%
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) is one of the Most Profitable Large Cap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. On August 14, Shrenik Kothari from Robert W. Baird maintained a Buy rating on Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) with a price target of $230.
The analyst noted that the company is heading into its fiscal fourth quarter with favorable conditions. Kothari expects the revenue and annual recurring revenue to grow significantly year-over-year due to easier comparison. Moreover, the company acquired CYBR, and the analyst believes that this strategically improves the company’s platform. He also likes the current valuation of the company, making it an attractive risk/reward situation.
Palo Alto Networks, Inc. (NASDAQ:PANW) provides AI-powered security solutions for networks, cloud environments, and security operations.
10. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG)
Market Capitalization: $172.162 billion
TTM Net Income: $2.61 billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 106
Analyst Upside Potential: 24.31%
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) is one of the Most Profitable Large Cap Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. On July 23, Evercore ISI lowered the firm’s price target on Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) from $550 to $535, while keeping an In Line Rating on the stock.
The rating follows the company’s fiscal second-quarter earnings call for 2025. The company exceeded both revenue and EPS expectations during the quarter, driven by improved system sales. Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) posted $2.44 billion in revenue, up 21.4% year-over-year and ahead of expectations by $87.21 million. The EPS of $2.19 also came in ahead of consensus by $0.27.
Despite these impressive sales figures, the firm remains uncertain regarding the company’s potential to sustain the momentum gained in the second quarter, thus maintaining a Hold rating on the stock.
Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ:ISRG) develops and markets advanced robotic-assisted surgical systems, including the da Vinci surgical systems and the Ion endoluminal system.
