On November 14, Alli McCartney, UBS Private Wealth Management managing director, joined ‘Squawk Box’ on CNBC to discuss the latest market trends and what to make of the recent volatility. McCartney argued that, considering the current high valuations, the lack of data, and the opacity in the market, there is a logical expectation for greater volatility than the market has currently exhibited. She explained that when these fundamental factors are combined with recent statements from the Fed, the recent breaks in the market make sense. She specifically attributed this to the period following the October year-end for many funds and asset managers, suggesting they are puking stuff back into the market to effectively restart their year.
While acknowledging that the latest earnings reporting season was extraordinary, she countered that the valuations were equally extraordinary, leading to a constant push-and-pull dynamic. She pointed out the market’s myopic focus on a few stocks, specifically Nvidia and five key company reports. She also attributed the low trading volumes to the time of year and a recent mid-week holiday, characterizing the current period as one of digestion. McCartney, referencing her background as a former volatility trader, stated that she welcomed this period and has been actively putting new money to work over the then-past five days across diverse markets, including gold, precious metals, AI, and hyperscalers. This is part of a barbell strategy, which balances safety zones with risk-on areas. She adopted this strategy due to earlier-year concerns about a potential recession, political erraticism, and a waning dollar.
With that being said, we’re here with a list of the 12 best upside stocks to buy now.
Our Methodology
We first sifted through the Finviz stock screener to compile a list of the top stocks with an upside potential of over 50%. We then selected the 12 stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their upside potential. We have also added the hedge fund sentiment for each stock, as of Q3 2025, which was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database.
Note: All data was sourced on November 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 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
12 Best Upside Stocks to Buy Now
12. Iren Limited (NASDAQ:IREN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 52
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 53.77%
Iren Limited (NASDAQ:IREN) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 24, JPMorgan raised the firm’s price target on Iren to $39 from $28 and kept an Underweight rating on the shares. The recent surge in M&A activity within the HPC sector has led JPMorgan to have greater confidence in Bitcoin mining companies, such as Iren. This increased conviction is attributed to the bank’s use of higher valuation assumptions for the miners, which are based on viewing them as integrated cloud businesses.
Earlier the same month in its FQ1 2026 earnings report, Iren highlighted a fifth consecutive quarter of increasing revenues and major strategic progress. The company achieved a record revenue of $240 million, marking a 28% sequential increase and a 355% jump year-over-year. The company also earned $1.08 in FQ1, which surpassed guidance by $0.94.
In the quarter, Iren also secured a major, long-term AI cloud contract with Microsoft valued at $9.7 billion. This contract is expected to generate ~$1.94 billion in ARR for Iren. The deal includes a crucial provision for a 20% upfront prepayment from Microsoft, which significantly aids Iren’s capital expenditures and supports a capital-efficient growth strategy.
Iren Limited (NASDAQ:IREN) operates in the vertically integrated data center business in Australia and Canada. The company owns and operates computing hardware, as well as electrical infrastructure and data centers. It also mines Bitcoin.
11. Evolv Technologies Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:EVLV)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 56.00%
Evolv Technologies Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:EVLV) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 6, Evolv Technologies Holdings announced that it had entered into a strategic contract manufacturing partnership with Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS). The new collaboration is designed to scale Evolv’s manufacturing and global supply chain capabilities to meet the growing demand for its advanced security screening products.
The partnership combines Evolv’s product expertise with Plexus’ design, supply chain, and manufacturing capabilities to enable large-scale production and distribution. The collaboration with Plexus is expected to position Evolv for its next phase of growth. Key benefits include increased capacity and expertise, a scalable platform to support global expansion through Plexus’ international production network, and long-term cost-saving opportunities through Plexus’ global manufacturing scale and procurement efficiencies.
The partnership will also facilitate new market opportunities via Plexus’ sustaining services solution and strengthen resiliency with geographic coverage, redundancy, and 24/7 global support. Evolv currently maintains ample inventory and committed production capacity to support uninterrupted service and consistent delivery to customers as Plexus is integrated.
Evolv Technologies Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:EVLV) provides AI-based weapons detection for security screening in the US and internationally.
Plexus Corp. (NASDAQ:PLXS) provides electronic manufacturing services in the US, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
10. Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 49
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 57.48%
Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 12, Apellis Pharmaceuticals announced that a post hoc analysis of the Phase 3 GALE extension study showed the long-term benefit of SYFOVRE (pegcetacoplan injection) for geographic atrophy/GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration/AMD.
Following 5 years of continuous treatment, the data showed that both monthly and every-other-month administration of SYFOVRE delayed GA lesion growth by ~1.5 years in patients with non-subfoveal GA when compared to sham/projected sham. This is significant because GA is a progressive and irreversible disease caused by growing lesions that destroy retinal cells and is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, impacting over 1 million Americans and 5 million people globally.
SYFOVRE (pegcetacoplan injection) is the first-ever FDA-approved therapy for geographic atrophy, working by targeting C3 to provide comprehensive control of the complement cascade. It is indicated for the treatment of GA secondary to age-related macular degeneration in the US. SYFOVRE is contraindicated in patients with ocular or periocular infections, active intraocular inflammation, and those with hypersensitivity to pegcetacoplan.
Apellis Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:APLS) is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops, and commercializes novel therapeutic compounds to treat diseases with high unmet needs.
9. Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 95
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 65.52%
Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 28, Citi analyst Ben Shelley lowered the firm’s price target on Flutter Entertainment to $320 from $340 with a Buy rating on the shares. This sentiment was announced as Citi stated that the uncertainty surrounding a potential UK tax increase acted as a significant overhang on Flutter’s equity for almost 4 months. Although the actual UK tax hike is more substantial than initially anticipated, Shelley believes that this period of uncertainty has now been alleviated for Flutter, allowing the focus on the company’s future to move on.
Earlier this month, Flutter Entertainment reported its Q3 2025 earnings, where the company reported making $3.79 billion in quarterly revenue, which was a 16.84% year-over-year increase and also surpassed guidance by $12.75 million. At the same time, the company also earned $1.64 per share, which crossed Street estimates by $1.14.
However, revenue growth was uneven across the company’s segments. International revenue grew by 21% year-over-year, with acquisitions contributing 18 percentage points to this increase, alongside strong organic growth in markets like Turkey and Italy. US revenue increased by 9%, though this was a mixed result: iGaming revenue soared 44%, but this was offset by a 5% decline in sportsbook revenue. The decline in sportsbook revenue was largely due to customer-friendly sports results and heightened competitive generosity from rivals at the start of the NFL season.
Flutter Entertainment (NYSE:FLUT) operates as a sports betting and gaming company in the US, the UK, Ireland, Australia, Italy, and internationally.
8. Monday.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNDY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 55
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 79.35%
Monday.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNDY) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 11, Morgan Stanley lowered the firm’s price target on Monday.com to $236 from $260, while maintaining an Overweight rating on the shares. This sentiment amid a stock price fall was because of the company’s earnings beat, which was smaller than expected on an already low bar. Management also did not increase the financial guidance for the full year 2025.
However, Morgan Stanley remains highly confident in the long-term investment case, which is based on the company’s growing focus on faster-growing, multi-product solutions and generating more revenue from larger customers. In its Q3 2025 earnings call, Monday.com reported a total revenue of $317 million, which was a 26% increase year-over-year. Net income reached $61.9 million, yielding a diluted net income per share of $1.16
The company’s Q4 2025 revenue guidance is set at $328 to $330 million, which reflects a year-over-year growth of 22% to 23%. The full year 2025 revenue guidance is $1.226 to $1.228 billion, which represents ~26% growth year-over-year. The company is rebalancing investments towards higher ROI areas like direct sales and new products, which have longer sales cycles but show positive momentum.
Monday.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:MNDY) develops software applications internationally. The company provides Work Operating System, which is a cloud-based visual work OS that consists of modular building blocks used and assembled to create software applications and work management tools.
7. Dyne Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DYNE)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 79.50%
Dyne Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DYNE) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 25, Bernstein raised the firm’s price target on Dyne Therapeutics to $21 from $12 with a Market Perform rating on the shares. Bernstein believes that Dyne Therapeutics has a favorable risk-reward profile. The next major catalyst expected for the company is the release of data for the registrational expansion cohort of DYN-251, which is a treatment candidate for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy/DMD.
In its Q3 2025 earnings report, Dyne Therapeutics disclosed that both of its lead programs, zeleciment rostudirsen (z-rostudirsen, or DYNE-251) for DMD and zeleciment basivarsen (z-basivarsen, or DYNE-101) for Myotonic Dystrophy Type 1/DM1, had been granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by the FDA. This dual progress reinforces the potential of the FORCE platform to deliver drug payloads effectively to the muscle and the central nervous system/CNS.
Dyne expects to launch two potentially best-in-class medicines within ~one year of each other, starting with z-rostudirsen.DYNE-251 for DMD. The company is also on track to announce topline data from the 6-month primary analysis in December 2025. These data, along with comprehensive data from the multiple ascending dose/MAD portion of the trial, are expected to support a potential submission for US Accelerated Approval in Q2 2026.
Dyne Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:DYNE) is a clinical-stage neuromuscular disease company that discovers and develops therapeutics for neuromuscular diseases in the US.
6. Riot Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:RIOT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 57
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 83.82%
Riot Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:RIOT) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 24, JPMorgan lowered the firm’s price target on Riot Platforms to $17 from $19 and kept an Overweight rating on the shares. This price cut sentiment was posted as JPMorgan cited lower bitcoin prices and a higher share count.
Earlier in its Q3 2025 financial results, Riot Platforms reported a total revenue of $180.2 million, which was an 18% increase from the previous quarter. However, net income for Q3 decreased substantially to $104.5 million from $219.5 million in the prior quarter.
Additionally, the company’s Bitcoin production slightly declined quarter-over-quarter. This was due to an 8% growth in the global hash rate, which outpaced Riot’s own 3% growth in hash rate deployment. The company faces a constrained power environment, which could potentially impact future expansion and development timelines.
Riot Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:RIOT) operates as a Bitcoin mining company in the US. The company operates in two segments: Bitcoin Mining and Engineering.
5. Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:WIX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 71
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 114.05%
Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:WIX) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 20, Oppenheimer analyst Ken Wong lowered the firm’s price target on Wix.com to $160 from $220, while keeping an Outperform rating on the shares. While the company’s Q3 2025 performance showed accelerated growth in both bookings and revenue due to continued momentum from new customer cohorts and the strong performance of its Base44 product, investors reacted negatively.
This surprise stemmed from higher-than-expected costs related to AI development and increased S&M investments dedicated to Base44, as the market had assumed management would keep spending flat. Despite this short-term spending concern, Wong remains positive due to the improving core business and the expectation that Wix.com will have one of the best AI monetization stories going into 2026.
In Q3 2025, Wix.com reported that the company’s total bookings reached $515 million, representing a 14% increase year-over-year. Total revenue was $505 million, also up 14%. A notable driver of the company’s momentum was the recent acquisition, Base 44, which has outperformed initial expectations, attracting over $2 million in users and is projected to achieve at least $50 million in ARR by year-end. The hypergrowth of the Base 44 product, which primarily uses a monthly subscription model, is creating a short-term headwind to free cash flow due to the misalignment between immediate bookings and upfront operating expenses. Additionally, Base 44 has a higher churn rate compared to Wix’s core business, although it is better than expected.
Wix.com Ltd. (NASDAQ:WIX) operates a cloud-based web development platform for registered users and creators worldwide.
4. Primo Brands Corporation (NYSE:PRMB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 62
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 123.93%
Primo Brands Corporation (NYSE:PRMB) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 26, Barclays analyst Lauren Lieberman lowered the firm’s price target on Primo Brands to $24 from $25 and maintained an Overweight rating on the shares. The company’s exit rate and revenue mix are expected to create a greater difficulty for its direct delivery business in 2026 than Barclays had previously anticipated.
Primo Brands reported its Q3 2025 earnings earlier in the same month, revealing a quarter characterized by strong margin expansion despite a decline in overall sales. Net sales were $1.766 billion, a 1.6% year-over-year decline. However, the company achieved $404.5 million in Comparable Adjusted EBITDA, representing a 6.8% year-over-year increase, resulting in a solid margin of 22.9%.
The decline in overall net sales was primarily driven by the Direct Delivery business, which saw a 6.5% comparable net sales decline, or ~$47 million. This underperformance was largely attributed to self-inflicted integration challenges that led to temporarily increased costs, including additional routes and customer service expenses. As a result, the company had to provide increased customer credits totaling $3.7 million year-over-year.
Primo Brands Corporation (NYSE:PRMB) operates as a branded beverage company in North America. It offers solutions through water dispensers, direct delivery of refillable/reusable bottles, a pre-filled Water exchange program, and water filtration appliances, as well as operates self-service water refill stations.
3. The GEO Group Inc. (NYSE:GEO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 47
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 137.48%
The GEO Group Inc. (NYSE:GEO) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 8, JonesResearch lowered the firm’s price target on GEO Group to $37 from $50 with a Buy rating on the shares. The firm noted that the company has started to show a trajectory toward over $3 billion in annualized revenue for the full-year 2026, driven by upcoming contracts and monitoring services.
At the same time, the firm revised its financial estimates downward to account for slower growth than previously expected. Despite this revision, the firm remains bullish on all segments of GEO, with particular excitement for the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program/ISAP opportunity.
Earlier in its Q3 2025 earnings report, the GEO Group disclosed that its revenue reached $682 million, which was an increase from $603 million in Q3 2024. The company’s reported net income for Q3 was $174 million, or $1.24 per diluted share, up sharply from $26 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, in Q3 2024. The company also provided its full-year 2025 revenue guidance of ~$2.6 billion.
Regarding the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program/ISAP 5 contract, the company had to reduce pricing to remain competitive, which may impact margins, particularly as the mix shifts toward more intensive, higher-cost monitoring devices. The government’s Request for Proposal for the ISAP contract identified participant counts of 361,000 in year one and 465,000 in year two, with the contract term extending into 2027. GEO anticipates the ISAP ramp-up to begin in early 2026.
The GEO Group Inc. (NYSE:GEO) is a leading diversified government service provider that designs, finances, develops, and supports services for secure facilities, processing centers, and community reentry centers in the US, Australia, South Africa, and the UK.
2. Soleno Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SLNO)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 58
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 142.18%
Soleno Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SLNO) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 18, Wolfe Research analyst Kalpit Patel initiated coverage of Soleno Therapeutics with an Outperform rating and $75 price target. The stock price has been weak recently due to a sequential slowdown in the number of new patients starting treatment (ViCAT XR). However, Patel noted that the firm’s latest survey data indicates concerns about the treatment’s safety are overblown, and the underlying trend for its use is expected to be positive over the next 1 to 2 years.
Earlier in its Q3 2025 earnings report, Soleno Therapeutics announced that the company achieved profitability with a positive net income of $26 million for the quarter. Total net revenue more than doubled from Q2 to $66 million. Furthermore, Soleno achieved broad insurance coverage for its key product, ViCAT XR, covering ~132 million lives.
ViCAT XR, the company’s treatment for Prader-Willi Syndrome/PWS, has 764 active patients receiving the reimbursed drug, reflecting growing adoption. However, the company’s launch trajectory was temporarily disrupted due to a short seller report. This disruption led to a slowdown in patient start forms during August and September, as well as an increased rate of discontinuations. The discontinuation rate of ViCAT XR related to adverse events was ~8% by the end of Q3.
Soleno Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SLNO) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that develops and commercializes novel therapeutics for the treatment of rare diseases.
1. BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 47
Average Upside Potential as of November 27: 153.52%
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) is one of the best upside stocks to buy now. On November 6, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced new data that showed the early and negative psychosocial burden of hereditary angioedema/HAE and the resulting emergency department/ED and hospital visits on pediatric patients and their caregivers.
Additionally, new one-year data from the ongoing APeX-P clinical trial showed an early and sustained reduction in monthly HAE attack rates in pediatric patients aged 2 to under 12 years treated with the once-daily oral granules of ORLADEYO (berotralstat). The second interim analysis of the APeX-P trial, which is the largest pediatric HAE prophylaxis trial, explored the one-year safety and effectiveness of ORLADEYO in children aged 2 to under 12 years, with a mean treatment exposure of 63.9 weeks.
The capsule formulation of ORLADEYO was previously approved by the FDA in December 2020 for HAE prophylaxis in patients aged 12 years and older. ORLADEYO is not recommended for the treatment of acute HAE attacks, and dosages over 150 mg once daily are not recommended due to the potential for QT prolongation. The most common adverse reactions are abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, back pain, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:BCRX) is a biotechnology company that develops oral small-molecule and injectable protein therapeutics to treat rare diseases.
While we acknowledge the potential of BCRX 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 BCRX and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None.
