This article looks at the 15 Best Big Name Stocks to Buy.
The term refers to companies that are leading players in their industries and have a significant impact on the market. These stocks are known for their large capitalizations, strong fundamentals, and brand recognition.
Despite economic and geopolitical challenges, the S&P 500 Index, which tracks the leading 500 companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges, has returned 30% over the past 12 months. On the other hand, Bloomberg’s Magnificent 7 Total Return Index has gained 49% during the period.
From a year-to-date perspective, the broad market index’s returns have been a meagre 4.47%. However, the index closed on Friday at a record high of 7,165.08 amid hopes of a possible second round of peace talks between the United States and Iran in Pakistan.
Robert Canzo, the CEO of investment advisory firm The Wealth Alliance, believes that while news coming from the Middle East can cause volatility, the market has become resilient and was ‘looking right through’ the war, irrespective of the outcome of the negotiations in Islamabad.
He said that investors were confident about the market’s fundamentals. Moreover, Trump’s statements suggesting it will not be a long war and a strong start to the earnings season have also helped the sentiment.
While talking to CNBC recently, Kara Murphy, the Chief Investment Officer at Kestra Investments, said that she had put the Iran war in the category of ‘noise’. She noted that since 1940, whenever a large-scale geopolitical event such as this occurred, more than two-thirds of the time the markets were up 12 months later. Murphy anticipates mega-cap tech stocks to be the first to rebound when the situation settles.
With that said, let’s now head over to the list of the best big name stocks to buy.
Photo by Robb Miller on Unsplash
Methodology
We used screeners to identify companies with a market capitalization of at least $50 billion. We then shortlisted the top 15 stocks that had the highest number of hedge fund investors having a stake in them, based on Insider Monkey’s database of prominent hedge funds as of Q4 2025. Finally, we ranked them in ascending order based on the number of hedge funds holding positions.
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).
15 Best Big Name Stocks to Buy
15. Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 137
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) is among the 15 Best Big Name Stocks to Buy. On April 21, Barclays analyst Emily Field reiterated an Overweight rating on the stock with a price target of $1,350.
This is a reaffirmation of the firm’s initiation of coverage on the pharmaceutical company in February, when it noted Eli Lilly’s strong market share in obesity drugs and added that the stock was worthy of a premium valuation.
The recent update follows Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY)’s announcement on April 20 of a definitive agreement to acquire clinical-stage biotechnology firm Kelonia Therapeutics for up to $7 billion. The takeover marks a significant move in the drug-maker’s push to strengthen its oncology pipeline.
In other news, Scotiabank analyst Louise Chen also reiterated an Outperform rating on the company’s shares with a price target of $1,300 following the acquisition report.
As of the close of business on April 24, the stock is a Strong Buy with an average share price upside potential of 42%.
Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) discovers, develops, and markets pharmaceutical products. The company has been pioneering life-changing discoveries for the last 150 years.
14. Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 137
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is among the 15 Best Big Name Stocks to Buy. On April 22, the company reported financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026, with earnings beating estimates and topline coming in shy of forecasts.
Revenue for the quarter increased 16% from the prior year to $22.39 billion, attributed to an increase in vehicle deliveries. However, the figure missed expectations of $22.64 billion. Adjusted earnings per share came in at 41 cents, up 52% year-over-year and surpassing expectations by four cents.
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)’s automotive gross margins were recorded at 19.2%, which is more than in any quarter in the prior year. The result was driven by an increase in average selling prices and lower costs of materials, reducing the average cost per vehicle.
Capital expenditure surged 67% during the quarter to $2.49 billion, but was 40% below Wall Street’s estimates, which is likely to give the company some respite, given the annual figure is expected to top the $25 billion this year.
In other news, Wall Street continues to remain cautious on the stock with a Hold rating. Tesla has a one-year average share price target of $411.59 as of April 24, representing a 9% upside.
Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) is an automotive and clean energy company. It is a pioneer in the EV industry and has significantly contributed to the global shift toward sustainable transportation through its electric cars.
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