5 Best Short-Term Stocks to Buy Now

4. Prairie Operating Co. (NASDAQ:PROP)

Prairie Operating Co. (NASDAQ:PROP) is one of the best short-term stocks to buy now. On March 30, 2026, the company reported year-end 2025 results showing how sharply its scale changed after a year of acquisitions and development in the DJ Basin. Revenue rose to $241.6 million, while adjusted EBITDA reached a record $155.5 million, compared with negative adjusted EBITDA of $17.7 million in 2024. Annual production climbed to about 18,500 net Boe/d from a much smaller base a year earlier, with liquids making up roughly 73% of total volumes. Even so, Prairie posted a net loss attributable to common stockholders of $60.9 million, or $1.35 per basic share.

The release also pointed to a larger operating base entering 2026. Prairie said it exited 2025 with a current production rate of about 28,000 net Boe/d after integrating the Bayswater assets, bringing the Rusch, Opal/Coalbank, Noble, and part of the Simpson pad online, and continuing work on additional pads. Management also put out initial 2026 guidance calling for average daily production of 25,500 to 27,500 Boe/d and adjusted EBITDA of $240 million to $260 million, with capital spending of $200 million to $220 million.

Prairie Operating Co. (NASDAQ:PROP) is an independent energy company focused on developing and acquiring oil, natural gas, and NGL resources in the Denver-Julesburg Basin.