Analysts' Top S&P 500 Stocks to Buy Now

It's tough to buy low when markets are trading near record highs. But new highs tend to beget fresh highs, and there are always names poised to outperform.

It's also important to know that earnings estimates are rising faster than stock prices. The market is actually cheaper now than it was just a few months ago.

Although the Magnificent 7 stocks have done much of the bull market's heavy lifting, that hardly means these names are doomed to lag from here. Indeed, many of them are in pronounced drawdowns. At the same time, a rotation out of these stocks has capital flowing to other, sometimes sleepier, sectors.

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As we'll see below, five of Wall Street's top-rated S&P 500 stocks to buy hail from the Magnificent 7. Companies from the energy, healthcare and industrials sectors are ably represented, too.

How we found analysts' top-rated S&P 500 stocks

It's well known that industry analysts are reluctant to slap Sell ratings on the names they cover. There are several reasons for this, some more defensible than others.

What's less commonly understood is that Strong Buy recommendations, while not nearly as rare as Sell calls, are in somewhat short supply, too.

If you run a screen of the S&P 500 using data from S&P Global Market Intelligence, you'll see that analysts assign a consensus Sell recommendation to only one stock.

At the other end of the ratings spectrum stands the Street's highest recommendation of Strong Buy. A total of 53 stocks made the cut there as bullish sentiment soars.

First, a note on our methodology: S&P Global Market Intelligence surveys analysts' stock recommendations and scores them on a five-point scale, in which 1.0 equals Strong Buy and 5.0 means Strong Sell.

Any score below 2.5 means that analysts, on average, rate the stock a Buy. The closer the score gets to 1.0, the stronger the Buy call.

In other words, lower scores are better than higher scores.

Have a look at the chart below to see the 53 stocks in the S&P 500 that score an elite Strong Buy recommendation from industry analysts. Investors who fear it's too late to buy Amazon.com (AMZN), Microsoft (MSFT) or Nvidia (NVDA) will be happy to see they easily made the list.

As much as artificial intelligence (AI) is driving capital spending and market sentiment, analysts see plenty of reasons to be bullish on names across multiple sectors. Here we highlight what Wall Street has to say about three less sexy stocks on the list this month.

Wynn Resorts

Shares in Wynn Resorts (WYNN) are off about 18% in 2026, but that just has them priced for massive upside, analysts say.

Wall Street turned strongly positive on the casino resorts operator in 2025 and has only become more optimistic. Indeed, analysts' recommendation score for the consumer discretionary stock is sitting at record levels of bullishness.

Wynn operates luxury resorts in Las Vegas, Macau, London and Boston, but the company's development of two properties in the United Arab Emirates is the cause of this year's pullback in shares. Wynn Al Marjan Island is scheduled to open in 2027, while Janu Al Marjan Island will debut at the end of 2028.

Truist Securities initiated coverage of WYNN at Buy in July, citing the company's best-in-class properties, higher-end customer demographic and visible growth pipeline.

"We’re most excited by WYNN’s upcoming UAE property, where eventual calm in the Middle East and meaningful first-mover advantage could lead to a dominant market position for years to come," Truist analyst Barry Jonas wrote in a note to clients.

AutoZone

Shares in AutoZone (AZO) are trailing the broader market by almost 50 percentage points so far this year, but bulls say that has them trading at bargain levels.

Margin compression and aggressive expansion plans (and their related capital expenditures) are largely to blame for the drawdown. Rising costs due to tariffs and a tough environment for do-it-yourselfers are also weighing on the stock.

But the nation's largest car parts retailer should profit from strong U.S. commercial sales growth and same-store sales gains — eventually. After all, the average age of light vehicles is at a record high, and new cars are increasingly expensive. Drivers have every incentive to keep the cars they already own on the road.

Against that backdrop, Argus Research says AZO's price weakness presents an opportunity for long-term investors.

"We see several catalysts in the quarters ahead that are likely to reverse recent subpar trends," notes analyst Bill Selesky, who rates the stock at Buy. "Hundreds of new stores and MegaHubs are entering the comp-store base, which should boost sales and productivity. We also see continued growth in commercial sales growth, growth in international markets and operating leverage as the capital investment cycle begins to slow in fiscal 2027."

Diamondback Energy

Diamondback Energy (FANG) shares are beating the broader market by a wide margin in 2026 and the Street says there's plenty more upside to come.

The independent oil and natural gas company has long received praise from analysts for its exceptional operational execution in the Permian Basin of West Texas. And as an onshore U.S. producer, it's benefiting from the global rise in oil prices without being subject to the risks of moving oil out of the Middle East.

"FANG sees a strong macro setup for oil markets, supported by a global restocking that will be required to rebuild inventories post-conflict," writes UBS analyst Josh Silverstein, who rates the energy stock at Buy.

Longer term, the company's ongoing development of projects in the Barnett shale formation, Bryant Ranch and similar projects should drive further value creation, the analyst adds.

Of the 29 analysts issuing ratings on FANG tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence, 20 call it a Strong Buy, four say Buy and five have it at Hold.

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