Bullish Stocks To Buy Today

When seeking out the best stocks to buy now, investors will need to be brave and patient in regard to timing, as well as agile as the stock market eventually transitions from bear market to bull market. Go ahead and add resolute to the character traits you'll need this year, because many market strategists say you can't get from one market to the other without going through a recession first.

bullish stocks to buy today

Given the uncertain, sometimes roiling backdrop for stocks, where should investors look when seeking out the best stocks to buy now? A popular piece of advice among Wall Street strategists now is to resist the bargain-basement appeal of the most beaten-up stocks and focus instead on high-quality shares. "Investors should avoid volatile names and be cautious on both deep-value and unprofitable growth companies," says Koesterich. "Instead, emphasize quality with a focus on earnings consistency and good profitability."

Now may be a good time to tilt toward value-oriented companies and small-cap stocks, both longtime underperformers that are showing signs of new life. Over the past five years, for example, the S&P 500 Value Index (opens in new tab) has returned 6.2% annualized, compared with 9.1% for the S&P 500 Growth Index (opens in new tab). Through early 2023, value has outperformed growth, with a 4.1% return compared to growth's 3.8% gain. "We would stick with value. These cycles last a while," says Ryan Detrick, chief market strategist at money management firm Carson Group (opens in new tab). Sectors typically grouped in the value style include energy, financials, industrials and materials.

So, with all of this in mind, here are 12 of the best stocks to buy now. The names featured here vary by size and industry and are not meant to compose a diversified portfolio. But all, for one reason or another, are well positioned to benefit from a transition to a bull market from a bear market in 2023.

Don't ignore the tenets of diversification and shun tech or the growthier side of the market completely when adjusting your portfolio to include the best stocks to buy now. Instead, take a barbell approach, says Tony DeSpirito, a managing director and portfolio manager at BlackRock (opens in new tab). This will allow you to scoop up value-focused shares at historically attractive relative price-to-earnings ratios (P/Es) and high-growth stocks at valuations that have come down from the stratosphere and are now at normal, if not yet underpriced, levels.

Take Advanced Micro Devices (AMD (opens in new tab), $76.61), a leading semiconductor manufacturer. Analysts have mixed ratings on one of Wall Street's best semiconductor stocks in part because an economic slowdown and negative investor sentiment are near-term obstacles.

Matador Resources (MTDR (opens in new tab), $52.38) is an oil and gas exploration and production company that has risen alongside its fellow energy stocks over the last 12 months. Specifically, MTDR stock is up more than 20% year-over-year.

Even with its impressive growth on the charts, MTDR is one of best values on this list of the best stocks to buy now. Shares are currently trading at just 5.1 times forward earnings, well below Matador's five-year average of 11.2.

Investors seeking out the best stocks to buy now might consider holding for longer than one year: Keith says she sees "significant market-share opportunity" for Workday, and over the next three years, the stock's potential reward outweighs the risk.

Why is Merck (MRK (opens in new tab), $109.16) on this list of the best stocks to buy now? The pharmaceutical giant is known for its high returns over the past decade. Analysts are upbeat toward MRK, too, as evidenced by a consensus rating of Buy. Of the 27 analysts that follow Merck tracked by S&P Global Market Intelligence, 13 say it's a Strong Buy, seven have it a Buy, six call it a Hold and one rates it at Sell.

And for investors seeking out the best defensive stocks, Huynh says MRK's growth is "low risk," and that cancer drug Keytruda and HPV vaccine Gardasil are "well established and less affected in the near term by healthcare reforms under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) than peers."

"Our bullish outlook reflects the company's strong recent performance and our expectations for further growth in the oilseeds business and improvement in the origination and nutrition division," says Argus Research analyst Taylor Conrad (Buy). "The balance sheet is clean and management signaled confidence with the increased dividend."

Morgan Stanley (opens in new tab) analyst Matthew Harrison upgraded the stock recently to Overweight, the equivalent of Buy, citing the strength of the company's pipeline and the stock's undervalued price. Amgen shares have gained about 7% over the past 12 months but trade at 13 times 2023 expected earnings, a fraction of the P/E of 70 that's typical for biotech firms. With all this in mind, it's easy to see why AMGN is on this list of the best stocks to buy now.

Buying a stock is easy, but buying the right stock without a time-tested strategy is incredibly hard. So what are the best stocks to buy now or put on a watchlist? MercadoLibre (MELI), Meta Platforms (META), HubSpot (HUBS), PagerDuty (PD) and Palo Alto Networks (PANW) are prime candidates.

The CAN SLIM system offers clear guidelines on what you should be looking for. Invest in stocks with recent quarterly and annual earnings growth of at least 25%. Look for companies that have new, game-changing products and services. Also consider not-yet-profitable companies, often recent IPOs, that are generating tremendous revenue growth.

A key part of the CAN SLIM formula is the M, which stands for market. Most stocks, even the very best, follow the market direction. Invest when the stock market is in a confirmed uptrend and move to cash when the stock market goes into a correction.

A stock market rally that kicked off 2022 soon fell on its face. The market overall has been choppy since then, with bear market rallies often being undercut by painful drawdowns. While the Nasdaq looks healthy, the S&P 500 has fallen under the 50-day moving average amid challenging action sparked by negative action among bank stocks.

Now is a time to prepare for the next stock market uptrend by creating a robust watchlist. Focus on fundamentally strong stocks coming out of sound chart patterns, such as those in the IBD 50. These names will tend to have rising relative strength lines. The stocks below are good candidates.

Now let's look at MercadoLibre stock, Meta stock, HubSpot stock, PagerDuty stock and Palo Alto Networks stock in more detail. An important consideration is that these stocks all boast impressive relative strength.

Lackluster earnings are reflected in an EPS Rating of 48 out of 99. Despite this, growing bullish sentiment is reflected in the fact it is in the top 4% of stocks in terms of price performance over the past 12 months.

The bullish engulfing pattern and the ascending triangle pattern are considered among the most favorable candlestick patterns. As with other forms of technical analysis, it is important to look for bullish confirmation and understand that there are no guaranteed results."}},"@type": "Question","name": "What Is a Spinning Top Candlestick Pattern?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "A spinning top, or doji, is a candlestick with a short body and two long shadows, indicating that prices fluctuated over the course of a trading period before ultimately closing near the opening price. In technical analysis, this indicates that neither buyers or sellers have the upper hand.","@type": "Question","name": "What Is a Bullish Belt Hold Candlestick Pattern?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "A bullish belt hold is a pattern of declining prices, followed by a trading period of significant gains. In technical analysis, this is considered a sign of reversal after a downtrend. As with other forms of technical analysis, traders should be careful to wait for bullish confirmation. Even with confirmation, there is no guarantee that a pattern will play out."]}]}] Investing Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All Simulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard Economy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All News Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All Reviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All Academy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All TradeSearchSearchPlease fill out this field.SearchSearchPlease fill out this field.InvestingInvesting Stocks Bonds Fixed Income Mutual Funds ETFs Options 401(k) Roth IRA Fundamental Analysis Technical Analysis Markets View All SimulatorSimulator Login / Portfolio Trade Research My Games Leaderboard EconomyEconomy Government Policy Monetary Policy Fiscal Policy View All Personal FinancePersonal Finance Financial Literacy Retirement Budgeting Saving Taxes Home Ownership View All NewsNews Markets Companies Earnings Economy Crypto Personal Finance Government View All ReviewsReviews Best Online Brokers Best Life Insurance Companies Best CD Rates Best Savings Accounts Best Personal Loans Best Credit Repair Companies Best Mortgage Rates Best Auto Loan Rates Best Credit Cards View All AcademyAcademy Investing for Beginners Trading for Beginners Become a Day Trader Technical Analysis All Investing Courses All Trading Courses View All Financial Terms Newsletter About Us Follow Us Facebook Instagram LinkedIn TikTok Twitter YouTube Table of ContentsExpandTable of ContentsHow to Read a Single CandlestickBullish Candlestick Patterns1. The Hammer2. The Bullish Engulfing3. The Piercing Line4. The Morning Star5. The Three White SoldiersPutting It All TogetherBullish Candlestick FAQsThe Bottom LineTechnical AnalysisTechnical Analysis Basic EducationUsing Bullish Candlestick Patterns to Buy StocksByMarianna Galstyan Full BioMarianna Galstyan has 6+ years of experience as a business consultant and 3+ years as a financial policy analyst.Learn about our editorial policiesUpdated January 09, 2022Reviewed byCharles PottersFact checked by 041b061a72