These stocks are outperforming this year and are cheap heading into 2026
There are a host of companies that have rallied this year and are well-loved by analysts, but still remain strong buying opportunities for investors. Major U.S. averages have seen a strong year, boosted primarily by ongoing investments in stocks tied to the artificial intelligence trade. Risk-on sentiment in several high-flying tech names has remained strong even though stocks have clawed back some gains this month. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite , like last year, is leading the three stock indexes with its year-to-date gain of more than 20%. The S & P 500 is up nearly 16% this year, while the 30-stock Dow has climbed 11.5%. As we approach the end of 2026, we used the CNBC Pro stock screener to find companies that could be considered overlooked by the market. We specifically sought stocks in the S & P 500 that have outperformed the broad-market index and have forward price-to-earnings ratios that have dropped below the S & P average, suggesting they’re still cheap and ripe for the picking. The names we found meet the following criteria: A forward price-to-earnings ratio of less than 20, less than that of the S & P 500 A year-to-date gain of 20% or more A consensus buy rating from Wall Street analysts CVS Health shares have skyrocketed more than 78% this year, but the stock’s forward price-to-earnings ratio is sitting at about 11, according to the screen. Analysts polled by LSEG have a consensus price target of $90.66, which suggests roughly 16% potential upside from the stock’s closing price on Tuesday. Of the 19 analysts that cover the health care company, six rate it a strong buy while 18 give it a buy rating. CVS in late October reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that exceeded estimates and lifted its adjusted profit outlook after seeing greater improvement at its insurance unit. However, management has warned that it expects “modestly lower growth” in its Caremark pharmacy benefit manager business as it transitions contracts for new drug pricing levels “over the next few years.” CVS 1Y mountain CVS stock performance over the past year. Chipmaker Micron Technology is another stock that looks cheap, with a forward price-to-earnings ratio of 12, even after its roughly 174% blockbuster rally this year. Micron has a buy rating from analysts, on average, according to LSEG. One analyst who is bullish on the stock, Morgan Stanley’s Joseph Moore, reiterated his overweight rating earlier this month and named it a top pick. Moore said that a shortage in dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, should help boost Micron’s earnings power. “We believe that’s going to move us firmly into uncharted territory from an earnings standpoint, and we think the stock has yet to fully price in the upside that’s coming,” he wrote in a Nov. 13 note to clients. Other outperforming stocks from this list that could have more room to run include health care giants AbbVie and Medtronic , gold miner Newmont and power generation company Vistra .
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