Wall Street just wrapped a strong start to the year, and analysts are especially bullish on certain stocks as the second half of the year begins. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S & P 500 are up 10% this year, with the former logging its best first-half performance since 2021. The Nasdaq has climbed 15%. Tech led the sharp gains to start the year as investors loaded up on chipmakers tied to artificial intelligence. The Nasdaq-100 soared 19% in the first half of 2026. As the second half begins, analysts think several tech giants — including Oracle and Nvidia — will outperform, along with non-tech-related names such as Intuit and CoStar Group. CNBC Pro searched through FactSet data for S & P 500 stocks that had buy ratings from at least 60% of analysts covering it. They also expect these names to rise 40% or more from current levels. Here are the stocks that made the list: Oracle Oracle made the cut, with analysts on average expecting a nearly 80% surge going forward. More than two-thirds of those covering the stock rate it a buy. The enterprise software company has fallen 26% this year mainly due to worries around rapid spending on AI , but analysts are confident the stock can make a comeback. Last month, Piper Sandler highlighted Oracle as a top pick for the second half of 2026. “For 2H, we also like ORCL given 1) it is one of the few acceleration stories in software, 2) it is a direct AI beneficiary (creating scarcity value), and 3) due to our increased confidence post-F4Q print around ORCL’s ability to protect OCI mgns against rising component costs,” analyst Billy Fitzsimmons wrote. ORCL YTD line Oracle YTD Intuit Another name that met the screener’s requirement is Intuit . The average upside on it is 76%, and 70% of analysts covering it rate the stock a buy — despite its weak performance of late. The fintech stock is down 57% this year, vastly underperforming the S & P 500 . Still, Wolfe Research reiterated its outperform rating on the stock late last month. INTU YTD line Intuit in 2026 CoStar Group CoStar has an average price target that implies 62% upside, with 66% of analysts rating it a buy. To be sure, shares are down 55% this year, though Benchmark Equity Research initiated coverage of CoStar with a buy rating, seeing calling for a big rebound. “We believe the stock has found a bottom and poised to rebound. We believe the residential segment AEBITDA is poised to turn positive in 2H26 with margins likely to expand into 2027.” Michael Rindos said in a June 4 note. “We like the company’s dominant position as an information platform provider to the commercial real estate industry with 95% of its revenue subscription based with 90% renewal rates.” CSGP YTD line CoStar this year Nvidia Analysts are still bullish on Nvidia despite the chipmaker’s lackluster performance so far this year. The stock is up just 3% in 2026, but 83% of those who cover it rate it a buy while calling for an average gain of 60% from here. Evercore ISI ranked the global tech leader among one of its best “core” ideas in a note on July 2. “We believe that the Tectonic Shift to the current Parallel Processing / IoT Computing Era started 5-to-8 years ago, and that NVDA is the dominant and the only full-stack chip + HW + SW ecosystem play in parallel processing, which is only in the beginning phases of generating outsized returns for its investors,” analyst Mark Lipacis said. NVDA YTD line Nvidia is up 5.3% this year Micron Technology Micron Technology has soared more than 200% this year, and analysts think there are more returns to be had. Of those who cover the memory chipmaker, 77% have a buy rating on it, while expecting a 57% surge going forward. UBS published a note after Micron released earnings in June, highlighting that memory and semiconductor stocks will continue to perform well. “We think Micron cleared this bar with strong results and guidance, the announcement of supply agreements, and commentary that suggests a longer duration cycle,” analyst Kevin Dennean said. “Micron’s results should be a positive for the memory complex and semiconductor equipment stocks.” MU YTD line Micron YTD
Here are Wall Street analysts’ top S&P 500 stocks for the second half of 2026
