So here’s the thing about Wall Street analysts – they’re basically the fortune tellers of finance, except instead of crystal balls, they use spreadsheets and way too much coffee. And right now? They’re feeling pretty optimistic about 2026.
According to FactSet’s latest deep dive into analyst sentiment, a whopping 57.5% of nearly 13,000 U.S. stocks are getting “Buy” ratings. That’s the highest we’ve seen since February 2022, which, if you remember, was right before everything went sideways. But hey, let’s stay positive!
The Usual Suspects Are Back
Surprise, surprise – tech stocks are still the darlings of Wall Street. Information Technology leads the pack with 67% buy ratings, followed by Energy at 65%, and Communication Services at 64%. It’s like the popular kids’ table in high school, except with more money and fewer lunch trays.
Meanwhile, Consumer Staples and Utilities are sitting in the corner with only 44% and 48% buy ratings respectively. Apparently, analysts think people will keep buying iPhones but might skip the toilet paper. (Spoiler alert: they won’t.)
The Golden Children
One stock is getting the full royal treatment: Qnity Electronics (NYSE:Q) has a perfect 100% buy rating. They make the tiny bits that go into semiconductor chips – basically the Lego blocks of the digital world. With a 23% upside potential, analysts think this stock is going places.
The rest of the top 10 reads like a who’s who of tech royalty: Microsoft (98% buy), Amazon (96% buy), and Meta (92% buy). These companies have more cash than some small countries, so it’s not exactly shocking that analysts are bullish.
The Wall of Shame
On the flip side, some stocks are getting the cold shoulder. Expeditors International leads the “nope” list with 44% sell ratings. They move stuff around the world, which sounds important, but apparently analysts think robots will do it better soon.
Other companies in the doghouse include Garmin (36% sell) – because who needs GPS when your phone does everything – and Franklin Resources (36% sell), proving that even money managers can’t escape the judgment of other money managers.
The Reality Check
Here’s the thing about analyst ratings: they’re educated guesses at best, and expensive confetti at worst. Remember, these are the same people who thought WeWork was worth $47 billion. (It wasn’t.)
The smart play? Use these ratings as one data point among many. If 98% of analysts love Microsoft, that’s worth noting. But if your gut says a company with 44% sell ratings is actually undervalued, well, that’s how fortunes are made – or lost spectacularly.
The bottom line: 2026 is shaping up to be another year where tech rules the roost, energy stays hot, and boring utility stocks continue being… boring. Whether that’s good news or bad news depends entirely on what’s in your portfolio.