The Best-Performing Stocks in 2026 (By One-Year Returns)

These are the best 25 stocks in the S&P 500 right now, based on 1-year performance.

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Updated Mar 25, 2026 · 4 min read Written by Head of Content, Investing & Taxes + more + more Reviewed by Certified financial planner + more + more Edited by Managing Editor + more + more Co-written by Managing Editor + more + more SOME CARD INFO MAY BE OUTDATED

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In 2025, volatility was the main story of the S&P 500. President Trump's tariff plan, unveiled on April 2, 2025, sent stocks into a tailspin, but only one month later, they'd recaptured those losses. Then, as fears of an AI bubble began to surface, tech stocks' relentless charge forward began to lose steam. However, by the end of the year, the S&P 500 had risen 16%, marking the third year in a row of double-digit growth. So how do things look in 2026? So far, so good. The S&P 500 notched a new all-time high on Jan. 6. Below, we're listing the best S&P 500 stocks based on one-year returns, and we're also including year-to-date information. This can shed light on which companies are seeing continued momentum into 2026. » Do you have the right brokerage? See our list of the best brokerage accounts for stock trading » Do you have the right brokerage?

Best stocks by one-year performance

The best-performing stock in the S&P 500 by one-year return is Sandisk Corp (SNDK), which is up 1241.00%. Ticker Company Performance (Year) Performance (YTD) SNDK Sandisk Corp 1241.00% 194.89% LITE Lumentum Holdings Inc 1054.05% 122.52% WDC Western Digital Corp 596.93% 75.54% CIEN CIENA Corp 534.53% 88.35% STX Seagate Technology Holdings Plc 384.30% 54.69% SATS EchoStar Corp 339.96% 8.07% MU Micron Technology Inc 322.06% 39.27% FIX Comfort Systems USA, Inc 299.77% 59.80% COHR Coherent Corp 272.99% 52.86% TER Teradyne, Inc 263.99% 69.15% LRCX Lam Research Corp 211.68% 41.42% VRT Vertiv Holdings Co 202.34% 70.90% GLW Corning, Inc 197.61% 66.51% GEV GE Vernova Inc 174.69% 41.30% WBD Warner Bros. Discovery Inc 148.63% -5.27% AMAT Applied Materials Inc 147.66% 48.06% ALB Albemarle Corp 133.04% 27.97% NEM Newmont Corp 120.76% 5.13% KLAC KLA Corp 120.27% 30.86% PWR Quanta Services, Inc 113.16% 39.52% CAT Caterpillar Inc 112.74% 27.23% HII Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc 95.84% 18.78% KEYS Keysight Technologies Inc 91.50% 49.35% APA APA Corporation 91.48% 63.53% TPR Tapestry Inc 90.20% 12.72% Source: Finviz. Stock data is current as of March 25, 2026, and is intended for informational purposes only. Note that these are the best stocks in the S&P 500 right now, based on one-year performance. But that doesn't mean that they're the best stocks to invest in. Predicting the future of even the current top-performing stocks is a job even the pros haven’t mastered. And the best stocks for your portfolio aren’t necessarily the best stocks for someone else’s portfolio. For example, a young person who is looking to aggressively grow their retirement savings (since they have a lot of time to ride out the stock market highs and lows) might gravitate toward growth stocks for their high-risk, high-reward volatility. On the other hand, a retiree who is looking for passive income might prefer predictable dividend stocks like the dividend aristocrats, which are relatively stable and typically increase their dividend payments over time. Brokerage firms

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7 best stocks to buy this month, according to analysts

If you're looking for an expert opinion, here are the seven best stocks in the S&P 500 ranked by analyst consensus recommendation, where a "1" is equivalent to a "strong buy" indicator, and "5" is considered a "strong sell." Remember, though, that even the pros have a hard time picking winning stocks. This list is updated monthly. Ticker Company Analyst recommendation Q Qnity Electronics Inc 1.10 WYNN Wynn Resorts Ltd 1.18 AVGO Broadcom Inc 1.23 BSX Boston Scientific Corp. 1.24 ANET Arista Networks Inc. 1.25 SPGI S&P Global Inc 1.25 MSFT Microsoft Corp. 1.25 Source: Finviz. Stock data is current as of March 25, 2026, and is for informational purposes only. Source: Finviz. Stock data is current as of March 25, 2026, and is for informational purposes only.

How to find the best stocks for your portfolio

Choosing good stocks for your portfolio can be a time-consuming task, and you need to look beyond performance metrics like the ones on this page. Yes, it's a good sign if a stock is able to outperform during periods of market volatility and the broad market declines like we saw in 2022 (the last year the S&P 500 saw an annual decline). But as referenced above, there are a number of other factors to consider. Beyond your own personal risk tolerance and how long you plan to invest, strategic investors do significant research into a company before buying its stock. They perform fundamental analysis, which involves looking at the company's financial statements and considering how economic factors might influence the stock's future performance. Many investors also do technical analysis of a stock, which means analyzing historical movements in the stock's price to attempt to predict future movements. If you want to go this route, we have detailed overviews of how to research stocks and how to read stock charts, including key terms to know.

An alternative to stock picking

If all of the above sounds like a lot of work, it is. The fact that picking stocks is so difficult leads many investors to turn to index funds and exchange-traded funds, which bundle many stocks together. When you invest in lots of stocks at once through index funds they have a lot of power: The S&P 500 index — which includes around 500 of the largest publicly traded companies in the U.S. — has posted an average annual return of nearly 10% since 1928. An S&P 500 index fund or ETF will aim to mirror the performance of the S&P 500 by investing in the companies that make up that index. Likewise, investors can track the Dow Jones Industrial Average with an index fund tied to that benchmark. If you want to cast a wider net, you could purchase a total stock market fund, which will hold thousands of stocks. Within index funds, the best stocks balance out the worst ones — and you don’t have to forecast which is which. That’s why many financial advisors think low-cost index funds and exchange-traded funds should form the basis of a long-term portfolio. » Learn more: How to invest in index funds » Learn more:

Managing expectations

Index funds won’t beat the market. They aren’t supposed to. An index fund’s goal is to match the its index's performance. There are funds that track a particular type of asset, such as AI stock ETFs or tech stock ETFs. Index funds are inherently diversified, at least among the segment of the market they track. Because of that, all it takes is a few of these funds to build a well-rounded, diversified portfolio. They’re also less risky than attempting to pick a few could-be winners out of a lineup of stocks. The downside: Some might argue they’re significantly less thrilling than chasing the current best stocks. If you’re seeking that stock-picking rush, you might consider a happy middle ground: Financial advisors often suggest dedicating a small portion of your portfolio to predicting the next big thing, and use index funds for the rest. » Check out: S&P 500 ETFs » Check out: Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication. Neither the author nor editor held positions in the aforementioned investments at the time of publication. Article sources NerdWallet writers are subject matter authorities who use primary, trustworthy sources to inform their work, including peer-reviewed studies, government websites, academic research and interviews with industry experts. All content is fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness and relevance. You can learn more about NerdWallet's high standards for journalism by reading our editorial guidelines. About the authors Arielle O'Shea Arielle is a NerdWallet authority on retirement and investing, with appearances on the "Today" Show, "NBC Nightly News" and other national media. See full bio. Chris Davis Chris Davis is a Managing Editor on the Investing team. He has covered the stock market, investing strategies, investment accounts and cryptocurrency, and his work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, MSN, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Newsday and TheStreet. See full bio. Best stocks by one-year performance 7 best stocks to buy this month, according to analysts How to find the best stocks for your portfolio An alternative to stock picking Managing expectations More like this What Is a Brokerage Account? Where and How to Open One By Arielle O'Shea, Pamela de la Fuente Best Brokerage Accounts for Online Investing and Stock Trading in 2026 By Chris Davis Investment Calculator By Chris Davis Best Investments: Where to Invest in 2026 By Chris Davis, Alieza Durana 7 High-Dividend Stocks With Yields Over 6% (March 2026) By Chris Davis, Sam Taube