How to Find the Best Top-Ranked Stocks to Buy Now

Wall Street bulls held their ground to start 2025. Last week, investors celebrated a slightly cool inflation reading that increased the likelihood of multiple rate cuts this year. On top of that, JPMorgan, Taiwan Semiconductor, and others kicked off fourth quarter earnings season on a high note.See the Zacks Earnings Calendar to stay ahead of market-making news.Investors and business leaders are also cheering on the pro-growth policies of the second Trump administration.Given this broadly bullish backdrop, let’s dig into how investors can use a Zacks screen to help find some of the best Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks to buy now and throughout 2025.Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks outperform the market in both good and bad times. However, there are over 200 stocks that earn a Zacks Rank #1 at any given time.Therefore, it’s helpful to understand how to apply filters to the Zacks Rank in order to narrow the list down to a more manageable and tradable set of stocks.ParametersClearly, there are only three items on this screen. But together, these three filters can result in some impressive returns.• Zacks Rank equal to 1Starting with a Zacks Rank #1 is often a strong jumping off point because it boasts an average annual return of roughly 24.4% per year since 1988.• % Change (Q1) Est. over 4 Weeks greater than 0Positive current quarter estimate revisions over the last four weeks.• % Broker Rating Change over 4 Week equal to Top # 5Top 5 stocks with the best average broker rating changes over the last four weeks.This strategy comes loaded with the Research Wizard and is called bt_sow_filtered zacks rank5. It can be found in the SoW (Screen of the Week) folder.Here is one of the five stocks that qualified for the Filtered Zacks Rank 5 strategy today…Why This Market-Crushing Tech Stock is a Must-Buy Right NowAppLovin Corporation APP was one of the hottest technology stocks on Wall Street in 2024 and over the last several years. APP stock has skyrocketed 700% in the past 12 months to crush Nvidia, including APP’s 120% run since its Q3 release in November.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchAppLovin’s growth comes as its AI-enhanced portfolio empowers companies and app developers to acquire and keep their ideal users and increase value across customers’ lifecycles. AppLovin is thriving as developers and companies flock to its offerings in the hyper-competitive digital app economy. The digital application monetization company is projected to grow its revenue by 40% in 2024 and 24% in 2025 to reach $5.68 billion vs. $1.45 billion in 2020.AppLovin is projected to grow its adjusted earnings by 314% in FY24 and another 50% in 2025, following huge expansion during the last several years. APP’s upbeat EPS outlook earns it a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and it topped our earnings estimates by an average of 26% in the last four quarters. The recent EPS positivity is part of a massive upward revisions trend over the last few years.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchAppLovin stock has climbed 2,800% in the last two years to destroy Nvidia’s NVDA 625%. APP has jumped 120% in the last three months. But it has moved sideways since mid November, helping it cool off. AppLovin found support at its 50-day moving average.Despite soaring to all-time highs, AppLovin trades at a 65% discount to its highs with a price/earnings-to-growth ratio of 2.8.Get the rest of the stocks on this list and start looking for the newest companies that fit these criteria. It's easy to do. And it could help you find your next big winner. Start screening for these companies today with a free trial to the Research Wizard. You can do it.Click here to sign up for a free trial to the Research Wizard today.Want more articles from this author? Scroll up to the top of this article and click the FOLLOW AUTHOR button to get an email each time a new article is published.Disclosure: Officers, directors and/or employees of Zacks Investment Research may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. An affiliated investment advisory firm may own or have sold short securities and/or hold long and/or short positions in options that are mentioned in this material. Disclosure: Performance information for Zacks’ portfolios and strategies are available at: www.zacks.com/performance_disclosureToday's Stocks from Zacks' Best ScreensStarting today, you can get instant access to the latest picks from our time-proven screens which since 2000 have soared far above the market. While the S&P 500 averaged +7.0% per year, we saw results like these: Small-Cap Growth +44.9%, Filtered Zacks Rank5 +48.4%, and Big Money Zacks +55.2%.You're invited to screen the latest stocks in seconds by trying Zacks' Research Wizard stock-picking program. Or use the Wizard to create your own market-beating strategies. No credit card needed, no cost or obligation.Try it for 2 weeks free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA): Free Stock Analysis Report AppLovin Corporation (APP): Free Stock Analysis ReportTo read this article on Zacks.com click here.Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks