10 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2026

By U.S. News & World Report
December 14, 2025 | 7:00 PM

After back-to-back years of 20%-plus gains in 2023 and 2024, the S&P 500 is up more than 16% in 2025 through Dec. 12. The S&P 500’s forward earnings multiple of 22.5 is also well above its 10-year average of 18.7, raising concerns about potentially bloated stock prices. In other words, stock selection may be important for investors in 2026.

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The 10 best stocks to buy included below are all recommended by Argus analysts and have a Thomson Reuters consensus rating of “positive,” an Argus A6 quantitative rating of “buy” and a Market Edge rating of “long”:

Stock	Implied Change*
Lennar Corp. (ticker: LEN)	17.3%
CME Group Inc. (CME)	7.8%
Paccar Inc. (PCAR)	8.5%
Chubb Ltd. (CB)	-0.2%
Marriott International Inc. (MAR)	3.8%
Solventum Corp. (SOLV)	8.5%
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT)	21.3%
Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)	4.5%
MGM Resorts International (MGM)	7.0%
Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK)	-0.9%

*From Dec. 12 close.

Lennar Corp. (LEN)

Lennar is one of the largest U.S. homebuilders. Analyst Christopher Graja says Lennar shares have underperformed significantly in the past year, but that weakness could prove to be an excellent buying opportunity for investors heading into 2026. Graja says mortgage rates have dropped but remain too high for many average families to afford a home. Lennar has responded with incentives that support sales but hurt margins. Nevertheless, Graja says demand for affordable homes exceeds supply by 2 million to 4 million homes, a favorable long-term setup for homebuilders. Argus has a “buy” rating and $140 price target for LEN stock, which closed at $119.37 on Dec. 12.

CME Group Inc. (CME)

CME Group runs the world’s largest futures exchange and provides a wide range of futures and options products and services. CME operates the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) and other exchanges. Analyst Kevin Heal says CME has several bullish catalysts on the horizon that could propel the stock higher. Heal says inflation, tariffs and geopolitical uncertainty will continue to weigh on CME’s interest rate contract volume in early 2026. However, he also anticipates enthusiastic retail traders will drive elevated trading volumes for equity index, cryptocurrency, metals and micro contracts. Argus has a “buy” rating and $295 price target for CME stock, which closed at $273.55 on Dec. 12.

Paccar Inc. (PCAR)

Paccar is a heavy-duty truck manufacturer that produces the popular Peterbilt, DAF and Kenworth-brand highway trucks. Paccar also provides financial services, truck parts and transportation tech solutions. Analyst Bill Selesky says trucking industry experts consider Paccar trucks to be high-quality, and the company’s management team has an equally stellar reputation for execution. Selesky projects a rebound in sales, new-truck deliveries and margins in early 2026. In addition, he says the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act will be a major tailwind for Paccar. Argus has a “buy” rating and $121 price target for PCAR stock, which closed at $111.56 on Dec. 12.

Chubb Ltd. (CB)

Chubb is a property and casualty insurance company that provides commercial insurance and reinsurance. The company also underwrites life and health insurance and has a high-end personal lines insurance franchise. Heal says Chubb has an impressive management team, a well-respected international brand and a healthy balance sheet. Chubb’s stock has lagged in the past year, but Heal says the company’s underwriting results have been solid and it is generating record core operating earnings, excluding catastrophes. Margins are also improving, suggesting 2026 could be a big year for investors. Argus has a “buy” rating and $308 price target for CB stock, which closed at $308.47 on Dec. 12.

Marriott International Inc. (MAR)

Marriott International operates and franchises hotels and other lodging properties and brands around the world. Its leading brands include JW Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Sheraton. Analyst John Staszak predicts a rebound in corporate travel could create upside for Marriott’s stock, and the company’s liquidity, profitable fee-based business and focus on business travel create potential for earnings upside in 2026. In addition, Staszak says Marriott’s unique global operating model allows the company to expand room capacity virtually anywhere in the world based on favorable market trends. Argus has a “buy” rating and $310 price target for MAR stock, which closed at $298.72 on Dec. 12.

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Solventum Corp. (SOLV)

Solventum is a leading global health care company spun off from 3M in 2024 that develops, manufactures and sells a diverse portfolio of products and services. Its business segments include Medical-Surgical, Dental Solutions, Health Information Systems, and Purification and Filtration. Analyst David Toung says industry veteran and Solventum CEO Bryan Hanson has implemented a multiphase transformation strategy for the company that should play out favorably for investors in coming years. This strategy includes improving operating efficiency and repositioning underperforming businesses to help jumpstart revenue growth and improve return on invested capital. Argus has a “buy” rating and $90 price target for SOLV stock, which closed at $82.98 on Dec. 12.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT)

Hilton Worldwide is one of the largest global hospitality companies. The company owns and manages hotels and timeshares under various brands, including Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hampton by Hilton and DoubleTree by Hilton. Staszak anticipates Hilton will benefit from a recovery in business travel and says higher management fees and unit expansion will also be growth drivers for the company. He says new brands, fresh development projects and the company’s leading loyalty program will be bullish catalysts for its share price in the long term. Argus has a “buy” rating and $340 price target for HLT stock, which closed at $280.24 on Dec. 12.

Caterpillar Inc. (CAT)

Caterpillar is one of the world’s largest producers of construction and mining equipment. Analyst Kristina Ruggeri says dealer destocking and macroeconomic softness have weighed on Caterpillar’s Construction and Resource segment. Tariffs on steel and aluminum imports have also squeezed Caterpillar’s margins. However, Ruggeri says the company is still on track to hit its full-year targets for operating margin, revenue and cash flow, and these achievements are a testament to Caterpillar’s execution. In addition, strong demand from data center and power project construction will continue in 2026 and beyond. Argus has a “buy” rating and $625 price target for CAT stock, which closed at $597.89 on Dec. 12.

MGM Resorts International (MGM)

MGM Resorts operates casino resort properties, including Bellagio, MGM Grand and Aria in Las Vegas, and MGM Macau and MGM Cotai in China. Staszak says MGM’s stock is attractively valued given BetMGM’s strong performance in the high-growth iGaming and sports betting markets. He anticipates the company’s $2 billion share buyback program, growth at MGM Digital and record revenue numbers at MGM China will fuel impressive earnings-per-share growth for MGM in 2026. In the longer term, Staszak sees growing casino spending in Las Vegas as well. Argus has a “buy” rating and $40 price target for MGM stock, which closed at $37.40 on Dec. 12.

Bank of New York Mellon Corp. (BK)

Bank of New York Mellon is a trust bank, which involves managing cash for large investment funds, providing day-to-day funding for large corporations and serving as a fixed-income clearing firm. The bank generates much of its income from transaction fees. Analyst Stephen Biggar says Mellon’s new commercial model is producing higher organic revenue growth, creating more multi-product relationships and accelerating product innovation. Biggar says Mellon’s Pershing unit will be a key long-term growth driver, and he anticipates the bank will maintain positive operating leverage. Argus has a “buy” rating and $116 price target for BK stock, which closed at $117.03 on Dec. 12.

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10 of the Best Stocks to Buy for 2026 originally appeared on usnews.com

Update 12/15/25: This story was published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.

Asia’s next great gourmet destination? Inside Indonesia’s fine-dining revolution

By CNN
August 11, 2026 | 5:44 AM

More than 120 years ago, Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, National Geographic magazine’s first female writer, photographer and board member, chronicled her travels through colonial Indonesia in her book “Java: The Garden of the East.”She was particularly fascinated by a feast known as the rijsttafel (rice table), a multi-dish banquet that was served in the grand Hotel de Nederlanden in Batavia, as Jakarta was known then.Scidmore vividly recalled a “conglomerate mountain” of food, including bits of fish, duck, chicken, beef, omelettes and onions piled alongside steaks, salads, curries, chutneys, spices and tropical fruits.The sumptuous spread had something to satisfy everyone amongst the 100 or so guests that filled the grand dining hall — even the “squeamish folk, unseasoned tourists and well-starched Britons with a small sense of humor.”Like Scidmore, most early Western documentation of Indonesia’s flavors focused on the opulent colonial feast. Little else was known about the diverse and rich flavors found across the enormous archipelago, in spite of it being home to the fabled Spice Islands, which sparked a 16th- and 17th-century “spice rush” for cloves, nutmeg and mace by Portuguese, Dutch and British traders.In more recent decades, the world has become better acquainted with some of the beloved humble foods found in Indonesian homes and warungs (street-side eateries), with satay, nasi goreng and beef rendang among the most familiar dishes beloved by travelers.But now, there’s a rising number of contemporary chefs who are elevating the national cuisine on the global stage by reimagining its famous spices into fine-dining experiences, while sharing the sophisticated stories of Indonesian flavor through a different lens.Made up of thousands of islands dotted across two oceans, Indonesia is the world’s largest archipelagic country. It would be an understatement to say the country’s cuisine is wildly varied.As a result, “the existing understanding of Indonesian food culture is very shallow,” says William Wongso, an Indonesian culinary expert and author.Boasting an enviable array of regional ingredients and flavors, the country’s chefs have been working to educate international gourmets — and even locals — about the beauty of Indonesian cuisine.And Jakarta, its capital city, has become a breeding ground for the movement. Wongso compares it to the dining scenes in New York or Shanghai, which draw talent from all over their respective countries. “Everybody wants to come here to make a thing,” he says. “So people from different regions bring flavors and food cultures.”Some open humble warungs and serve their home cooking. A few look beyond recipes and focus on elements that make Indonesian cuisine unique for a wider audience, reinventing the whole experience.A modern, fine-dining blueprintEnter August, which opened in 2021 inside a gleaming skyscraper in Jakarta’s central business district.The duo behind the concept, Jakartan Hans Christian and Budi Cahyadi from the Indonesian island of Lombok, were definitely not the first people to promote Indonesian flavors — Christian emphasizes figures like Wongso, for example, who have been championing gastro-diplomacy abroad for decades.But August has spearheaded a new format and standard for the country’s fine-dining restaurants: a modern, Indonesia-inspired tasting menu operating at a world-class level of culinary execution and service.The industry has already noticed. August became one of the few Indonesian restaurants to achieve international recognition, placing 42nd on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026 and earning accolades at The Best Chef Awards.“When I came back to Jakarta, you either had classic French fine dining or very casual bistros, mostly run by expat chefs,” says Christian, who sharpened his skills in Malaysia and the United States before returning to Jakarta in 2016.“There were no locally grown chefs doing their own thing with their own roots or interpretations. For me, August is about the pride of telling our own story … and a responsibility to not only embrace our roots, but also relearn them.”Cahyadi, with more than a decade of hospitality experience in a luxury hotel, agrees. He currently helms the front of house in August’s dining room.“In Jakarta, you either had to pick a place where the food was good but the service was lousy, or a casual place where service was bad but food was decent. When I met Hans, I knew it was time for a place where food is excellent and hospitality is delivered at the exact same time,” he says.In 2019, the two started August as a private kitchen concept before turning it into the current restaurant in 2021.Inside August’s intimate dining room — warmly lit with dark wood accents and a bright, open stainless-steel kitchen at the end of the dining room — the restaurant’s two tasting menus blend familiar Indonesian flavor profiles into completely unexpected forms.Their daikon dish is inspired by the format of Japanese agedashi tofu — silken tofu coated in starch, deep-fried until golden brown and traditionally dressed in dashi sauce.August’s version is served with a cuko sauce — a sweet and sour reduction made with tamarind and palm sugar featuring a tangy umami taste.It reminds locals of eating pempek, the Indonesian fishcake. A drizzle of andaliman pepper oil, Indonesia’s version of Sichuan peppercorns, gives the dish a unique, numbing spicy kick.Another highlight features Japanese Kimendai fish cooked by pouring hot oil over the scales until it crisps up while keeping the flesh tender. It sits in a kuah garang asem (yellow sour curry sauce) from the Central Java region.The sourness comes from a native green fruit called belimbing wuluh (or bilimbi), which looks like an oblong tomato but tastes extremely acidic, while ginger flowers provide a touch of freshness.The curry base is made from a yellow bumbu — made of aromatics such as turmeric and lemongrass. Often compared with France’s mother sauces (a group of five master sauces, such as Béchamel and Hollandaise, that are said to be the foundation of classical French cooking), Indonesian bumbu are spiced sauces that take hours to caramelize and form the base of many different dishes.Christian says that August has slowly evolved over the years, with more Indonesian flavors being incorporated into his menu as the team gains confidence and the demand grows.“In the beginning, our menu leaned more towards classic European because that was my formal training. When more international guests came, they expected more Indonesian flavor,” says Christian.Now, with half of their guests coming from overseas, the team tries to find the balance carefully without being intimidating.“Finding that balance was crucial — doing modern Indonesian cooking in a way that’s exciting for locals without just putting expensive ingredients in a traditional dish. We want to start from a product or a cooking method and create something new out of that idea,” says Christian.The founders admit that Jakarta has few fine dining concepts compared to fellow Southeast Asian cities such as Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Manila and Bangkok.“We knew we were a few years behind, but we are in progress to catch up. Over the years, the interest from people who want to learn and taste the flavor of Indonesia is growing,” says Christian. “For the past five to six years, we’ve been on a mission to prove people wrong.”It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t just about the menus, but the operation.They were the first restaurant to impose a reservation fee for diners in Jakarta. It also took a few years to educate their diners to be punctual for the tasting menu so the table could start the menu together – an often tricky feat in Jakarta traffic.But August’s success helped set new operational benchmarks for the city, proving that local diners were ready to enjoy high-end tasting menus.In the years since, Jakarta’s fine-dining community has expanded rapidly.ESA, opened in 2023, proudly offers a menu called New Jakarta Cuisine. Kindling, which opened the following year, blends Indonesian-Chinese dishes with French technique. Selera, newly opened this year in the Keraton at the Plaza hotel, emphasizes the nation’s culinary heritage with local ingredients.Outside the capital, things are changing, too, particularly in the country’s tourist hotspots. Bali, for example, has evolved to offer more than just fine resort dining and Western restaurants catering to visitors.Locavore NXT, helmed by Dutch-Indonesian duo Eelke Plasmeijer and Ray Adriansyah, serves a tasting menu that highlights local ingredients. The independent concept also has a farm, laboratory and store.Meanwhile, young, local and independent concepts are slowly increasing elsewhere in the country.Overlooking the historical Prambanan Temple and Mount Merapi, Suwatu in Yogyakarta, the royal cultural heart of Java, is an upscale hillside restaurant with a menu packed with local dishes cooked by local villagers.In Bandung, both MMBS (Mari Merangkai Bunga Seroja) and Plataran Bandung serve local Sundanese cuisine, with hyper-seasonal tasting menus featuring a creative twist.Not just about the price tagAt the same time, classic Indonesian restaurants are reexamining the stories they would like to tell.For a long time, the 1945 Restaurant inside the Fairmont Jakarta has been regarded as the city’s only high-end Indonesian restaurant in a five-star hotel.Taking over as the chef de cuisine this year, Yopi Tumeru has been determined to inject fresh ideas into the 11-year-old establishment — and he was inspired by the traditional rijsttafel concept.His vision of the legendary feast isn’t only a sumptuous buffet but an educational exploration of Indonesian cuisine.“For many years, Indonesian food was presented either as home cooking, street food or part of a hotel buffet… Our Rijsttafel was designed as a culinary journey through the archipelago. We preserve the generous and communal character of the traditional experience while refining the portions, presentation and sequence,” Tumeru says.The menu includes dishes such as wagyu beef rendang, duck leg confit with sambal madura, tuna collar rica-rica (rahang tuna), tempe nachos and es teler cheesecake — all created to shine new light onto old dishes.For chefs like Tumeru, presenting Indonesian cuisine in a haute gastronomic format isn’t just about slapping on higher price tags and using expensive ingredients.They are proudly showcasing the often undervalued Indonesian cuisine — from the ingredients, the knowledge and the labor to the cultural heritage.“Rendang, for example, is not simply beef cooked in coconut milk. It requires patience, careful control of the heat, and an understanding of how the spices develop over time,” says Tumeru, who feels chefs have a responsibility to help guests appreciate that complexity.Despite giving Indonesian cuisine an upscale makeover, all of the chefs insist their roots and hearts remain with the humble, family-run warung. They encourage diners to ask for street-food tips, which might otherwise feel intimidating without a local guide.The movement isn’t about replacing affordable neighborhood joints. It’s about broadening how the world sees Indonesian food, using fine dining as a welcoming gateway into their country’s vast culinary heritage.“There is still a mindset that Indonesian food cannot be expensive — that is not true,” says Wongso.“These high-end restaurants, if they’re doing it right, they’re quite helpful in changing people’s mindsets. Indonesian food cannot be cheap. It takes immense labor and skill. A single sauce or spice paste takes hours of balancing and preparation. You can Google many things, but you can’t Google taste.”The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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