According to top analysts on the Street, these five “Strong Buy” biotech stocks are primed for outsized growth in the next 12 months.

Biotechs often present intriguing, and potentially lucrative, investment opportunities. Share prices can explode on positive trial results or key regulatory approvals. However, buyers beware: These rewards can disappear just as quickly if critical data disappoints. To minimize this risk, we specifically searched for stocks with a high degree of confidence from Wall Street’s top analysts.

In this case, we used the popular Trending Stocks tool to filter for best-rated stocks in the last week, regardless of market capitalization. The best part about this tool is that it clearly displays the upside potential from the current share price to the average analyst price target.

So we crunched the data and pinpointed these five compelling biotech stocks that are trending right now. All five stocks share a bullish Strong Buy analyst consensus rating. Note that this is based only on analyst ratings from the last three months.

With this in mind, let’s delve deeper into why the Street is so bullish on these stocks right now:

Strong Buy Biotech: TG Therapeutics (TGTX)

Source: Shutterstock

TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TGTX) is focused on the development of novel treatments for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Following strong Q4 results, five-star HC Wainwright analyst Edward White ramped up his price target from $33 to $38 (130% upside potential) on March 8.

His reasoning for the valuation is a bit complex, but ultimately it is based on the success and potential revenue of the company’s two main drugs ublituximab and umbralisib. Both are currently in Phase 3 clinical development. White explains: “We use the net present value of our revenue forecast through 2026, apply a 55% probability of success (POS) for ublituximab in CLL (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia), a 45% POS for umbralisib in CLL, and a 25% POS for both ublituximab and umbralisib in NHL (Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma), to arrive at our $38 price target.”

Bear in mind that so far White has struck gold with his TGTX recommendations. Across his 20 ratings on the stock he scored a 90% success rate and 44.4% average return. Meanwhile B.Riley FBR’s Madhu Kumar selects TGTX as an Out the Gate 2018 Pick, due to his “reasonable confidence in success in the Phase III UNITY-CLL trial, with interim data expected in 2Q18.”

In the last three months, four analysts have published buy ratings on TGTX. No hold or sell ratings here. And with an average analyst price target of $27.50, on average analysts are predicting 67% upside from the current share price.

Strong Buy Biotech: TherapeuticsMD (TXMD)

Source: Shutterstock

Innovative women’s healthcare company, TherapeuticsMD, Inc. (NYSE:TXMD), is launching important therapies for menopause-associated conditions. The company has just scored a big regulatory win. On March 8, the FDA announced that it is accepting an NDA (new drug application) for TX-001HR without noting any ‘potential review issues.’ Now the key date to keep an eye on is Oct. 28, 2018, when the FDA will either approve or reject the application.

“We view the revenue opportunity for TX-001 (hot flushes of menopause) to be several times larger than that for TX-004 and believe prevailing compounding regulations and compounder willingness to prescribe branded drugs could benefit TXMD” states top Cantor Fitzgerald analyst William Tanner. He sees the stock spiking a whopping 400% to hit $28 from the current share price of just $5.50.

In the meantime, TXMD’s other pipeline product, TX-004, has its approval date on May 29. This is a critical barometer for the success of TX-001 according to Tanner. He says: “we view the importance of the FDA’s action around that date to be of Brobdingnagian proportion.” This is because any response short of approval will lead to stock selling.

Bear in mind, the stock has unanimous support from the Street. In the last three months five analysts have published buy ratings on TXMD. Their average price target of $15.50 works out at 190% upside from the current share price of just $5.35. 

Strong Buy Biotech: Clearside Biomedical (CLSD)

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Clearside Biomedical, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLSD) develops first-in-class drug therapies to treat blinding eye diseases. The stock is already up by a massive 80% year-to-date. Shares surged from just above $6 at the end of February to over $14 at the beginning of March. The catalyst: positive results in a late-stage trial to improve vision in patients with back of the eye swelling – otherwise known as macular edema.

The company revealed that 47% of patients administered the suprachoroidal CLS-TA treatment, could see at least 15 letters, compared to just 16% for patients with the placebo. CLSD now plans to file a marketing application with the FDA in Q4.

But don’t worry it’s not too late to profit from the stock’s meteoric rise. Top Wedbush analyst Liana Moussatos has just ramped up her price target to $29 on the news. This indicates further upside potential of 137%. She believes the results further validate CLSD’s micro-injection technology.

Moussatos commented, “In addition to several positive Phase 2 trials in ME-NIU, ME-RVO and DME, the PEACHTREE trial results represent the first clinical success at the Phase 3 level. Vision gain from suprachoroidal CLS-TA was observed as early as 30 days and maintained throughout the 6-month study. Due to the strength of the Phase 3 results, we consider clinical risk for the pipeline to be reduced.”

Overall, CLSD boasts six back-to-back buy ratings. Analysts (on average) see the stock soaring 80% to hit $22.80 in the coming months.

Strong Buy Biotech: Ocular Therapeutix (OCUL)

Source: Shutterstock

Why have one eye drug company when you can have two?! Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.(NASDAQ:OCUL) has a clear goal: to pioneer a new era of drug delivery in ophthalmology. OCUL is currently trading at a bargain price of just $6.37. However, analysts are projecting big upside potential of 115% in the coming months. The company has received three buy ratings in the last three months.

Right now, OCUL has 1 approved product (ReSure Sealant for cataract incision closure) and 6 pipeline products. The big hitter here is Dextenza for the treatment of post-surgery eye pain and inflammation. Although the FDA rejected the drug’s first new drug application (NDA), everything is now on track for resubmission in the first half of 2018. The company has worked closely with the FDA to resolve all the issues. Luckily for OCUL, the FDA’s comments have not required any substantial change in its manufacturing or regulatory plans.

On this basis, five-star BTIG analyst Dane Leone sees Dextenza obtaining US regulatory approval by the end of 2018. The upshot is potential market entry for the drug as early as 2019. And from a financial perspective, the company raised $37 million additional capital in January, which provides a cash runway well into 2019.

Strong Buy Biotech: Flex Pharma (FLKS)

Source: Shutterstock

Last but not least comes ‘Strong Buy’ stock Flex Pharma, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLKS). Flex develops treatments for cramps and spasms associated with severe neurological diseases including ALS, MS and CMT (Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease).

Top HC Wainwright analyst Andrew Fein has just reiterated his Flex buy-rating with a very bullish $40 price target. Given that the stock is currently trading at just $5, this indicates huge upside potential of over 680%. He is confident in the ‘mechanistic rational’ of the company’s spasm reduction FLX-787 therapy.

“Catalysts on deck in MS, ALS, and CMT may provide near-term inflection points” according to Fein. Prepare for the read-out data from FLX-787’s exploratory Phase 2 spasticity study in multiple sclerosis to hit later this month. Later down the line, in early 2019, investors are looking to results from two Phase 2 trials in patients with ALS and CMT.

“All these activities in the pipeline may provide near-term inflection points, and signal to us that the company is making solid strides, and is committed, to transitioning into a pharmaceutical company from a consumer company” cheered Fein on March 8.

Flex boasts four recent buy ratings with just 1 analyst sticking to the sidelines. The $17.50 average analyst price target is over 200% from the current share price.

Buckle up — the market is looking jittery right now. If it’s not the threat of further Federal interest rate hikes, its the possibility of a full-blown trade war with China and Europe. Most recently, President Donald Trump announced steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. The news saw the S&P 500 close down 2% last week. This is nearly twice as much as any decline in 2017.

However, for investors prepared to put in the work, there are still gems to be found. I set out to pinpoint the best stocks to buy right now using the Street as my guide. TipRanks tracks and measures the performance of over 4,700 analysts enabling investors to identify consistently outperforming experts.

Analysts are ranked based on two crucial factors: success rate and average return per recommendation. Following top analysts is an easy way to identify stocks that experts believe have strong investing potential. That’s why here I only include stocks with a ‘Strong Buy’ top analyst consensus based on the past three months of ratings. Using this consensus, investors can be reassured that these stocks are the crème de la crème as far as the Street is concerned.

Bearing this in mind, let’s dive in and take a closer look at these 10 screaming buy stocks to invest in right now:

Best Stocks to Buy: Facebook (FB)

Social media giant Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) is one of the best stocks to invest in right now. Shares are cheap at $182 down from $193 at the beginning of February. And now we have a clear buying opportunity on our hands according to two top analysts.

Five-star MKM Partners analyst Rob Sanderson says FB’s current valuation is “highly attractive.” Shares have pulled back as investors “debate the impact of an expected decline in engagement, revenue growth deceleration and an elevated spending outlook.” With another strong quarter of robust top-line growth in the bank, Sanderson sees prices spiking 32% to $240.

Meanwhile Top-100 analyst KeyBanc analyst Andy Hargreaves adds “We believe this provides an opportunity to purchase above-average growth at Facebook for a price that is well below average.” He believes investors are heavily discounting FB’s growth prospects and extraordinary core momentum. His $245 price target suggests even greater upside potential of 35%.

Over the last three months, this “Strong Buy” stock has scored 28 buy ratings, two hold ratings and one sell rating.

Best Stocks to Buy: Boeing (BA)

One of the world’s largest aerospace companies, shares in Boeing Co (NYSE:BA) slipped last week on trade war fears. But Head of Research at Fundstrat Tom Lee believes the market is overreacting.

He has calculated that Boeing actually has a trade war exposure of just 35.2%. To calculate this figure, Lee looked at the company’s overseas sourcing as a percentage of cost of goods sold and exports as a percentage of sales. A percentage under 40% means the company has a low trade was exposure says Lee.

And in this case, despite all the trade war noise, I would recommend carefully considering Boeing right now. After all, this “strong buy” stock has received 11 recent top analyst “buy” ratings, with three analysts on the sidelines. With a $398 average price target, upside potential stands at 15%. But some analysts are much more bullish than consensus.

For example, five-star Cowen & Co analyst Cai Rumohr singles out BA as a top pick. He has a bullish $415 price target but sees $455 as a potential target.

Best Stocks to Buy: Alexion Pharmaceuticals (ALXN)

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALXN) is a U.S. pharma company best known for its development of Soliris, a drug used to treat rare blood disorders. And top Oppenheimer analyst Hartaj Singh has just selected ALXN as his top stock idea for February-March. Bear in mind this is a five-star analyst with a top-200 ranking on TipRanks (out of over 4,700).

Singh is confident that Alexion can explode 48% from just $118 to $175. He says the stock’s risk/reward profile is oriented to the upside making this a top stock to invest in right now.

He concludes: “With a robust rare disease platform, a slowing yet cash-generating asset in Soliris, and two newly launched products in Strensiq and Kanuma, we believe that it is not a question of if, but rather when, the shares positively re-rate.”

In total, Alexion has scored 13 buy ratings and only one hold rating from best-performing analysts in the past three months. These analysts predict that Alexion will rise 34% to reach $157.

Best Stocks to Buy: Pioneer Natural (PXD)

Texas-based Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD) is on the cusp of great things. The company has just announced that it is divesting all non-Permian assets. This asset sale should raise PXD about $1 billion and transforms PXD into a pure-play on the Permian Basin. Given that this is one of the world’s most lucrative oil fields, that’s no bad thing.

B.Riley FBR analyst Rehan Rashid applauds the company’s ‘strategic realignment.’ He says the move will enable PXD to ramp up its investment in its Permian assets. “We believe this platform and the substantial resource base it has to offer are simply not replicable. We reiterate our Buy rating and $305 price target and add PXD to the B. Riley FBR Alpha Generator list” says Rashid. He calculates “new” resource potential of nearly 20 billion BOE (barrels of oil or equivalent).

Over the last three months, TipRanks shows that Pioneer has received 16 buy ratings and three hold ratings from top analysts. Given that the stock is now at $169, analysts are projecting (on average) big upside potential of 28%.

Best Stocks to Buy: Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)

Global biotech stock Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc(NASDAQ:VRTX) is a prime investing pick right now with a growing portfolio of cystic fibrosis (CF) drugs. This is a genetic disorder that causes severe damage to the lungs, digestive system and other organs in the body.

The company is buzzing after scoring a key approval from the FDA for its third CF drug, Symdeko. The approval came two weeks earlier than expected and “potentially speaks to the FDA’s growing comfort with the suite of VRTX medicines” says JP Morgan’s Cory Kasimov. Management is now anticipating a “strong launch” for Symdeko with EU approval on track for 2H18.

“We continue to believe that VRTX’s dominance in the CF space, compelling bottom-line growth trajectory (43% CAGR through 2022), and significant free cash flow generation could potentially allow the company to substantially expand the breadth of its investor base” cheers Kasimov. So watch this space.

Overall, this “strong buy” stock scored 16 top buy ratings and just two hold ratings in the last three months. Meanwhile the average analyst price target of $192 works out at 14% upside from current share levels.

Best Stocks to Buy: Raytheon (RTN)

Defense giant Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) is the world’s largest producer of guided missiles. As with Boeing, you may be concerned that this stock would suffer in the event of a trade war. However, you can rest easy. According to research firm Fundstrat, it actually has a trade-war exposure percentage of 35.2% (again, anything under 40% is considered low).  And from a Street perspective, the outlook on RTN is also very bullish right now.

“Strong broad order momentum, a large Patriot backlog, and untapped financial firepower give RTN extended EPS and cash flow per share growth potential” cheers five-star Cowen & Co. analyst Cai Rumohr. He notes that the Harpoon replacement missile bid, a massive $8 billion opportunity, could be decided as soon as fall 2018.

With a strong outlook for 2018 and the subsequent years, RTN has received seven buy ratings from the best analysts in the last three months. In this same period, only one analyst has decided to stay on the sidelines. The average analyst price target indicates 9% upside potential from the current share price.

Best Stocks to Buy: Alibaba (BABA)

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (NYSE:BABA) has a “strong buy” analyst consensus rating with big upside potential of 23%. The Street is unanimous in its take on BABA as one of the best stocks to invest in right now. I say that because in the last ten months this stock has received no hold or sell ratings from the Street. Just 100% buy ratings.

On Feb. 2, top Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein reiterated his “buy” rating and $220 price target. He doesn’t mince his words when he says: “Our positive thesis is based on the company’s unrivaled dominant position in its core business, its pioneer ecosystem that creates a long-standing barrier to entry, and numerous drivers including enhancing monetization and stable GMV (gross merchandise volume) growth outlook.”

Key growth drivers to keep a close watch on include rural/cross-border/cloud/logistics. For example AliCloud (Alibaba’s answer to Amazon Web Services) revenue is soaring with triple-digit y/y growth.

Best Stocks to Buy: Skechers USA (SKX)

Skechers USA Inc (NYSE:SKX) is primed for significant expansion. Even after a 60% rise last year, the company remains notably undervalued compared to its athletic retail peers. Top Susquehanna analyst Sam Poser recently pushed up his target from $46 to $52. The new target indicates a further 25% upside from the current share price.

Following a blowout fourth-quarter earnings report, Poser is confident that the stock’s solid momentum is here to stay. “Another significant earnings beat reinforces our belief that SKX is at the beginning of a multiyear run of superior earnings growth and outsized investor returns,” he said.

According to Poser, SKX is now seeing strength in ‘all its businesses.’ The company’s domestic wholesale business is inflecting while the potential for growth in international markets is robust. He predicts that strong Chinese growth will enable management to meet its targeted $6 billion in revenue by 2020. This suggests an impressive CAGR rate of roughly 13%.

“A premium multiple is warranted as we are confident that the SKX business is on the verge of a material positive inflection,” Poser concludes in his Feb. 9 report. On Skechers specifically, Poser has a 75% success rate and 37.6% average return across 43 stock ratings.

In the last three months, Skechers has received 100 percent Street support with six consecutive analyst buy ratings and an average price target of $48.60.

Best Stocks to Buy: 2U Inc (TWOU)

Source: Apple

Online education platform 2U, Inc.(NASDAQ:TWOU) has just received a slew of price target increases from the Street. On Feb 27, the company reported Q4 results ahead of expectations. This marks its 16th consecutive quarter of outperformance. 2U’s 4Q organic revenue growth accelerated to about 30% year-over-year, and 2018 guidance implies another year of “Tier 1” industry revenue growth.

But for top Oppenheimer analyst Brian Schwartz it’s not just about 2018 — it’s about the changes sweeping through the education industry. He sees a “high migration” likelihood toward the digital channel for students and learning over the next decade. “We believe long-term investors will be rewarded over the years as 2U disrupts and transforms the post-secondary education landscape with little credible threat over the medium term” states Schwartz. This top-10 analyst has a $91 price target on TWOU.

In the last three months, the stock boasts eight back-to-back buy ratings from the Street’s best analysts.

Best Stocks to Buy: MasTec (MTZ)

Last but not least of all the best stocks to invest in for 2018, we have Florida-based specialty contractor engineer MasTec, Inc. (NYSE:MTZ). The company’s work spans electric power infrastructure, oil and natural gas pipelines, renewable energy facilities and wireless networks. Strength across the board has resulted in 100% Street support with seven top analysts publishing recent buy ratings. These analysts spy 34% upside potential for MTZ.

The company has just released very strong Q4 results. Notably cash flow and liquidity remained strong, giving MTZ flexibility for organic and acquisitive growth. “Guidance for 2018 was solid and suggests another record year for the company, with strong market trends across all of its segments. We believe MTZ is well positioned across all of its end markets to benefit from multiple opportunities for long-term growth” states top B.Riley FBR analyst Alex Rygiel.

His buy rating comes with a very bullish $71 price tag (44% upside). We can also see that this is one of the top 200 analysts on TipRanks out of over 4,700 based on his precise stock picking ability.

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Source: Investor Place

Are you looking up to spice up your portfolio in these uncertain times?

Some investors may think that it is morally wrong to invest in the companies below. These are companies that are involved in addictive vices like alcohol and gambling. But others will disagree — and to those people, I say, read on!

“Various studies have investigated the historical performance of sin stocks and observed that they have delivered significantly positive abnormal returns” says David Blitz, co-head of quantitative research at Robeco. One popular explanation is that these stocks are systematically underpriced because so many investors shun them.

So with this in mind, I set out to find five of these “sin stocks” that all share backing from the Street’s top analysts. I used TipRanks to double-check that these stocks all have a “strong buy” top analyst consensus rating. This is based only on ratings from the last three months, and looks at analysts with the highest success rates and average return.

Without further ado, let’s delve in and take a closer look at these 5 top sin stocks now:

Top Sin Stocks: Raytheon (RTN)

Defense giant Raytheon Company (NYSE:RTN) is the world’s largest producer of guided missiles.

“Strong broad order momentum, a large Patriot backlog, and untapped financial firepower give RTN extended EPS and cash flow per share growth potential” cheers five-star Cowen & Co. analyst Cai Rumohr.

Foreign sales are booming, with sales increasing for the last 14 years. Now Rumohr sees 2018 foreign orders exceeding 2017’s $8.5B, with healthy foreign revenue growth extending out into 2019-20. These include Patriot awards from Romania ($450 million-$500 million initial order in 2018; $2 billion total), Sweden ($1 billion), Poland ($4 billion-$5 billion but could slip into 2019), and a new unidentified European customer ($1.5 billion but in 2019).

Closer to home, rising defense spending means RTN also has ample domestic opportunities lined up. Most notably, the Harpoon replacement missile bid, an $8 billion opportunity, could be decided as soon as fall 2018.

All in all, it’s not surprising that RTN scores a first-class “strong buy” Street consensus rating. We can see from TipRanks that the average analyst price target of $231 works out at 6% upside from the current share price.

Top Sin Stocks: Philip Morris (PM)

Source: Taber Andrew Bain Via Flickr

Is Marlboro-maker Philip Morris International Inc.(NYSE:PM) still a sin stock?! The company is turning over a new leaf and committing to a more smoke-free future. This may sound like an oxymoron for one of the world’s largest cigarette companies, but PM now wants to build its future “on smoke-free products that are a much better choice than cigarette smoking.”

The result is a new focus on developing vapes and e-cigarettes that contain nicotine but don’t burn tobacco.

And it looks like the Street approves of this dramatic decision. In the last three months, PM has received only buy ratings from analysts. These analysts have an average price target on PM of $123.75, suggesting big upside potential of almost 19%.

Indeed, Philip Morris is currently a top pick for Morgan Stanley in the food/protein/tobacco sector.

“Looking ahead to 2018, we now believe PM will set expectations for an EPS in line with its +8-10% long-term target as the company reinvests to protect its first-mover advantage in heated tobacco and launches nationally in a broader range of markets outside Japan/Korea” stated the Morgan Stanley team recently. The firm has a $120 price target on PM.

Top Sin Stocks: Constellation Brands Inc (STZ)

Constellation Brands, Inc. (NYSE:STZ) is an international producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits. Constellation is the largest beer import company measured by sales and has the third-largest market share of all major beer suppliers. Investing in STZ means betting on Modelo, Corona and Pacifico.

Shares in Constellation have exploded over the last year from just $160 to the current share price of $220. Luckily for investors, there appears to be plenty of further growth potential ahead. BMO Capital’s Amit Sharma has just initiated STZ with a bullish $275 price target. This translates into big upside potential of over 25%.

He says the alcohol beverage sector will remain “one of the largest and fastest-growing consumer staples segments” with an ongoing “premiumization” trend. And the analyst singles out Constellation Brands as “one of the most compelling growth investments in the staples universe.” He believes it is trading at a significant discount to peers.

Sharma is now plotting sales growth of 7%-8% and EPS growth of 15%-16% over the next three years for Constellation. Overall, we can see that this “strong buy” stock has scored seven recent buy ratings vs two hold ratings. Furthermore, the average analyst price target suggests upside potential of over 13%.

Top Sin Stocks: Melco Resorts (MLCO)

Source: Shutterstock

Melco: Your winning hand. So goes the slogan of top gaming operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd(ADR) (NASDAQ:MLCO). The company owns several casino resort facilities in Asian gaming capital Macau, including the famous City of Dreams (home to the world’s largest HK$2 billion water-based extravaganza!).

From a Street perspective, Melco scores a royal flush, with only recent buy ratings. Indeed, if we dig further into the ratings, we can see that the stock has received two rating upgrades in the last three months. One of these upgrades comes from top JP Morgan analyst Joseph Greff.

According to Greff, the stock’s valuation discount to peers is compelling and he is confident that a dividend raise can further narrow the gap. Looking forward, he projects rising VIP and premium mass growth in 2018. As a result Greff boosts his price target from $27 to $32 (11% upside potential). This falls just under the average analyst price target of $33.97 (18% upside from current share price).

Top Sin Stocks: Mondelez (MDLZ)

Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr (Modified)

The sweetest of all naughty stocks right now is Mondelez International Inc (NASDAQ:MDLZ). This multinational corporation owns all the best billion-dollar brands, from Ritz and Oreo to Toblerone and Cadbury. Mondelez may not be a traditional sin stock, but given rising obesity levels, MDLZ is veering dangerously close to the dark side.

But chocolate aside, Mondelez is looking pretty appealing from an investing perspective. Not only is Mondelez a sustainable dividend growth stock, but it is also primed for a robust 2018.

So says five-star RBC Capital analyst David Palmer. He argues that “outperformance is the norm for Mondelez” and “forecasts 2018 to be a year of steady topline improvement and double-digit total returns with additional stock upside potential through M&A.”

He ramped up his price target to $56 (28% upside potential) at the beginning of February.

Overall, this “strong buy” snack giant scored five recent buy ratings vs one solitary hold rating. The average price target indicates upside potential of just over 17%.

When the market experiences a sharp sell-off, savvy investors may choose to look elsewhere for their profit fix. Luckily enough, Morgan Stanley has just released a very intriguing report highlighting 15 stocks that are most likely to be bought in 2018. The firm singled out these acquisition targets by looking for large, liquid stocks from different sectors that are most likely to be acquired in the next 12 months. There is big value in identifying takeover targets correctly, as share prices tend to soar when a deal is announced.

From the list, we used TipRanks to identify the top stocks with a bullish Street outlook. Four of the seven stocks below boast a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus rating. Three of the stocks score a “Moderate Buy” analyst consensus rating — but for two of the stocks this is due to the lack of ratings more than than the sentiment itself. The advantage of these stocks is that they represent compelling investing opportunities — with or without a takeover deal.

TipRanks’ algorithms track and rank almost 5,000 Wall Street analysts. This allows us to: 1) see the overall analyst consensus and upside potential on any stock and 2) extract insights from the Street’s best-performing analysts.

So with this in mind, let’s take a closer look at what the Street has to say about these key stocks:

Top Takeover Targets: Domino’s Pizza (DPZ)

Domino’s Pizza Inc (NYSE:DPZ) has just experienced one of its busiest delivery days. The company expected to sell over 13 million pizza slices and 4 million chicken wings across the US on Super Bowl Sunday — boosted by multiple special offers on chicken wings and pizza toppings.

And, with strong U.S. growth under its belt, this pizza delivery giant scores a “Strong Buy” rating from the Street. This breaks down into eight buy ratings vs just two hold ratings. Meanwhile the average price target of $230 indicates upside potential of over 10% from the current share price.

Top Maxim Group analyst Stephen Anderson has a $250 price target on DPZ (18% upside). He says: “DPZ is one of our top industry picks as the valuation remains attractive.” Anderson also points out that for the first time, DPZ is now the market share leader in the Quick Service pizza category with 16.9% of total sales.

Top Takeover Targets: Graphic Packaging (GPK)

You’ve probably purchased food, beverages or other consumer products sold in packaging by Graphic Packaging Holding Company (NYSE:GPK). Immediately, we can see from the Street that GPK has a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus rating and big upside potential of 29% to boot.

RBC Capital’s Arun Viswanathan ramped up his $17 price target to $19 (23% upside) while reiterating his buy rating. He attributes the bullish move to 1) tax benefits for US-exposed packaging companies like GPK and 2) the recent $5 billion offer for KapStone Paper(NYSE:KS) from packaging company WestRock LLC (NYSE:WRK).

The deal, announced on Feb. 1, sees WRK pay a multiple of about 10x for KapStone. As a result of the tax reforms, GPK will now only pay a 24%-27% rate instead of 35.18% previously.

Top Takeover Targets: Pinnacle Foods (PF)

Pinnacle Foods, Inc. (NYSE:PF) is the business behind many famous food brands, including Birds Eye vegetables and Log Cabin syrups. Indeed its brands are so widespread that apparently  85% of US households have a Pinnacle Foods product in their kitchen right now. But most interesting of all is that Dan Loeb’s Third Point fund has just taken a stake in PF- leading the takeover rumor mill to work overtime.

Stephens analyst Farha Aslam reiterated her buy rating on Jan. 29 with a $65 price target (11% upside). She is convinced that if Loeb spearheads an activist campaign it would be for a sale instead of simply operational or management changes. Aslam suggests food giants ConAgra Foods (NYSE:CAG) or Tyson Foods (NYSE:TSN) as potential buyers with a valuation of around $67-$70 per share. Indeed Tyson Foods is not afraid of big purchases. It acquired sausage company Hillshire Brands for a whopping $8.55 billion back in 2014.

From a Street perspective, this “Strong Buy” stock has received 100% Street support over the last year. On the basis of the last three months alone, analysts see Pinnacle spiking to $67 (15% upside) from the current $60 share price.

Top Takeover Targets: Express Scripts (ESRX)

Express Scripts Holding Company (NASDAQ:ESRX) is the largest pharmacy benefit management organization in the US. TipRanks reveals that the company has a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus rating from best-performing analysts. Indeed JP Morgan’s Lisa Gill calls ESRX her top pick in Healthcare Technology & Distribution for fiscal 2018.

But most exciting here is the recent upgrade by RBC Capital’s George Hill. On Jan. 31 he ramped up his price target from $68 to a very bullish $91 (31% upside potential).

Hill reaffirms Morgan Stanley’s selection and says that Express Scripts looks like an attractive M&A target as “one of the few remaining assets at scale”. He also cites the “recent sharp pullback on Amazon.com, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AMZN) healthcare entry” as de-risking the stock.

Top Takeover Targets: W.R. Grace (GRA)

This U.S. chemicals conglomerate has only received two recent analyst ratings — hence its “Moderate Buy” analyst consensus. However, both these ratings are firm buys. In particular, we can see that KeyBanc’s Michael Sison highlights the opportunity for large M&A as one of W.R. Grace & Co.’s (NYSE:GRA) ongoing catalysts.

Indeed, the company has just signed a $416 million deal for Albemarle Corp’s (NYSE:ALB) polyolefin catalysts and components business for $416 million. Sison highlighted the company’s improving results and reiterated his buy rating with an $87 price target (24% upside).

Top Takeover Targets: Allergan (AGN)

Barclays’ Douglas Tsao has just upgraded Botox maker Allergan Plc. (NYSE:AGN) from “hold” to “buy.” The move comes with a bullish $230 price target (39% upside) up from $220 previously. Tsao’s shift in sentiment, after over three years on the sidelines, comes from the company’s market-leading Botox position. And he doesn’t see any cause for concern any time soon:

“While Revance’s RT-002 and, to a less extent, Evolus, represent competition, we expect Botox will retain its market leadership,” Tsao wrote on January 29. “Especially in the case of Revance, we expect new entrants to drive market expansion from current levels.” As a result he calls the Irish-based company’s aesthetics business “undervalued at current levels.”

However concerns over the stock’s longer-term outlook have led to its more cautious “Moderate Buy” analyst consensus rating. In the last three months Allergan has received nine buy ratings. However these are offset by five hold ratings. Analysts (on average) see the stock rising 29% to hit $213 in the coming months.

Top Takeover Targets: Six Flags (SIX)

Six Flags Entertainment Corp (NYSE:SIX) is one of the world’s largest theme park operators with over 135 rollercoasters to its name. Top B.Riley FBR analyst Barton Crockett is bullish on theme parks in general- and SIX specifically.

Despite a volatile 2017, Crockett is confident the stock “can maintain a premium multiple because of exposure to high-margin international licensing, a unique focus on share repurchase, and a tendency for attractive growth (ex-natural disaster interruptions from fires, earthquakes and hurricanes that impacted 2017.)” He reiterated his buy rating on Jan 26 while ramping up his price target from $71 to $78 (21% upside potential).

Bear in mind that SIX also pays out a lucrative dividend. Wedbush’s James Hardimananticipates that SIX will pay a 4.2% dividend yield on his estimated 2018 dividend payout of $3.18. Hardiman sees SIX at $76 vs the current share price of $65.

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Source: Investors Alley

With the market primed for success in 2018, I wanted to find stocks that go above and beyond the normal growth prospects. Here I looked for seven top growth stocks with huge upside potential and serious Street support. The best way to find these stocks is with TipRanks’ Top Analyst Stocks tool.

Why? Well, the tool reveals all stocks with a ‘Strong Buy’ rating from Wall Street’s best-performing analysts. You can then sort the stocks by upside potential to pinpoint compelling investing opportunities.

At the same time, I was careful to avoid stocks that have big upside potential simply because share prices have crashed recently. Check the price movement over the last three months to be sure shares are moving in the right direction.

With that being said, let’s get straight down into taking a closer look at these seven stocks — all of which I believe look undervalued right now:

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Cloudera (CLDR)

Big data cruncher Cloudera, Inc. (NYSE:CLDR) has upside potential of 27% say the Street’s top analysts. Currently, the stock is trading at $17.88 but analysts see it hitting $22.75 in the coming months. The stock has experienced some volatility in the last year, but it is now facing 2018 with a very promising setup. Indeed, in the last three months, shares have already improved 27%!

Abhey Lamba, a five-star Mizho analyst, notes that management has delivered results above consensus expectations in its first few quarters as a public company. He upgraded his Cloudera rating from “hold” to “buy” on Jan. 9. Here he explains why he is turning bullish on CLDR:

We can see from TipRanks that this ‘Strong Buy’ stock has 100% Street support. Indeed, in the last three months, CLDR has received five straight “buy” ratings, including an upgrade from Citigroup.

Source: Shutterstock

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Arena Pharma (ARNA)

Healthcare stock Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARNA) has monster upside potential of almost 50%. Shares are already up 25% in the last three months. And now top analysts say the stock can leap from its current share price of $34.36 to $51.33.

Plus, it received three very recent “buy” ratings from top analysts all with bullish price targets.

The company’s development pipeline includes two important drugs: Etrasimod for chronic bowel disease Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and Ralinepag for Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (PAH). William Tanner, a top healthcare analyst from Cantor Fitzgerald, is excited about both.

He says:

“We remain convinced that ralinepag could be a best-in-class treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH)… Less well appreciated may be the potential of estrasimod, Arena’s S1P receptor modulator.” Arena is planning to release key Phase 2 data for estrasimod in 1Q18, and according to Tanner “positive data could create an opportunity for meaningful share price appreciation.”

Source: Mike Mozart via Flickr

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Dave & Busters (PLAY)

The hybrid game arcade and restaurant chain Dave & Buster’s Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ:PLAY) is set for a rebound in 2018. And that means big upside potential of 43% from the current share price. That would take shares all the way from $46 to $66.

However, Maxim Group’s Stephen Anderson is much more bullish than consensus. He believes the stock can soar to $83. This suggests massive upside potential of 79% from the current share price. Even though the stock has experienced some short-term sales volatility, he says that valuation remains very compelling.

The stock is ‘deeply inexpensive relative to Casual Dining Peers’ and ultimately: “Our core thesis on PLAY, which is comprised of; (1) high-margin entertainment revenue growth; (2) robust unit expansion; and (3) longer-term comp growth of at least 2%, remains intact.” PLAY should also benefit big-time from the upcoming tax reform.

In the last three months, PLAY has received an impressive eight consecutive “buy” ratings. As a result, the stock has a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus. Out of these ratings, five come from best-performing analysts.

Source: NASA Blueshift via Flickr

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: CBS Corp (CBS)

Media stock CBS Corporation (NYSE:CBS) can climb a further 23% in the next 12 months say top analysts. This would see the stock trading at over $70 vs the current share price of just under $60.

Just a couple of days ago, on January 16, Benchmark’s Daniel Kurnos reiterated his “buy” rating. This was accompanied with a very bullish $78 price target (32% upside). “At just 9x 2018E OIBDA and 11x EPS, we believe CBS represents the best value in the network space” states Kurnos.

Reassuringly, Kurnos says “that the demise of Network ad revenues is greatly exaggerated.” He even says that this bearish talk is overshadowing “the positive traction CBS is seeing in its ancillary revenue streams.” The underlying business model is very strong and “the pressure on the media sector has created a buying opportunity for the content leader.”

Note that Kurnos is ranked as #210 out of over 4,750 analysts on TipRanks. Meanwhile, out of nine recent ratings on CBS, eight are buys. This means that in the last three months only one analyst has published a “hold” rating on the stock.

Source: Shutterstock

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Neurocrine (NBIX)

Over the last three months, Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBIX) has already spiked by 29%. And top analysts believe this biopharma still has serious growth potential left to run in 2018. Specifically, the Street sees NBIX rising 33% from $76 to just over $100.

The Street is buzzing about Neurocrine’s Ingrezza drug. This is the first FDA-approved treatment for adults with tardive dyskinesia (TD). A side effect of antipsychotic medication, TD is a disorder that leads to unintended muscle movements. Oppenheimer’s Jay Olson is very optimistic about Ingrezza’s potential. He says:

“Ingrezza performance continues to overwhelm on several dimensions, and our observations suggest Ingrezza could become a pipeline within a drug that could unlock substantial unappreciated value to shareholders.” He even suggests this drug has ‘pipeline’ potential by expanding into similar disorders like Tourette Syndrome.

Encouragingly, the stock has received no less than 10 consecutive “buy” ratings from analysts in the last three months. Seven out of the 10 of these “buy” ratings are from top-performing analysts.

Source: Shutterstock

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Sinclair Broadcast (SBGI)

Sinclair Broadcast Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:SBGI) is one of the U.S.’s largest and most diversified television station operators. SBGI is already up 30% in the last three months. And top analysts see 25% upside potential ahead- with the stock due to get a big tax reform boost.

Indeed, Benchmark Capital has just named SBGI as one of its Best Ideas for 1H18. Five-star Benchmark analyst Daniel Kurnos says “We see SBGI as one of the best values in the entire media landscape.” He is eyeing $55 as a potential price target (40% upside potential).

According to Kurnos, Sinclair has multiple upcoming catalysts over the next six months. This includes the pending mega deal between Sinclair and Tribune. Sinclair is currently waiting for regulatory approval for the $3.9 billion takeover would give Sinclair control of 233 TV stations.

Top analysts are united in their bullish take on this ‘Strong Buy’ stock. In the last three months, five analysts have published buy ratings on Sinclair.

Source: Shutterstock

Stocks With Top Buy Ratings: Laureate Education (LAUR)

Laureate Education, Inc. (NASDAQ:LAUR) is the largest network of for-profit higher education institutions. This Baltimore-based stock owns and operates over 200 programs (on campus and online) in over 29 countries. Over the last three months, the stock is up 10%. But analysts say bigger upside of over 19% is on the way. Currently, this is still a relatively cheap stock to buy at just $15.26.

Furthermore, Stifel Nicolaus analyst Shlomo Rosenbaum notes that Chile’s election result is a “material positive” for Laureate. He says new President Sebastian Pinera is less likely to support legislation for free post-secondary education- the prospect of which has dampened prices to date. Rosebaum currently has an $18 price target on the stock (18% upside).

Overall, Laureate certainly has the Street’s seal of approval. The stock has scored four top analyst “buy” ratings recently. This includes a bullish call from one of TipRanks’ Top 20 analysts for 2017, BMO Capital’s Jeffrey Silber.

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For investors looking for huge returns, these healthcare stocks to buy may well be the answer. While these stocks are inevitably risky with a lot riding on key clinical results, the results can be spectacular if trials succeed. For example, Madrigal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:MDGL) shares are up over 500% in the past six months following stunning Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) data.

But the riskier the stock, the more important it becomes to check all possible data signals. Here we used TipRanks stock screener to pinpoint healthcare stocks with a “Strong Buy” analyst consensus rating. Applying these filters (“Strong Buy,” healthcare sector) led to an extensive list of hot stocks.

You can easily hone in on stocks that stand out from the crowd by looking at the average analyst price target. I scanned for stocks with recent “buy” ratings and upside potential of over 100% for 2018. In fact, all these healthcare stocks to buy ended up also having 100% Street support, as you can see from the screenshots below.

Let’s now dig further into just why these stocks make such intriguing investing opportunities right now:

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: TherapeuticsMD

This unique biotech specializes in women’s health issues. It’s potentially on the cusp of a big breakthrough with its softgel capsule, TX-004HR, for post-menopausal pains. The stock is currently trading slightly lower on the FDA’s announcement that it will take six months rather than two to review TX-004HR. The PDUFA crunch date for approval/ rejection now falls on May 29, 2018.

Crucially, analysts remain bullish on TherapeuticsMD, Inc. (NYSE:TXMD) outlook even after this setback. Noble Financial’s Caroline Palomeque reiterated her buy rating on December 20. She says the ‘stock pullback provides buying opportunity’ and notes that the six-month classification is due to regulatory process rather than clinical issues.

“Following the acceptance of the NDA resubmission for TX-004HR, the stock was down ~5% pre-market, in our view, due to the NDA resubmission being classified as a Class 2. We note that the overall news was positive, as the company was given a PDUDFA date by the FDA. The slight pullback may provide an entry point for investors.”

In the last three months, this ‘Strong Buy’ stock has scored an impressive seven “buy” ratings from the Street. These analysts have an average price target on the stock of $16.33, which indicates huge upside potential of over 165%.

Click to Enlarge

Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Synergy Pharmaceuticals

For investors who like risk, I recommend checking out Synergy Pharmaceuticals, Inc.(NASDAQ:SGYP). This gastrointestinal biopharma is heading for a critical January with multiple catalysts on the horizon. First, the FDA will announce whether Synergy’s key Trulance drug is approved for IBS-C (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation) on Jan. 24. The drug is already on sale for chronic idiopathic constipation (CIC).

So far, Trulance’s clinical trial results for IBS-C are very encouraging. Top Cantor Fitzgerald analyst William Tanner says “In our view, Synergy is likely to experience a significant acceleration in sales growth once it obtains a label extension … We believe it highly likely the FDA approves the indication [for IBS-C].” He has a $10 price target on the stock.

At the same time, SGYP must also demonstrate that it has $128 million in the bank on Jan. 31. The company needs this to receive the second tranche of its debt facility in February. Again, it is likely that SGYP will be able to secure the funds — but the risk is still worth noting.

Overall the stock has 100% Street support in the last three months. Five analysts have published SGYP buy ratings with an $8.60 average price target. Given the stock is trading at just $2.25, this suggests an eyebrow-raising 282% upside potential from the current share price.

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Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Global Blood Therapeutics (GBT)

Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:GBT) is one of my favorite stocks right now. And I’m not alone. Top Needham analyst Danielle Brill recently raised her price target on GBT to $70, saying the company is her top pick going into 2018. GBT is currently developing its late-stage product candidate, voxelotor (previously called GBT440), for the treatment of sickle cell disease.

Brill speaks of her “conviction for a positive outcome from Part A of the Phase 3 HOPE trial” in 1H18 after the latest data updates as voxeletor’s safety and efficacy profile remain encouraging.  Plus, Cowen & Co analyst Ritu Baral notes that a clinician presenting data ‘passionately underlined the large impact that the drug has had in these terminally-ill patients from a quality of life standpoint.’

With 5 buy ratings in the past three months, this healthcare stock has a firm ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus rating on TipRanks. Meanwhile, the $74.74 average analyst price target works out at 100% upside from the current share price. Indeed, with shares slightly off their $45.70 peak at $37.45, now is a good opportunity to buy.

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Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Alder Biopharmaceuticals (ALDR)

Good news for migraine sufferers- Alder BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALDR) is currently developing antibody-based treatments for migraine prevention. Its lead candidate, eptinezumab, has already passed a Phase 3 trial, PROMISE 1, for frequent episodic migraine. Now the drug is in a second Phase 3 trial, PROMISE 2, for chronic migraine with results due in 1H18.

The stock has pulled back 50% over the last year because the benefit compared to placebo was less than hoped. But Canaccord Genuity’s Sumant Kulkarni is still confident that the stock has outsized potential. He tells investors to buy the dip because of three key reasons:

1. ALDR’s product is 100% bioavailable and starts acting within a day, while competitors appear to take longer to act. The product is dosed via quarterly infusions versus most competitors that are monthly injections.
2. Physicians could be incentivized to administer ALDR’s IV product due to its procedure-based reimbursement.
3. The migraine prevention market is worth a whopping $7.5-10 billion per year based on 36 million US migraine sufferers, of which ALDR expects to target about 5 million.

But he warns that big competitors could pose a headache for Alder- although it is still too early to be sure. Overall this ‘Strong Buy’ stock has scored five buy ratings in the previous three months.

These five analysts are projecting (on average) upside potential of 110% from the current share price to $23.

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Healthcare Stocks to Buy: TG Therapeutics (TGTX)

If you’re looking for a ‘Strong Buy’ stock with over 200% upside potential, look no further than TG Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:TGTX). This biopharma is focused on developing novel treatments for B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases. Raymond James analyst Reni Benjaminrecently attended an investor event with TGTX. He left the event bullish and released a note maintaining his ‘Strong Buy’ rating on the stock.

“The key ttakeawaysfrom the analyst event in our opinion include: 1) Dr. Owen O’Conner’s analysis of the space leads to one conclusion: PI3K delta’s have robust clinical activity and that TGR-1202 represents the best in class when it comes to tolerability. In our opinion, both are important when it comes to combining with other therapeutic modalities approved for CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia)” says Benjamin.

TGTX scores an impressive five “buy” ratings in the last three months — and no hold/ or sell ratings. Overall these five analysts anticipate that the stock will hit $25.83 from the current $8.40 share price.

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Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Achaogen (AKAO)

This innovative biopharma is working on treating serious multi drug-resistant infections. And Achaogen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKAO) has just announced that it has a new CEO to lead key drug Plazomicin to fruition.

“We see the management transition as a positive for Achaogen, especially given Mr. Wise’s experience in scaling and leading commercial organizations. As Achaogen prepares for the potential commercialization of Plazomicin, we see this as a move in the best interest of the company” writes top Mizuho analyst Difei Yang.

She says Plazomicin has greater potential than rival drugs and boasts impressive survival benefits.

Achaogen has received only buy ratings in the last year- with five buy ratings in the last three months alone. As the stock is now trading at $11, the average analyst price target of $26.20 works out at 138% upside from the current price.

Indeed, Needham’s Alan Carr wrote in November, “stock is undervalued at current levels. Reiterate buy.”

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Healthcare Stocks to Buy: Five Prime Therapeutics (FPRX)

Five Prime Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:FPRX) is a clinical-stage biotech company discovering and developing novel protein therapeutics. The company is initially focusing on cancer and inflammatory disease. Shares tanked back in November after investors spooked out about before the release of clinical results for pancreatic cancer. However, the results actually revealed better-than-expected response rates.

Five-star Wells Fargo analyst Jim Birchenough reiterated his buy rating on the stock on November 7. He says a 10% response rate in 2nd-line+ pancreatic cancer, with 13% 6-month control rate, represents an impressive result beyond that seen in chemotherapy. The analyst notes that this is in a patient population not responsive to anti-PD1 therapy alone.

Similarly, top Nomura Instinet analyst Christopher Marai says the recent selloff in shares of Five Prime Therapeutics appears unfounded. The data highlights “remarkable durable responses in patients not expected to respond,” Marai tells investors in a research note.

Five Prime is still a ‘Strong Buy’ stock according to the Street, with four recent “buy” ratings. These analysts believe (on average) the stock is capable of spiking over 230% to hit $73 in the next 12 months.

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