Zacks.com featured highlights include MKS, Ameren and ONE Gas

For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – January 15, 2026 – Stocks in this week’s article are MKS Inc. MKSI, Ameren Corp. AEE and ONE Gas, Inc. OGS.

3 Sales Growth Picks to Bet On for Steady Returns in 2026

As 2026 begins, now is an ideal time to review your portfolio and fine-tune it for stronger returns. Several key themes from 2025 are still shaping markets — optimism around AI, the Federal Reserve's policy outlook, geopolitical tensions and tariff-related risks. In this environment, interpreting market signals can be difficult for retail investors, making a disciplined, well-adjusted strategy more important than ever.

Hence, the traditional method of choosing stocks is a good idea. Sales growth provides a more reliable view for evaluating stocks compared with earnings-focused metrics. Stocks like MKS Inc., Ameren Corp. and ONE Gas, Inc. are worth betting on.

Sales growth is one of the clearest indicators of a company's underlying momentum. Unlike earnings, which can be shaped by accounting decisions or short-term cost actions, revenues reflect actual demand for a firm's products and services. When sales rise consistently, it often signals a strengthening market share, an expanding customer base, or successful entry into new markets. As a result, healthy revenue trends can serve as an early clue to potential earnings upside, improving operating leverage and sustained long-term value creation.

That said, sales performance is most useful when viewed in context, benchmarked against peers, industry trends and broader economic conditions. Durable growth typically supports more predictable cash flows, giving management greater flexibility to reinvest, pursue strategic initiatives and preserve balance sheet strength without leaning excessively on debt. Tracking these patterns can help investors identify companies with resilient competitive advantages and a long runway for expansion.

3 Stocks with Robust Sales Growth to Buy

Andover, MA-based MKS is a global provider of instruments, subsystems and process control solutions that measure, monitor, deliver, analyze, power and control critical parameters of advanced manufacturing processes. MKSI reports results via three business segments: Vacuum and Analysis, Photonics Solutions and Materials Solutions.

MKSI's expected sales growth rate for 2026 is 6.9%. MKS carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present.

Headquartered in St. Louis, MO, Ameren is a utility company that generates and distributes electricity and natural gas. AEE has four business segments: Ameren Missouri, Ameren Illinois Electric Distribution, Ameren Illinois Natural Gas and Ameren Transmission.

Ameren's expected sales growth rate for 2026 is 7.2%. AEE currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Based in Tulsa, OK, ONE Gas is a 100% regulated natural gas distribution utility. OGS provides natural gas distribution services in Oklahoma, Kansas and Texas.

OGS' sales are expected to rise 5% in 2026. ONE Gas carries a Zacks Rank #2 at present.

Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?

Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.

Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.

See Stocks Free >>

For the rest of this Screen of the Week article please visit Zacks.com at: https://www.zacks.com/stock/news/2817032/3-sales-growth-picks-to-bet-on-for-steady-returns-in-2026

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.

About Screen of the Week

Zacks.com created the first and best screening system on the web earning the distinction as the "#1 site for screening stocks" by Money Magazine.  But powerful screening tools is just the start. That is why Zacks created the Screen of the Week to highlight profitable stock picking strategies that investors can actively use.

Strong Stocks that Should Be in the News

Many are little publicized and fly under the Wall Street radar. They're virtually unknown to the general public. Yet today's 220 Zacks Rank #1 "Strong Buys" were generated by the stock-picking system that has more than doubled the market from 1988 through 2016. Its average gain has been a stellar +25% per year. See these high-potential stocks free >>.

Follow us on Twitter:  https://www.twitter.com/zacksresearch

Join us on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/ZacksInvestmentResearch

Zacks Investment Research is under common control with affiliated entities (including a broker-dealer and an investment adviser), which may engage in transactions involving the foregoing securities for the clients of such affiliates.

Contact: Jim Giaquinto

Company: Zacks.com

Phone: 312-265-9268

Email: [email protected]

Visit: https://www.zacks.com/

Zacks.com provides investment resources and informs you of these resources, which you may choose to use in making your own investment decisions. Zacks is providing information on this resource to you subject to the Zacks "Terms and Conditions of Service" disclaimer. www.zacks.com/disclaimer.

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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

This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

Zacks Investment Research