5 Stocks With Strong Relative Price Strength to Start 2026

The new year opens with confidence after another strong stretch for U.S. stocks. Markets are coming off a third straight year of solid gains, supported by easing inflation, a steady economy and expectations that interest rates will trend lower over time. Add the continued push from artificial intelligence, and investors see reasons to believe the market’s momentum can extend rather than fade.

Recent data has been mixed but encouraging. Factory activity has held up better than expected, even as housing shows some cooling. Earnings season is also ramping up, keeping the focus on company-level performance. Trade headlines and tariff threats have added short-term pressure, reminding investors that volatility is never far away. Still, markets tend to look past near-term noise and price in what lies ahead.

In this environment, relative price strength makes sense. Stocks already outperforming the broader market often continue to lead, offering a practical way to stay aligned with strength as the year unfolds.

At this stage, investors would be wise to consider companies such as Micron Technology MU, Hilltop Holdings HTH, Casey’s General Stores CASY, Agnico Eagle Mines AEM and Dollar General DG.

Relative Price Strength Strategy

Investors generally gauge a stock’s potential returns by examining earnings growth and valuation multiples. At the same time, it’s essential to measure the performance of such a stock relative to its industry, peers, or an appropriate benchmark.

If you see that a stock is underperforming on fundamental factors, it would be prudent to move on and find a better alternative. However, those outperforming their respective sectors in terms of price should be selected because they stand a better chance of providing considerable returns.

Then again, it is imperative that you determine whether or not an investment has relevant upside potential when considering stocks with significant relative price strength. Stocks delivering better than the S&P 500 for 1 to 3 months, at least, and having solid fundamentals, indicate room for growth and the best way to go about this strategy.

Finally, it is crucial to find out whether analysts are optimistic about the upcoming earnings of these companies. In order to do this, we have added positive estimate revisions for the current quarter’s (Q1) earnings to our screen. When a stock undergoes an upward revision, it leads to additional price gains.

Screening Parameters

Relative % Price change – 12 weeks greater than 0

Relative % Price change – 4 weeks greater than 0

Relative % Price change – 1 week greater than 0

(We have considered those stocks that have been outperforming the S&P 500 over the last 12 weeks, four weeks and one week.)

% Change (Q1) Est. over 4 Weeks greater than 0: Positive current-quarter estimate revisions over the last four weeks.

Zacks Rank equal to 1: Only Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks — that have returned more than 26% annually over the last 26 years and surpassed the S&P 500 in 23 of the last 26 years — can get through. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Current Price greater than or equal to $5 and Average 20-day Volume greater than or equal to 50,000: A minimum price of $5 is a good standard to screen low-priced stocks, while a high trading volume would imply adequate liquidity.

VGM Score less than or equal to B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of A or B, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy), offer the best upside potential.

Here are five of the 13 stocks that made it through the screen:

Micron Technology: Boise, ID-based Micron Technology has established itself as one of the leading worldwide providers of semiconductor memory solutions. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2026 earnings of the company indicate 297.5% growth. MU has a VGM Score of B.

The firm has a market capitalization of over $400 billion. Notably, over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Micron Technology’s fiscal 2026 earnings has surged 91.9%. MU’s shares have gained 243% in a year.

Hilltop Holdings: Based in Dallas, TX, the company provides banking, brokerage and advisory services to both consumer and business clients across multiple financial segments. Hilltop Holdings has a market capitalization of more than $2 billion. Hilltop Holdings has a VGM Score of B. 

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for HTH’s 2026 earnings per share indicates 11.3% year-over-year growth. The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters, with the average being 79.7%. Hilltop Holdings shares have moved up 24% in a year.

Casey’s General Stores: Based in Ankeny, IA, the company operates convenience stores under the Casey's and Casey's General Store names in 19 states, mainly Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. CASY’s expected EPS growth rate for three to five years is currently 16.3%, which compares favorably with the industry's growth rate of 10.4%. Casey’s has a VGM Score of B.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for CASY’s fiscal 2026 earnings per share indicates 18.8% year-over-year growth. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the retailer’s fiscal 2026 earnings has moved up from $16.37 per share to $17.39. Casey’s shares have gone up 64% in a year.

Agnico Eagle Mines: Agnico Eagle is a gold producer with mining operations in Canada, Mexico and Finland, and exploration activities in Canada, Europe, Latin America and the United States. The company beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters, with the average being 11.6%. Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AEM has a VGM Score of B.

The firm has a market capitalization of nearly $100 billion. Notably, over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Agnico Eagle’s 2026 earnings has moved up 9.1%. AEM’s shares have more than doubled in a year.

Dollar General: Headquartered in Goodlettsville, TN, Dollar General is one of the largest discount retailers in the United States. The company trades in low-priced merchandise typically $10 or less. DG has a market capitalization of nearly $33 billion. It has a VGM Score of A.

Notably, over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for Dollar General’s fiscal 2026 earnings has moved up 5.4%. DG beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in each of the last four quarters, with the average being 22.9%. Dollar General stock has gained 117% in a year.

You can get the rest of the stocks on this list by signing up now for your 2-week free trial to the Research Wizard and start using this screen in your own trading. Further, you can also create your own strategies and test them first before taking the investment plunge.

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

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