Best "Strong Buy" Momentum Stocks to Buy in February

The stock market jumped again on Tuesday as Wall Street begins arguably the most important week of the fourth quarter earnings season. Mag 7 tech companies Apple, Meta, Microsoft, and Tesla will release their quarterly results and offer guidance in the final week of January.

The long-term outlook for stocks should remain bullish in 2026 because the earnings outlook continues to improve. More importantly, earnings growth is expected far beyond big tech companies and the AI boom. All 16 Zacks sectors are projected to expand their earnings this year for the first time since 2018.

Given this backdrop, investors likely want to keep buying stocks in the early months of 2026. Instead of looking at beaten down stocks that might bounce back, it’s sensible to consider buying stocks that already thrived in the 2025 economic and market conditions.

The momentum stocks the screen puts on your radar have also experienced strong upward earnings revisions, landing them a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) right now.

Let’s dive into how investors can find the best "Strong Buy" momentum stocks to add to their portfolios heading into February and throughout 2026.

Screen Basics: Finding Top Momentum Stocks to Buy

The screen we are looking into today comes loaded with the Research Wizard. The screen helps investors dig through all of the Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks, of which there are over 200 at any given time, to find some of the top momentum names.

The screen narrows down the list of Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocksto those with upward price momentum that are also trading within 20% of their 52-week highs. The screen then uses the PEG ratio and the Price to Sales ratio to help make sure investors are getting value as well. The screen then makes your life a little easier and narrows it down to just seven stock picks.

The screen basics are listed below…

·       Zacks Rank = #1 (Strong Buy)

·       Current Price/52-week High >= 0.8

·       PEG Ratio: P/E F(1)/EPS Growth <= 1

·       Price/Sales <= 3

·       Percentage Change Price -12 Weeks = Top # 7

This strategy comes loaded with the Research Wizard and it is called bt_sow_momentum_method1 It can be found in the SoW (Screen of the Week) folder.

The screen is simple, yet powerful. Here is one of the seven stocks that made it through this week's screen…

Buy Surging Travel Tech Stock EXPE for Long-term Growth

Expedia Group, Inc. EXPE is a technology-driven travel company operating across three flagship consumer brands: Expedia, Hotels.com, and Vrbo.

The company helps consumers find the best deals on travel across hotels, vacation rentals, flights, car rentals, and beyond. On top of that, Expedia helps travel businesses and owners throughout the spectrum of its offerings get in front of their ideal customers and more.

The global travel company’s growth has been booming over the last four years as people, especially higher-income and the wealthy consumers, continue spending heavily on travel. Expedia posted 7% growth in 2024 even as it faced a three-year stretch of 37% average revenue growth between 2021 and 2023.

EXPE’s earnings growth has also been highly impressive as well, with its most recent upward EPS revisions landing Expedia its Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) standing.

"Notably, we grew room nights in the U.S. at the fastest pace in over three years, delivered our 17th consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in B2B—up 26%—and grew consumer bookings by 7%... We’re confident that our strategy and the reinforcing power of our two-sided marketplace will continue to drive greater value for both travelers and partners," CEO Ariane Gorin said in a Q3 press release.

Expedia is projected to grow its adjusted earnings by 27% in 2025 and 20% in FY26 to soar from $12.11 in 2024 to $18.39 in 2026 to extend its impressive run of bottom-line growth. On the top line, it is projected to expand its revenue by 7% in FY25 and FY26 to pull in $15.56 billion this year.

EXPE stock has ripped 55% higher in the past 12 months as part of a 434% run in the past 15 years. The stock has pulled back 10% since it surged to all-time highs in early January. The recent pullback provides investors a chance to buy the stock as it finds support near its 50-day and some of its lowest RSI levels in the past year.  

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.

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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.

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