Jefferies has some ideas for stocks that have recently pleased Wall Street. Desh Peramunetilleke, head of quantitative strategy at the firm, looked for names that have a market cap over $10 billion that have topped earnings estimates over the past four quarters. The bank also looked for companies that saw positive per-share earnings revisions within three days of the reports. From there, Jefferies employed artificial intelligence to find companies that had positive feedback from analysts during their earnings calls. Here’s some of the names that made the list: Megacap technology stocks Microsoft and Apple both made the list. The pair are part of the “Magnificent Seven,” a group that has been closely watched by investors after leading the market higher in recent years. Microsoft has outperformed the broader market this year with a jump of around 21%. Wall Street sees more room to run: The average analyst polled by LSEG has a buy rating and price target implying more than 18% in upside. Apple, on the other hand, has tumbled close to 8% so far in 2025, on track for its first losing year in three. While the typical analyst also has a buy rating, their price target implies upside of just over 2%. MSFT AAPL YTD mountain Microsoft and Apple, year to date Beyond tech, Johnson & Johnson also made the list. Shares of the health-care company have soared almost 23% in 2025, reversing course after two straight losing years. The stock hit a new 52-week high in Tuesday’s session. However, Wall Street isn’t so optimistic about the road ahead. A slight majority of analysts polled by LSEG have a hold rating and price target implying the stock can fall marginally over the next year.
