It’s been a stellar first half for the S & P 500 — and some stocks in the index may be poised for rallies in the back end of the year The broad-market index is on track to finish the first half of the year about 13.8% higher. That would mark its best first half since 2021, when it gained 14.4%, according to CNBC data. Information technology, consumer services and consumer discretionary stocks have led the index’s ascent, with the three sectors all up more than 30% on the year. But not all stocks have participated in the rally, with five sectors down year to date. Utilities and energy stocks were the worst performers this year, with the two sectors each trading more than 8% lower. The S & P 500 ended Tuesday’s session at 4,378.41. Wall Street has signaled there could be some downside ahead, with that level about 3.5% higher than the average year-end target for the index and 2.9% above the median, according to CNBC’s tally of outlooks for the index. With this landscape in mind, CNBC Pro found the most-liked stocks on Wall Street with the biggest expected upside ahead as investors move in the second half of the year. The stocks are all S & P 500 members and have buy ratings from at least 65% of analysts. The 15 that made the list all have an average expected upside that’s greater than 30%. Bio-Rad Laboratories has the highest expected upside on the list at more than 50%. That would mark a stark turn, as the medical stock has fallen about 14% since the start of the year. Wells Fargo analyst Timothy Daley initiated coverage at overweight earlier this month. That puts him in the majority, with more than 85% of analysts rating Bio-Rad a buy despite its underperformance this year. “Our Overweight rating on Bio-Rad reflects a view that investors underestimate the company’s long-term growth opportunity to enhance their earnings and margins, supported by solid business fundamentals and their ability to position themselves opportunistically to benefit from secular growth tailwinds despite near-term sector and macro headwinds that are temporary in nature,” Daley said in a note to clients on his bullish call. .SPX YTD mountain The S & P 500, year to date Targa Resources is the most liked stock on the list, with just under 90% of analysts holding buy ratings. The average analyst anticipates shares could rally nearly 38% in the next 12 months. The gas distribution stock has sat out of the broader market rally so far this year and is up about 0.5% since the start of 2023. After a rocky first half of the year amid its ongoing spat with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis , Disney is up around 2% this year. It’s the only stock on this list with a positive year-to-date performance, though it has still notably underperformed the broad S & P 500 . Nearly 70% of analysts rate the stock a buy. And the average analyst anticipates shares could rally almost 33% over the next year. — CNBC’s Michael Bloom, Fred Imbert and Gina Francolla contributed to this report.
