Oppenheimer’s research group has a fresh list of top stock ideas that it expects to outperform over the coming year based on each company’s fundamentals and “in the context of current market conditions.” It’s getting harder for investors to find upward momentum as stocks pull back amid trade and tariff tensions, recession fears and a shrinking market for technology shares. The S & P 500 edged up 0.4% last week, snapping a four-week decline. The Nasdaq Composite managed a 0.2% advance, also ending a four-week-long slide, while the 30-stock Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.1% after dropping in each of the prior two weeks. Against this backdrop, Oppenheimer asked its analysts to choose one stock from within their fields of expertise that they expect to do well, with each one rated outperform by the firm. The resulting list was described as “a menu, not a portfolio.” Take a look at some of the names below: Costco has tumbled about 13.3% this month after the wholesale retailer posted fiscal second-quarter results whose earnings missed analyst estimates while revenue topped expectations thanks to rising same-store sales. The weakness hasn’t shaken Oppenheimer, which has a price target on the stock that implies 24% potential upside from Friday’s close. “We look very favorably upon COST’s [long-term] prospects,” analyst Rupesh Parikh said about the wholesale club. He highlighted Costco’s “unique and improving consumer value proposition,” global growth prospects, strong management team and potential for sustainable top- and bottom-line performance against a more competitive retail backdrop. Shake Shack is another stock that has recently been hit hard, down 17% in March, but that remains an Oppenheimer favorite. The research firm reiterated the burger chain as a “top pick” for this year, staying bullish on Shake Shack’s earnings and same store sales growth. Shake Shack’s fourth-quarter revenue rose 14.8% year-over-year as the company opened 19 company-operated locations and nine licensed restaurants in the three-month period. “We believe new management’s strategy remains a key catalyst for a brand with unused sales/margin levers,” analysts Mike Tamas and Brian Bittner said of Shake Shack, whose shares have tumbled 30% in 2025. SHAK 1Y mountain Shake Shack over the past year. Oppenheimer also recommends AppLovin in the current market. The mobile app company’s stock price has soared by 337% over the past year, but has struggled lately, slumping 24.4% in the past month. The latest retreat could serve as an opportunity to buy the shares, with analyst Martin Yang writing that “AppLovin’s growing scale and broadening customer base continue to improve its core product performance, which will accelerate its market penetration and [market] share gain.” Other stocks included in Oppenheimer’s outperform-rated picks included Life Time Group , Visa and Monolithic Power Systems . Monolithic, one of the company’s semiconductor favorites, is set up to outperform its peers with “both an improving margin profile and an accelerating top-line outlook,” according to the Wall Street investment bank.
