Bank of America has named a number of stocks that will be too interesting to ignore as 2026 approaches. Wall Street investment banks say companies like Nvidia are viable and the best idea. Other stocks reviewed by CNBC Pro with buy ratings include UBS, Estée Lauder, Bruker, and Ametek. Bruker Life sciences and biotechnology company Bruker is a key stock to watch heading into next year, the bank said. Analyst Michael Reiskin said he recently felt more bullish about the 2026 recovery outlook after meeting with management. In particular, Reiskin sees end-market conditions improving. The analyst added: “BRKR sees headwinds weakening in most major end markets and sees encouraging trends in the third quarter.” Leiskin also raised his price target to $60 per share from $43. “I’ll be more confident in ’26,” he said. The stock has increased 7% over the past month. Estee Lauder Banks says the beauty company is firing on all cylinders. A team led by analyst Ashley Wallace recently added the cosmetics company to Bank of America’s prestigious US1 Top Picks list, writing that the beauty industry is well-positioned for a big moment in 2026. Wallace expects Estée Lauder’s supervisory business to grow further as the company executes its restructuring. “Estee Lauder is most leveraged in areas of beauty demand that will improve in 2026,” she wrote. The bank also raised its price target to $130 per share from $120. “We believe we can succeed by accelerating our innovation cycles, entering new channels, and redeploying cost savings into consumer investments,” he said. Bank of America says the stock is up 44% since the beginning of the year, giving it plenty of room to play. UBS, Switzerland’s largest bank, which is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange, is the best idea in 2026, analyst Antonio Reale recently wrote. Reale also upgraded the bank from neutral to buy and added it to Bank of America’s list of 25 stocks for 2026. UBS is also included in the bank’s list of top US stocks in Europe. “UBS is a very attractive proposition and the equity story combines the potential for more relaxed capital requirements with strong growth areas in the wealth and capital markets,” he said. Real also said that UBS’s earnings per share are growing faster than other global banks. Meanwhile, the stock is up 32% this year. “It’s a time to buy,” Reale said. Bruker: “We’re even more confident in 2026. We’re further encouraged by the expected recovery in 2026, both in the broader LS (life sciences) tools market and in BRKR in particular. … BRKR sees headwinds weakening in most major end markets and cites encouraging trends in the third quarter.” Ametek “Ametek manufactures highly engineered components for niche markets. This gives the company strong pricing power but lower recurring revenue mix compared to other multi-industry sectors. In 2025, equipment customers undertook significant inventory reductions. The company has now completed this inventory reduction with organic orders increasing by +7% compared to 2022. It was the fastest growth since the quarter. Nvidia: “Although AI investment is in a mid-life gloom, we predict strong data center utilization, tight supply, enterprise adoption, competition among LLM builders, hyperscale customers, and sovereign customers for AI semiconductors to continue to see strong 50%+ year-over-year growth in AI semiconductors this year. Leader NVDA has a solid pipeline and catalysts, with a convincing 24x/18x CY26/27E, half the growth rate. ”Read more. UBS “It’s time to buy. …The bottom line is that UBS is a very attractive proposition, and the stock story combines the potential for more moderate capital requirements with strong growth areas in the wealth and capital markets. EPS is set to continue to grow faster than any other bank in the world.” Estee Lauder “Estee Lauder is most leveraged in the beauty demand segment that will improve in 2026. …Innovation We believe we can succeed by accelerating the cycle, entering new channels, and reallocating cost savings to consumer-facing investments.”
