Goldman Sachs named several stocks that are well positioned in the current market environment. The investment bank said that while companies like Samsara have defensive qualities, they also offer a lot of upside potential. Other stocks rated Buy by Goldman Sachs and reviewed by CNBC Pro include Nvidia, BrightSpring Health Services, Ulta Beauty, and Johnson & Johnson. BrightSpring Health Services Goldman says the home health services company is firing on all cylinders. Analysts led by Scott Fidell recently initiated coverage on the stock with a Buy rating and a $71 price target. The investment bank said it liked BrightSpring’s differentiated offerings, with a wide range of services that include “specialty drug complexities, infusion care site transitions, home clinical delivery, and fragmentation across both pharmacy and provider markets,” he wrote. Fidel said Brightspring’s business model puts it in the best position for growth in the aged care sector. “In our view, this combination supports a premium growth framework rather than traditional post-acute or provider multiples,” the analyst said. Following Samsara’s recent earnings report, analyst Matthew Martino said the Samsara fleet management and connected operations cloud platform company still has room to run and offers “solid execution as growth drivers expand,” Goldman said. The bank also called Samsara “one of the most defensible growth assets in the software space today” and said customers should look to add equity to compensate for weaknesses. Martino also sees improving margins and sees Samara’s June 24 investor day as a positive catalyst. “Taken together, these attributes support a defensible competitive moat and strengthen Samsara’s ability to remain relevant as customers standardize their physical operations on fewer, more capable platforms,” the analyst said. The maker of internet-connected sensor systems has gained 18% over the past month. Ulta Beauty The beauty retailer is in the best position to gain market share, Goldman recently wrote. Analyst Kate McShane said after Ulta’s latest earnings report that concerns about margins and sales are overdone. “Following its strong first-quarter performance, Ulta reiterated its revenue expectations while raising its operating profit growth and EPS guidance, while expecting an increase in share buybacks,” she wrote. McShane maintained his price target of $652, suggesting there is plenty of room for upside. “In FY26, we continue to believe that ULTA’s performance acceleration will be driven by the health cosmetics category and strong corporate execution, and that the company’s investments in marketing, workforce and services will lead to market share growth,” she continued. Goldman said investors should buy the stock even though the stock is down 23% since the beginning of the year. Ulta “Following strong first-quarter results, Ulta raised its operating income growth and EPS guidance and reiterated its revenue outlook, with expectations for increased stock repurchases. …In fiscal 2026, we continue to believe that ULTA’s performance acceleration will be driven by a healthy cosmetics category and strong company management, and that the company’s investments in marketing, labor and service will lead to improved market share.” Samsara “Solid execution as growth drivers expand…We are Samsara We view Samsara as one of the most defensible growth assets in the software space today…Taken together, these attributes support a defensible competitive moat and strengthen Samsara’s ability to remain relevant as customers standardize their physical operations on fewer, more capable platforms.” “The company’s businesses provide solutions to some of the most prominent friction nodes in health care services: specialty drug complexity, infusion care site transitions, home health delivery, and fragmentation across both pharmacy and provider markets. In our view, this combination supports a premium growth framework rather than traditional post-acute or provider multiple markets.” Nvidia We believe Nvidia’s improved capital allocation should increase investors’ confidence in the company’s commitment to balance shareholder returns with product innovation and ecosystem investments. We reiterate our Buy rating on the stock as we see Nvidia maintaining its growth profile into 2027 while remaining competitive in the market. Johnson & Johnson: “We focus on strengthening our defensive Bellwether pharmaceutical franchise; assume buy coverage…We believe the trajectory of our Innovative Medicines business is undervalued by consensus…Furthermore, with our industry-leading balance sheet capacity of $80 billion, we expect to continue our strong track record of increasing Innovative Medicines revenue growth.”
