Hello –
Wall Street’s 2026 playbook just changed, and so did ours. The freshly updated 10 Best Stocks to Own in 2026 report zeroes in on companies that:
- Fuel the AI boom through chips, cloud infrastructure, and next-gen computing
- Shower investors with cash via rising dividends and aggressive buybacks
- Hold pricing power in any rate-cut scenario, guarding your downside
Inside, you’ll find everything from an under-the-radar chipmaker poised to rule edge devices to a household-name retailer sitting on $12 billion in cash—likely primed for another special dividend. Every pick has a hard catalyst that could ignite in the next 12 months.
👉 Claim your complimentary PDF here.
No cost, no catch—just time-sensitive insights before these stories go mainstream.
To your investing edge,
Matthew Paulson
Founder & CEO, MarketBeat
P.S. Uncertainty may be the only certainty in 2026, but owning the right businesses doesn’t have to be. Download the list now and decide which of these ten leaders deserves a spot in your portfolio.
Special Report
3 Surprising S&P 500 Outperformers of 2026
By Ryan Hasson. Published: 4/12/2026.
Key Points
- LyondellBasell, APA Corporation, and Valero Energy rank 11th, 14th, and 25th among the S&P 500’s top-performers on the year, while the index sits close to flat.
- All three have been driven by the same catalyst: the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran, which sent oil prices surging.
- After their stellar runs, all three have pulled back sharply this week following ceasefire news, potentially offering investors a fresh entry point within each stock’s broader uptrend.
- Special Report: Elon’s “Hidden” Company
In recent years, when investors have considered market outperformance, many of the usual suspects have likely come to mind, such as AI stocks, semiconductor names, and mega-cap technology. That has been the story for much of the past few years. But 2026 has produced something different so far: many of the S&P 500’s strongest performers year to date are not tech companies. Three names in particular stand out — a refiner, a petrochemical giant, and an oil producer. Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO), LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB), and APA Corporation (NASDAQ: APA) rank 25th, 11th, and 14th among S&P 500 performers year to date.
The common thread is the geopolitical shock triggered by the U.S. and Israel’s conflict with Iran in late February, which sent oil prices surging and disrupted global supply chains. After a stellar run, all three have pulled back significantly, potentially offering investors fresh momentum entry points.
Valero Energy: The Refiner Built for This Moment
The 200-to-1 Gold Default hits May 29th (Ad)
There are currently 200 paper claims for every 1 physical ounce of gold in the vaults – and a 90-year-old law set to ‘call the bluff’ on May 29th.
Dylan Jovine of Behind the Markets has identified a company sitting on $431 billion worth of metal that trades for a fraction of that value today. He calls it the 287-to-1 gap the market is about to correct.Run the numbers yourself – get the ticker and full analysis here
Valero Energy is one of the largest independent petroleum refiners and fuel producers in the world. The company operates across refining, renewable fuels, ethanol production and an extensive logistics network.
Refiners have historically been overlooked in favor of producers and explorers higher up the energy supply chain. But in 2026, refinershave been among the market’s most powerful trades, and Valero has led the way with nearly a 44% year-to-date gain, ranking as the 25th best-performing stock in the S&P 500.
The Iran conflict has been the primary catalyst. Disruptions to oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz tightened global refining capacity, pushing crack spreads higher and improving the economics for U.S.-based refiners like Valero that source feedstock domestically. The company had already demonstrated its earnings power before the geopolitical tailwind arrived. In Q4 2025, Valero posted earnings per share of $3.82, beating the consensus estimate of $3.27 by $0.55. Earnings are expected to grow nearly 32% in the coming year, to $10.45 per share. Institutional ownership stands at nearly 79% after significant inflows over the prior 12 months. The stock carries a 2% dividend yield. For investors looking to gain exposure to the refining giant, the recent 9% pullback from its 52-week high might offer a compelling opportunity if the uptrend holds.
LyondellBasell: The Petrochemical Winner Nobody Saw Coming
LyondellBasell is a global chemical company specializing in polyolefins and advanced polymers. Coming into 2026, the stock had fallen significantly in 2025 amid a prolonged industry downturn and negative earnings, so it was not on most investors’ radars. Yet it has surged nearly 66% year to date, ranking as the 11th-best-performing stock in the S&P 500.
With the conflict disrupting oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, input costs have sharply risen for international petrochemical producers that rely on oil-based naphtha cracking. LYB, which uses low-cost North American natural gas liquids as feedstock, suddenly found itself with a significant competitive advantage.
Earnings for the company are expected to grow 26.15% in the coming year, from $6.31 to $7.96 per share, as the company targets over $1 billion in cost savings by year-end. The cease-fire announcement earlier this week prompted profit-taking, sending the stock down almost 6%. If the stock confirms a higher low within the uptrend, this pullback could be a compelling momentum entry in one of the S&P 500’s top performers this year.
APA Corporation: The Oil Producer Quietly Delivering
APA Corporation is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company with operations in the Permian Basin, Egypt and the North Sea. Like LYB, it was not generating significant buzz at the start of the year, but its almost 60% gain year to date has made it the 14th-best-performing S&P 500 stock. The move has been driven by surging oil prices and operational improvements that have largely flown under the radar.
APA delivered over $1 billion in free cash flowin 2025 despite declining oil prices, cut annual costs by $300 million and maintained flat production levels.
In its most recent earnings report, the company posted earnings per share of $0.91, beating the consensus estimate by $0.29. Like the two names above, it recently pulled back in the week following the decline in oil prices after the cease-fire announcement.
That pullback — especially for investors who believe that the supply-chain disruptions will not be solved overnight — could provide a useful entry point. The April 8 low of almost $35 would need to hold for the stock to confirm a higher low within its uptrend and keep its year-to-date momentum intact.
Thank you for subscribing to MarketBeat!
MarketBeat empowers everyday investors to make better trading decisions by delivering real-time financial information and independent investment analysis.
If you have questions or concerns about your account, please don’t hesitate to email our U.S. based support team at contact@marketbeat.com.
If you would like to unsubscribe or change which emails you receive, you can manage your mailing preferences or unsubscribefrom these emails.
© 2006-2026 MarketBeat Media, LLC. All rights reserved.
345 N Reid Place #620, Sioux Falls, S.D. 57103-7078. United States..
RJ Hamster 