Concerns about an artificial intelligence (AI) bubble and macroeconomic uncertainties are affecting the stock market. Investors can look beyond short-term fluctuations, however, and focus on buying stocks that can deliver attractive returns over the long term.
With their thorough research and in-depth analysis, top Wall Street analysts can help identify stocks with solid fundamentals and lucrative growth potential.
Here are three stocks favored by the Street's top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
Palo Alto Networks
Cybersecurity company Palo Alto Networks (PANW) is this week's first stock pick. The company recently reported better-than-expected results for its fourth quarter of fiscal 2025. PANW also issued upbeat guidance for its fiscal first quarter and coming full year.
Following the results, RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg reiterated a buy rating on Palo Alto with a 12-month price forecast of $232. Interestingly, TipRanks' AI Analyst has an “outperform” rating on PANW stock with a price target of $197.
“The punchline is that we believe the quarter and outlook demonstrate the proposed CyberArk acquisition is coming from a position of strength, debunking the organic weakness concern,” said Hedberg.
The 5-star analyst highlighted that Palo Alto ended fiscal 2025 on a strong note, with results and outlook surpassing estimates across the board. Hedberg noted management's commentary about momentum being driven by strength in Palo Alto's XSIAM offering, AI demand driving software firewall needs and growth in Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) solutions.
Hedberg also cheered the company's Fiscal 2028 target to generate more than 40% in free cash flow margins for the combined Palo Alto/CyberArk company. Overall, Hedberg finds the stock's risk/reward attractive at current prices, especially as he sees PANW as an AI beneficiary and believes that it is insulated from broader risk around AI disruption in other software categories.
Hedberg ranks No. 94 among more than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 65% of the time, delivering an average return of 19.2%. See Palo Alto Statistics on TipRanks.
MongoDB
This week's next pick, database software maker MongoDB (MDB), rallied after reporting better-than-expected results for the second quarter of fiscal 2026 and giving a solid forecast.
Impressed by the results, Stifel analyst Brad Reback reaffirmed a buy rating on MongoDB and raised his price target to $325 from $275, saying the company posted one of its strongest quarters ever. By comparison, TipRanks' AI Analyst has assigned a price target of $241 and an “outperform” rating on MDB stock.
Reback highlighted that MongoDB's Q2 FY26 revenue exceeded the consensus by about 7%, with upside coming from outperformance in both its cloud database service Atlas and Enterprise Advanced (EA)/non-Atlas businesses. The analyst added that revenue upside and continued focus on operational efficiencies helped deliver Q2 FY26 operating profit margin of 14.7%, surpassing expectations by more than 4 percentage points.
The top-ranked analyst was mainly impressed by the growth in MongoDB's Atlas offering, driven by a healthy increase in consumption across its installed base, impressive new customer additions of 2,800 and emerging AI workload gains.
Overall, Reback believes that “Atlas is positioned to sustain 25%+ revenue growth,” fueled by stabilizing consumption, enhanced sales execution and a growing set of core and emerging product drivers.
Reback ranks No. 760 among more than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 52% of the time, delivering an average return of 10.2%. See MongoDB Ownership Structure on TipRanks.
International Flavors & Fragrances
Finally, we look at International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF), a company that provides flavors, scents and ingredients for industries including food, beverage and personal care. As part of its strategy of focusing on high-return businesses, IFF announced the divestiture of its soy crush, concentrate and lecithin business.
In a research note dated August 26, Tigress Financial analyst Ivan Feinseth reiterated a buy rating on IFF with a price target of $105. However, TipRanks' AI Analyst has a “neutral” rating on IFF with a price objective of just $65.
Feinseth discussed IFF's progress in its strategic initiatives, bolstered by a focus on innovation in high-margin products and efforts to optimize its product portfolio and balance sheet. The 5-star analyst highlighted the company's expanding profit margins and long-term revenue and cash flow growth potential.
Additionally, Feinseth believes that IFF is well-positioned to capitalize on secular, health-focused growth trends in food and nutrition, thanks to its “robust pipeline of functional ingredients, expertise in sensory science and biotechnology, and deep relationships with global brands.”
The analyst noted that through its strategic initiatives, IFF is creating significant shareholder value. Feinseth mentioned that IFF paid $102 million in dividends in Q2 2025 and announced a new $500 million share repurchase authorization.
Feinseth ranks No. 205 among more than 10,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been profitable 64% of the time, delivering an average return of 14.9%. See International Flavors & Fragrances Technical Analysis on TipRanks.
