3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 01/17/2025
Strong Buy stock recommendations, direct from Wall Street’s top analysts to your inbox! MPLX (NYSE: MPLX) benefits from being in the “mushy middle.” The near-term outlook for LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA) is robust thanks to internal and external catalysts. Mach Natural Resources LP (NYSE: MNR) presents an opportunity for investors looking for a company with steady cash flow. Keep reading for more.
1- MPLX (NYSE: MPLX)
This company’s work might not be sexy — it’s a midstream energy company that gathers, processes, and transports natural gas, natural gas liquids, and crude oil — but despite challenges, analysts expect stable profits for the company and sector in 2025.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $49.25 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $55.00
Why we’re watching:
- Analyst support: The 6 analysts we track issuing ratings on MPLX give it a Strong Buy consensus, with a max 1-year forecast of $55.00. See the ratings
- Notably, Theresa Chen of Barclays (a top 5% analyst) raised their price target on MPLX from $49 to $52 this week, while maintaining a Strong Buy rating.
- Chen predicted stable profits for Midstreamers; however, they qualified that prediction by noting that the company's refining division may continue to face challenges.
- With an overall Zen Rating of B (Buy), MPLX is in a class of stocks that have beaten the S&P for the past 20 or so years; it shines with a particularly high Component Grade for Safety, our metric which gauges the predictability of earnings, cash flows, and operational metrics. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
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2- LPL Financial Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ: LPLA)
This is the platform that financial pros use, offering an integrated platform of brokerage and investment advisory services to independent financial advisors. But financial advisors at financial institutions also make use of its services, giving it a big reach — and big potential.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $331.20 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $413.00
Why we’re watching:
- Analyst support: Among the 13 analysts we track issuing ratings on LPLA, it enjoys a resounding Strong Buy consensus (10 Strong Buy ratings, 2 Buy ratings, and 1 Hold). See the ratings
- Notably, Benjamin Budish of Barclays (a top 2% analyst) recently raised their price target on LPLA 0.3% from $378 to $379 on 1/13 in a Q4 2024 preview of names in their Brokers portfolio.
- Generally, trading activity and account development remained "robust," the analyst told investors, expressing overall optimism about all the names in the group, including LPLA, going into 2025.
- LPLA is also ranked in the 88th percentile of stocks we track, with an overall Zen Rating of B (Buy).
- Among the Component Grades that earn LPLA that spot, it’s parked in the 90th percentile for Momentum, meaning our proprietary system has identified LPLA as a stock on an upward trajectory that is likely to continue into the future. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
3- Mach Natural Resources LP (NYSE: MNR)
Mach Natural Resources LP focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing oil and natural gas properties, primarily in the United States. The stock is worth watching for its exposure to energy markets, potential for steady cash flows, and strategic positioning in high-value resource areas.
Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >
Recent Price: $17.40 — get current quote >
Max 1-year forecast: $24.00
Why we’re watching:
- While only 2 analysts we track currently issue ratings on MNR, they’re both Strong Buy ratings. See the ratings
- Among those 2 analysts? Neal Dingmann of Truist Securities (a top 1% analyst), who just raised their price target on MNR by 4.3%.
- Dingmann's price target hike was delivered following an update to their 2026 estimates for names in their Basic Materials (E&P and Oilfield Service) portfolio.
- Factors catalyzing their expectation for Q/Q earnings and free cash flow increases in 2026, according to the analyst, include slightly lower commodity prices, somewhat higher production, flat costs, and minimal asset degradation.
- Dingmann added that they believe commodity prices, specifically oil and natural gas, will be "firmer" in 2025 than most investors expect.
- MNR also earns an overall Zen Rating of B (Buy), meaning that a review of 115 factors proven to drive stock growth has determined that MNR is in a class with stocks that have historically averaged 19.88% annual returns.
- It has an A rating and scores in the 98th percentile for its Sentiment Component Grade, meaning it scores flying colors on beneficial sentiment factors like evaluating analyst revisions, insider activity, and short interest. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)
What to Do Next?
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