4 Stocks to Buy Heavy Before Thanksgiving 2026

After a run like the one we've seen over the past 4 years, it can feel like all the easy money has already been made.

But here's what our data is showing right now. The gains, once highly concentrated, are finally broadening out into the companies that actually power this economy. The memory inside every AI server. The fuel that heats the country through winter. A household name clawing its way back. And a tiny drugmaker growing faster than almost anything on the market.

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So today we're handing you 4 stocks to buy heavy this November. Every single one earns the highest tier our quant model gives out. And we're saving one of our favorites for the very end, so stick around.

1- Micron (MU)

We'll start with Micron (MU). Micron makes the memory that artificial intelligence runs on, the high-bandwidth memory that sits right next to the big chips inside AI data centers.

Here's why shares belong at the top of your November list. The biggest catalyst of the month lands November 19th, when Nvidia reports earnings. As the largest buyer of that memory, a strong number there tends to light up the whole group, Micron included. And Micron has sold out its high-bandwidth memory for the year ahead, so in a market this tight, it can pretty much name its own price.

Wall Street experts see revenue climbing around 18% in the year ahead, and with that kind of operating leverage, earnings growing roughly 55%, more than one and a half times the pace of the broader semiconductor industry. Yet even after a run, Micron trades at a forward price-to-earnings ratio of just 5. Its PEG, the price-to-earnings ratio adjusted for growth, comes in around 0.2, while the average stock sits near 1.5. Growth is nice. Growth plus value like this is much, much nicer.

Micron has backed it up with 14 straight earnings beats, and Wall Street is about as bullish as it gets. Of the 24 analysts covering the stock, 16 have a Strong Buy and 7 have a Buy, and as of this writing, their fair value targets call for roughly 80% upside on average in the year ahead.

Now let's pop the hood with our Zen Ratings quant model. It scores every stock across 115 fundamental, technical, and AI factors, boils it down to one letter grade from A to F, and adds 7 Component Grades, Value, Growth, Momentum and more, to pinpoint each stock's strengths and weaknesses.

Micron earns an A, a Strong Buy recommendation, in the top 1% of the more than 4,600 stocks we track. And the two most impressive components are Value and Financial strength, both in the top 1% of the market. Growth lands in the top 8%, and Sentiment is right behind at the top 9%, a sign the Smart Money is firmly on board.

All in all, this is the cheapest way we know to own the AI boom, right as its biggest catalyst of the month rolls in. That makes Micron the perfect pick to kick off our list.

But things get more exciting from here…

2- Valero (VLO)

The economy doesn't run on chips alone, it runs on fuel, and that's where our next pick comes in. Valero (VLO) is one of the largest independent oil refiners on earth. They turn crude oil into the gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel that keep the whole economy moving. They run a massive network of refineries, much of it along the Gulf Coast with access to cheaper crude, and they've built a fast-growing renewable diesel business on top of it.

And here is why November is Valero's moment. A refiner's profit is the spread between the crude it buys and the fuel it sells, and that spread runs fattest from fall into winter. As the summer driving season ends, refineries come down for maintenance, which tightens supply. Right as that happens, cold weather drives up demand for heating oil and diesel. Low fuel inventories across the country only widen the gap. Valero is walking straight into the most profitable stretch of its year.

It is already firing on all cylinders. Valero reported earnings on October 22nd and sailed right past the number, as those refining margins powered a blowout quarter. And that is just the latest in a remarkable run. 22 straight earnings beats, which is more than 5 years of operational excellence. That's a lot of big beats, and not just in recent times, just a really strong history of outperforming. And all of that cash is flowing right back to shareholders through a steady dividend and aggressive buybacks.

The pros are backing it too. Valero earns a consensus Buy recommendation, and the highest-ranked analyst covering it, Justin Jenkins of Raymond James, is in the top 1% of all Wall Street analysts and rates shares a Strong Buy. For a company throwing off this much cash, the valuation looks hardly stretched, which is a rare thing for a business this profitable and this consistent.

The Zen Ratings tell the same story. Valero earns an A, a Strong Buy recommendation, and it too lands in the top 1% of every stock we track. Walk the Component Grades with us. Sentiment and Safety both come in around the top quarter of the market, with Value a little stronger at the top 11%. Growth lands in the top 6%, which foreshadows more earnings beats ahead. The Artificial Intelligence grade, which measures a stock's likely future timeliness, not how much AI the company sells, sits in the top 2%. And the standouts are Financial strength and Momentum, both in the top 1% of the entire market. That is timely shares in motion, backed by operational excellence.

Now, the one knock is that Valero's profit rides on that crude-to-fuel spread, and the spread can narrow in a hurry if crude spikes or fuel demand softens. But we are heading into the exact stretch of the year when it tends to be at its widest.

Indeed, a top-rated cash machine walking straight into the most profitable season of its year, and that winter tailwind is only just beginning. From the fuel that powers the holidays, let's look at where Americans actually spend during them.

3- Target (TGT)

That brings us to a name you already know, Target (TGT). Target is one of America's biggest retailers, and after a rough couple of years, it is a genuine turnaround story heading into the most important shopping season of the year.

Here is the November setup. After a long stretch of stumbles, Target brought in new leadership and went to work on the basics, cleaning up its inventory, sharpening its merchandising, and leaning back into the categories shoppers actually come to Target for. And that turnaround is finally gaining real traction. Now it is walking straight into the biggest stretch of its calendar, the holidays, with a catalyst landing November 18th, when Target reports the quarter that sets up its holiday guidance. Management has gone all-in on value this season, cutting prices across thousands of items to pull in cost-conscious shoppers right when they spend the most.

And it pays you to wait. Target is a Dividend King, a company that has raised its dividend for over 50 straight years, yielding around 3%, which is twice the industry average. The payout ratio is at a very sustainable 47%, and the next payout goes ex-dividend on November 10th.

The turnaround is showing up in the numbers too. 5 straight earnings beats as that new plan takes hold, and on top of that, the last quarter was a total blowout.

And Wall Street is coming around. Target earns a consensus Buy recommendation, led by top-ranked analysts like Michael Lasser of UBS, in the top 4% of all Wall Street analysts, who sees ample upside to his fair value target.

Under the microscope of our Zen Ratings, Target earns an A, a Strong Buy recommendation, in the top 2% of all stocks. Value comes in at the top 18%. Growth lands in the top 12%, Momentum in the top 11%, and Financial strength in the top 9%. And the standout is Sentiment, top 7%, which is the Smart Money crowd moving back into shares with real conviction. Our model even ranks Target the number 1 stock out of 9 in the entire Discount Store group. A tight, balanced profile that says this comeback is for real. The one soft spot is Safety, which grades a D, in the bottom 11% of the market, so expect some bumps along the way.

Now, the one weak spot on the business side is that Target is still early in its turnaround, and sales in some of its discretionary aisles are still soft. But a Dividend King, with strong Smart Money support, walking into its biggest quarter of the year, that is a lot working in its favor. Now consider whether it deserves a spot in your portfolio.

We've had a tech giant, an energy cash machine, and a retail comeback, but we saved the fastest grower of them all for last.

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4- Eton Pharmaceuticals (ETON)

Drumroll please, our final stock is the fastest earnings grower on this list. It's Eton Pharmaceuticals (ETON), a small company focused on treatments for rare diseases, the kind of conditions the big drugmakers too often overlook.

And here is the opportunity. After a huge year, shares have just pulled back more than 20% off their highs, with nothing broken underneath the business. That is a gift, because Eton reports earnings on November 5th, and it is walking into that report on a roll.

Here is what is driving it. Eton keeps winning FDA approvals and rolling out new rare-disease treatments, and because these are specialized drugs with little competition, each launch turns into sticky, recurring revenue that builds on the last. Its newest products are only just starting to ramp, which is exactly the kind of fuel that keeps an earnings engine running for years. This explains why Wall Street experts see Eton's revenue growing around 40% a year, driving earnings up roughly 90%, nearly 6 times the pace of its industry.

Growth like that usually comes expensive. Not here. Eton trades at a PEG ratio of just 1.17, below the average stock's 1.5, even with earnings growing this fast. Growth at a reasonable price is a rare thing, and Eton has it.

And it has backed it up. They've now beaten estimates for 3 quarters in a row, and the last quarter was a really strong showing.

Wall Street is on board, too. Just 4 analysts cover Eton, and every single one gives shares a Buy or Strong Buy recommendation, with not one Hold or Sell in the bunch. The top-ranked of them, from HC Wainwright, sits in the top 3% of all Wall Street analysts, and as of this writing, carries a fair value target implying 40% upside in the year ahead.

At this stage, it will be a shock to no one when we say we have another elite, A-rated stock. Eton earns an A, a Strong Buy recommendation, in the top 2% of everything we track. Walking the grades, Sentiment comes in at the top 24%. Value, top 20%. Momentum, top 10%. And the two most important, Growth and Financial strength, are both in the top 5%. Our model also ranks Eton the number 3 stock out of 49 in the entire Pharmaceutical group. The soft spots are worth knowing about. Safety grades a D, in the bottom 12% of the market, which is typical for a small drugmaker. The Artificial Intelligence grade also comes in at a D, and to be clear, that measures the likely future timeliness of shares, not how much AI the company sells, so it suggests the timing may take a little patience.

The main risk here is simply what comes with any small rare-disease drugmaker. A lot rides on a handful of products and FDA decisions. But with the launches landing, the growth accelerating, and Wall Street firmly in its corner, that is a tremendous amount of firepower packed into a very small company.

And that is why we saved Eton for last, the fastest grower of the bunch, on sale right before its next big catalyst. It is also the kind of under-covered name our Zen Ratings model is built to surface. Now consider whether it belongs in your portfolio.

So there is your November playbook. 4 A-rated stocks to buy heavy as this bull market broadens out. Micron, the cheapest way to own the AI boom. Valero, a top-rated refiner walking into its best season. Target, a name you know hitting its stride before the holidays. And Eton, the fastest grower of them all. A few of these have catalysts landing within days, so if any caught your eye, it pays to do your homework now, rather than after the news hits.

And remember, the Zen Ratings are updated daily. You can pull a free rating on over 4,600 stocks yourself just by typing in a ticker at wallstreetzen.com, so be sure to bookmark the site. 

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