5 Stocks to Watch: Week of 8/18/2025

By Jessie Moore, Stock Researcher and Writer

August 15, 2025 3:46 PM UTC

1- Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META)

Meta Platforms is more than just Facebook — it’s also the parent company of Instagram, and WhatsApp, plus an AI and VR innovator. Bottom line? Meta keeps redefining the digital landscape, and with strong ad revenue and bold bets on the future, it’s well worth watching. The stock is currently within striking distance of its all-time high (ATH) — and if it manages to get over the hump, there will doubtlessly be plenty of upside before the rally ends.

Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $786.31 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $1,086.00

Why we’re watching:

Unsurprisingly, one of the foremost tech stocks attracts a lot of attention from analysts. Meta Platforms shares currently have 28 Strong Buy ratings, 8 Buy ratings, and 2 Hold ratings. See the ratings
After the company reported its Q2 2025 earnings on 2025/07/30, Loop Capital’s Rob Sanderson (a top 8% rated analyst) maintained a Strong Buy rating on META and increased his price target from $888 to $980.
Sanderson said Meta Platforms' meaningful revenue growth acceleration and strong guidance were the biggest positive surprises from the prints returned by the Software mega-caps.
The company's recent hiring spree and Capex expansion are, admittedly, an effort to "catch up," but the analyst characterized its business results as consistent with Loop Capital's thesis that "the company is the largest non-hardware beneficiary, with acceleration in both user engagement and monetization being driven by AI investment against what appears to be a very long runway."
Meta Platforms is the 9th highest-rated stock in the Internet Content & Information industry, which has an Industry Rating of A.
META ranks in the top 11% of equities based on a holistic assessment of 115 proprietary factors, giving it a Zen Rating of B.
Owing to extensive (and bullish) coverage from analysts, Meta Platforms shares rank in the 91st percentile according to Sentiment.
META has rallied by 28.38% since the start of the year, and ranks in the 93rd percentile of equities when it comes to Momentum.
However, the tech juggernaut’s balance sheet is its biggest strength — Meta Platforms ranks in the top 4% in terms of Financials. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

2- Gates Industrial (NYSE: GTES)

Founded 114 years ago and headquartered in Denver, Colorado, Gates Industrial, which makes power transmission and fluid power solutions for a wide variety of industries, delivered EPS in line with expectation and consensus-beating revenue double beat in Q2 2025. GTES has rallied by 15.72% since the start of the year, but the stock remains quite undervalued.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $24.18 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $30.00

Why we’re watching:

Gates Industrial stock has 5 Strong Buy ratings, 1 Buy rating, and 3 Hold ratings. There are currently no Sell or Strong Sell ratings. See the ratings
The average price target for GTES shares currently stands at $26.33 and implies an 11.44% upside.
Barclays equity researcher Julian Mitchell (a top 1% rated analyst) maintained a Strong Buy rating on the stock after the company reported its Q2 2025 earnings.
Mitchell said they hiked their price target after updating the model on the name after assessing the quarter's results.
Gates Industrial is currently the 2nd highest-rated stock in the Specialty Industrial Machinery industry, which has an Industry Rating of A.
GTES ranks in the top 2% of the stocks tracked by our system, giving it a Zen Rating of A.
In terms of both Momentum and Artificial Intelligence, GTES shares rank in the top 12% of equities.
Gates Industrial stock is currently trading at a price-to-earnings growth (PEG) ratio of 0.84x, and ranks in the 90th percentile when it comes to Value.
Finally, we have Safety, a category in which Gates Industrial ranks in the 97th percentile of stocks. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

3- Udemy (NASDAQ: UDMY)

We found this stock courtesy of our newest service — Zen Strategies, the best way to take Zen Ratings to the next level. Udemy is one of the premier online platforms for taking courses. As you’ll see, it’s a surprisingly well-rounded stock — and one of the highest-rated equities currently trading under $10.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $6.82 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $12.00

Why we’re watching:

Udemy is tracked by 7 Wall Street analysts — their ratings are currently split between 2 Strong Buys, 2 Buys, and 3 Holds. See the ratings
With that being said, the average 12-month price forecast for UDMY, currently sitting at $9.71, implies a 46.08% upside.
Cantor Fitzgerald researcher Yi Fu Lee (a top 2% rated analyst) recently maintained a Strong Buy rating on the stock, and increased his price target from $9 to $10. Lee’s revised price target implies a hefty 50.38% upside.
Udemy is currently the highest-rated stock in the Education industry, which has an Industry Rating of A.
One of UDMY’s advantages is that it is trading at a very low price. In fact, it’s one of the seven stocks that are in our Zen Strategies Under $10 portfolio, which has an all-time annual return of 34.93%.
Qualifying for one of our portfolios is no easy feat — UDMY has a Zen Rating of A, and currently ranks in the top 2% of the stocks that we track. To be more precise, it is the 57th highest-rated stock as of the time of writing, out of a total of roughly 4,600.
Udemy shares are quite well-rounded in terms of their Component Grade ratings. UDMY ranks in the 81st percentile in terms of Value, as well as the 88th percentile when it comes to Financials.
That’s not all, however — the stock is also in the top 9% with regard to Growth, the top 8% when looking at Sentiment, and the top 6% in terms of Artificial Intelligence. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

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4- Build-A-Bear Workshop (NYSE: BBW)

Build-A-Bear Workshop operates a global chain of interactive retail stores. The company has successfully expanded beyond its mall-based roots into e-commerce, licensing, and corporate partnerships. One of Wall Street’s brightest has recently revisited the stock and sees plenty of growth on the horizon.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $55.46 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $65.00

Why we’re watching:

At present, 3 Wall Street analysts track Build-A-Bear Workshop stock — all 3 of them issue Strong Buy ratings. See the ratings
In addition, the average 12-month price forecast for BBW stock, currently pegged at $56, implies a healthy 13.34% upside.
DA Davidson’s Michael Baker (a top 6% rated analyst) recently reiterated a Strong Buy rating on the stock, and increased his price target from $60 to $64.
DA Davidson's in-depth analysis of Build-A-Bear Workshop's potential for worldwide retail expansion revealed that this is an "open-ended global growth story," Baker told readers.
Citing the data, the analyst said they raised their estimates and price target.
Build-A-Bear Workshop shares rank in the 95th percentile of the equities that we track, giving them a Zen Rating of A.
BBW ranks in the top 13% of stocks with regard to its Sentiment Component Grade rating.
The company’s strong financial footing is its most pronounced advantage — in terms of Financials, Build-A-Bear Workshop ranks in the 96th percentile of stocks. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

5- MasTec (NYSE: MTZ)

MasTec is an infrastructure construction business — but there’s an important twist. The business specializes in electrical transmission networks, 5G deployment, and renewable energy infrastructure. More recently, it has also expanded into data centers. Per a recent earnings report, our latest pick also has a record-breaking $15.9 billion backlog. However, it is the MTZ’s growth potential going forward that makes it worth a closer look.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $174.39 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $227.00

Why we’re watching:

MTZ enjoys broad, nearly unanimous bullish support from Wall Street equity researchers. The stock currently has 14 Strong Buy ratings and 1 Hold rating. See the ratings
Following the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call, Citigroup researcher Andy Kaplowitz (a top 1% rated analyst) reiterated a Strong Buy rating on the stock and adjusted his price forecast from $220 to $219.
Noting that the quarter beat on earnings and management raised its FY 2025 guidance, Kaplowitz called the post-print selloff "somewhat overdone."
MasTec is currently the 7th highest-rated stock in the Engineering & Construction industry, which has an Industry Rating of A.
MTZ ranks in the 96th percentile of the equities that our system tracks, giving it a Zen Rating of A.
There’s plenty to like here — for instance, the stock ranks in the top 14% when it comes to both Sentiment and Safety.
MasTec shares have rallied by 29.51% since the start of the year, and rank in the 89th percentile in terms of Momentum.
Growth, however, is MTZ’s strongest suit — in this category, the stock ranks in the top 1% of the equities that we track. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)