The S&P 500 Index has risen by 19% year-to-date, with three weeks remaining in the year and just a five percentage point gap from the all-time highs reached in January 2022.
Despite the impressive rally in the broader stock market, closely followed by the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSE:SPY), only 281 stocks comprising the index, or 56% of the total, have shown positive performance since the beginning of the year.
In other terms, 44% of S&P 500 companies took the path of retreat, a rare sight in a year when the stock market’s returns were nothing short of a feast.
Investors seeking so-called “laggards” — Goldman Sachs recently dedicated an analysis to this topic — are looking for the untapped potential hidden in S&P 500 stocks that have remained well outside the bullish eye of the market in 2023.
Hunting For Laggards In A Bullish Jungle: Top 10 S&P 500 Upside Picks
The stock that currently offers the highest upside potential compared to the median price targets set by Wall Street analysts is Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA). Moderna is trading at $78 per share, while the one-year median price target is $127.50, representing a 58% potential upside.
Not far behind in terms of potential is First Solar Inc. (NYSE:FSLR), ranking second on this list with a 56% upside potential. Third, with a 52% upside, is Albemarle Corporation (NYSE:ALB).
Only three stocks in the top 10 have shown positive performance year-to-date, including Wynn Resort Ltd., Caesars Entertainment Inc., and Warner Bros Discovery Inc. (NASDAQ:WDB).
Look Who’s In 17th Place
Beyond the glittering top 10, there’s a basket of stocks offering compelling upside potential, ranging from 30% to 41%.
What truly raises eyebrows is the appearance of NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) in the 17th position.
With a jaw-dropping year-to-date performance of 215%, Nvidia has been the star of the S&P 500 in 2023.
Wall Street’s appetite for the chipmaker giant seems insatiable. Nvidia’s median price target set by analysts, with a one-year horizon in mind, stands at $630 per share. This projection implies a rally of 38.45% from its current trading price.
Diving into the mix, we find a significant presence of stocks hailing from the energy sector.
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