Third-quarter earnings season has opened unevenly. JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Citigroup posted missed results this week, while UnitedHealth topped forecasts for both revenue and profit.
Only 27 constituent companies of the S&P 500 have reported so far – and UBS is betting the next wave holds more upside.
The investment firm has singled out 40 stocks it believes will “beat forecasts,” drawn from a liquid universe of more than 700 names.
It combined valuation measures with its proprietary data, then kept companies where its analysts’ earnings estimates top the Street consensus. Three of them are as follows:
SharkNinja Inc (SN)
SharkNinja is a household appliance maker that carries the highest expectations of the three – and the most to lose from a miss.
Its shares have climbed about 68% this year, leaving little room for a soft quarter. UBS nonetheless expects SN to clear estimates when it reports in early November.
Management has given it a foundation: in August, it lifted its full-year net sales growth forecast to about 16.5%, a 4.5 percentage points boost at the midpoint.
Other Wall Street firms seem to agree with UBS on SharkNinja stock as well.
The consensus rating on SN shares sits “Buy”, with the mean price target of about $209 indicating potential for another 13% rally from current levels.
Gen Digital Inc (GEN)
Gen Digital’s case rests on a split between its operations and its share price.
The consumer cybersecurity company’s shares are down more than 13% this year, including a 12% one-day drop on Sept. 24 after the Financial Times reported it was courting GoDaddy in a takeover bid.
UBS expects it to beat estimates when it reports on October 28th. Management’s guidance – which was raised in August – calls for fiscal 2027 sales of $5.425 billion and earnings of $2.92 per share.
So the underlying fundamentals have improved while attention shifted to the deal.
The consensus also currently sits at Overweight, with a bullish mean price target of about $33.5, indicating notable further upside from here.
Labcorp Holdings (LH)
Labcorp stock is the steadiest of the three. Its shares have gained 27% this year – a more measured run than SharkNinja’s.
In July, the laboratory services firm lifted its 2026 outlook, calling for adjusted earnings of $18.325 per share (EPS) and annual revenue growth of 5.85% at the midpoint of the range.
And UBS expects its fiscal Q3 earnings to top estimates on October 28. Because the guidance was lifted only three months earlier, a beat would show whether management set the bar conservatively.
Wall Street currently rates LH shares as Overweight – with a mean price objective of roughly $348, signaling potential upside of 10% from here. Note that Labcorp also currently pays a dividend yield of 0.91%.