Preparation is key in investing. The stock market doesn't rise in a straight line, but "buying the dip" during sell-offs is tricky if you don't already know where you want to put your money. That's why it's useful to keep a watch list of high-quality stocks to buy if a good opportunity arises.
Here are the four stocks sitting at the top of my watch list for 2026.
Image source: Getty Images.
1. Sea Limited
Sea Limited (SE 3.20%) is based in Singapore, and it's often referred to as the "Amazon of Southeast Asia." Its three business units make it a triple threat in the digital economy:
- Shopee is Southeast Asia's biggest e-commerce platform. It processed 10 billion orders worth $90.6 billion during the first three quarters of 2025.
- Monee is Sea's digital financial services platform. It lends money to Shopee merchants to help them grow their businesses, and it also offers "buy now, pay later" loans to consumers.
- Garena is one of the world's top game development studios. It's responsible for global smash-hits like Free Fire and Call of Duty: Mobile.
NYSE: SE
Key Data Points
Sea is on track to grow its revenue by over 30% in 2025, its fastest pace in four years. But its stock is currently down 35% from its 52-week high on concerns about the financial health of consumers worldwide. That dip could be a great entry point for long-term investors.
2. Workiva
Large organizations use dozens of digital applications in their day-to-day operations, creating headaches for managers who need to pull critical data from all of them to compile reports for executives or regulators.
Workiva (WK 1.27%) developed a platform that plugs into every major digital storage, productivity, and accounting app, allowing managers to aggregate all of their important data. From there, Workiva offers a suite of ready-made templates to help managers rapidly compile reports and produce regulatory filings.
NYSE: WK
Key Data Points
Workiva is on track to deliver a record amount of revenue in 2025 thanks to accelerating growth in some of its largest customer cohorts. Nevertheless, its stock is down 20% on the year, which might spell opportunity for investors. This stock doesn't get much attention from the analyst community -- The Wall Street Journal tracks just 13 analysts who cover it. However, the overwhelming majority of them rate it a buy, and none of them recommends selling.
3. Douglas Elliman
The Federal Reserve cut its benchmark interest rate three times in 2024, and then three more times in 2025. The CME Group's FedWatch tool predicts there will be two more 25 basis point reductions in 2026. That would be good news for the housing market, which has been torpid since 2023, when mortgage rates surged to their highest levels in 20 years.
Douglas Elliman (DOUG 0.87%) is America's fifth-largest residential real estate brokerage, and it's one of the leading luxury market operators in California, New York, Texas, and elsewhere. Despite the sluggish housing market, the company's 6,600 agents sold $30.1 billion worth of real estate during the first three quarters of 2025, putting them on track to surpass their 2024 sales total of $36.4 billion.
NYSE: DOUG
Key Data Points
Douglas Elliman stock has rocketed higher by 46% in 2025, but it's still trading at a steep discount to the all-time high it hit on Dec. 30, 2021 -- the day of its IPO. And on a price-to-sales basis, it's also much cheaper than Compass, one of its chief rivals. If lower interest rates boost the housing market in 2026, I think this stock could have another big year. I already own shares, but I'll be looking for opportune times to buy more.
4. DigitalOcean
I think artificial intelligence (AI) will remain the center of attention for investors during 2026, but the best returns might not come from the obvious picks like Nvidia or Amazon. Instead, I've got my eye on DigitalOcean (DOCN 1.75%), which provides cloud computing and AI services exclusively to small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs).
DigitalOcean operates data centers filled with GPUs from top suppliers like Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices, which it rents to SMBs that use it to develop AI software. The company also built a cloud-based workspace called Gradient, where SMBs can access tools to accelerate their progress, including ready-made large language models from leading third parties like Anthropic.
DigitalOcean's AI-related revenues have more than doubled year over year for five straight quarters, so the company is entering 2026 with incredible momentum. But its stock is still quite cheap, which is why it's near the top of my watch list.
