What are the 11 best stocks to buy right now?

The best stocks to buy right now can change based on market conditions and other factors. However, the 11 best up-and-coming stocks to buy in early 2026 were:ServiceTitanOn HoldingUpstartZscalerKlarnaToastSnowflakeChewyLemonadeCrowdStrikeCoinbase Global

What stocks will skyrocket in 2026?

It's anyone's guess what stocks will skyrocket each year. However, in 2026, artificial intelligence is the hot investment trend, so companies focused on AI have been skyrocketing in recent quarters. Notable AI stocks include Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG)(NASDAQ:GOOGL). These and other AI stocks, including up-and-coming names like Klarna, Upstart, CrowdStrike, Zscaler, and Snowflake, will likely continue riding the current wave higher in 2026 and potentially beyond.

How much of a portfolio should be allocated to emerging stocks?

How much of a portfolio investors should allocate to up-and-coming stocks is a personal preference. A young, single investor seeking to aggressively grow their portfolio might allocate up to 100% of their portfolio to up-and-coming companies. However, a more conservative investor might want to keep their allocation between 5% and 10%.

How do I research promising emerging stocks?

You can research promising emerging stocks by learning about their core operations, understanding how they generate revenue, analyzing industry-specific trends, examining competitors, and evaluating a company's financial health and valuation.

Best Up-and-Coming Stocks to Buy in 2026

A closer look at some of the most exciting up-and-coming companies.

By Matthew DiLallo – Updated Mar 20, 2026 at 4:49 PM EST | Fact-checked by Frank Bass

Key Points

Investing in early growth stocks offers high return potential but with increased risk.
Look for companies expanding into new markets or solving significant problems.
Not all emerging companies succeed; select ones delivering robust revenue growth for the best potential for game-changing returns.

Some of the best growth stocks aren't household names, at least not yet. These up-and-coming companies are still relatively early in their growth cycle. Investors could earn enormous returns as they reach their full potential.

Here's a closer look at some of the most intriguing up-and-coming growth stocks. Although riskier than more mature companies, they offer investors some of the highest return potential.

Loading paragraph...

A person at a computer with financial charts on a desk overlaid by an upward pointing arrow. — Image source: Getty Images.

Loading image...

Loading paragraph...

Ticker Information Table
Name and ticker	Market cap	Sector
On Holding (NYSE:ONON)	$11.7 billion	Consumer Discretionary
Upstart (NASDAQ:UPST)	$2.8 billion	Financials
Zscaler (NASDAQ:ZS)	$24.5 billion	Information Technology
Klarna Group (NYSE:KLAR)	$5.5 billion	Financials
Toast (NYSE:TOST)	$14.8 billion	Financials
Snowflake (NYSE:SNOW)	$52.7 billion	Information Technology
Chewy (NYSE:CHWY)	$9.6 billion	Consumer Discretionary
Lemonade (NYSE:LMND)	$4.2 billion	Financials
CrowdStrike (NASDAQ:CRWD)	$133.8 billion	Information Technology
Coinbase Global (NASDAQ:COIN)	$53.1 billion	Financials
ServiceTitan (NASDAQ:TTAN)	$6.0 billion	Information Technology

Data as of May 11, 2026. Showing 11 of 11 tickers.

Loading ticker_table...

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: TTAN

ServiceTitan

Today's Change

(-4.36%) $-2.75

Current Price

$60.29

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$6.0B

Day's Range

$59.08 - $64.12

52wk Range

$55.23 - $131.33

Volume

Avg Vol

1.3M

Gross Margin

67.48%

Loading company_card...

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: COIN

Coinbase Global

Today's Change

(7.59%) $15.27

Current Price

$216.43

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$53B

Day's Range

$192.78 - $217.84

52wk Range

$139.36 - $444.64

Volume

650K

Avg Vol

12M

Gross Margin

79.87%

Loading company_card...

Coinbase aims to build the crypto economy -- a fair, accessible, efficient, and transparent financial system powered by crypto. As more people start trading cryptocurrency and other digital assets, Coinbase will likely continue thriving.

3. CrowdStrike Holdings

CrowdStrike Holdings is a cloud-based cybersecurity platform that relies on big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect threats and prevent breaches. Cybersecurity is a rapidly expanding market, considering threats continue to grow. That's powering CrowdStrike's brisk growth. Its annual recurring revenue (ARR) surged 24% to $5.3 billion in the fourth quarter of its 2026 fiscal year.

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: CRWD

CrowdStrike

Today's Change

(2.76%) $14.56

Current Price

$542.33

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$134B

Day's Range

$522.28 - $542.51

52wk Range

$342.72 - $566.90

Volume

129K

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

74.53%

Loading company_card...

The company expects ARR to hit $20 billion by the end of its 2036 fiscal year. And that's only a fraction of the opportunity it sees ahead. CrowdStrike believes its total addressable market for its AI-native security platform should exceed $325 billion by 2030 (up from $149 billion in 2026) as the cybersecurity market grows and the company expands its capabilities.

Loading paragraph...

4. Upstart

Upstart is the leading AI lending platform. It aims to improve access to affordable credit for more people while reducing banks' costs. It does so by leveraging AI to more accurately identify risks and approve more applicants than traditional credit-score-based lending models.

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: UPST

Upstart

Today's Change

(-1.00%) $-0.29

Current Price

$28.67

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$2.8B

Day's Range

$28.17 - $29.16

52wk Range

$23.96 - $87.30

Volume

95K

Avg Vol

5.5M

Gross Margin

97.87%

Loading company_card...

The company originated $11 billion in loans during 2025. While that was up 86% year over year, it's just a fraction of the more than $25 trillion in annual global credit originations. The company expects to grow its revenue at a 35% compound annual rate through 2028 as it continues to leverage its AI-powered platform to originate more loans.

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: ONON

On Holding

Today's Change

(-3.40%) $-1.20

Current Price

$34.04

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$12B

Day's Range

$33.57 - $35.34

52wk Range

$31.41 - $61.29

Volume

11M

Avg Vol

6.3M

Gross Margin

62.92%

Loading company_card...

The company's growing brand awareness is driving rapid sales growth. On Holding intends to double its net sales over the next few years as it captures a larger share of the massive, growing total addressable market for the sportswear it sells.

6. Lemonade

Lemonade is a tech-based insurance company that uses an AI-powered platform to make it easier for customers to buy insurance and process claims. Customers can buy a new insurance policy in a matter of minutes, and Lemonade can process claims in a few seconds. That's lightning fast compared to the days it often takes traditional insurance companies to process and pay out claims.

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: LMND

Lemonade

Today's Change

(-0.04%) $-0.02

Current Price

$54.99

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$4.2B

Day's Range

$53.48 - $55.84

52wk Range

$28.71 - $99.90

Volume

45K

Avg Vol

2.3M

Loading company_card...

The company is growing quickly. Its customer count was almost 3 million in early 2026, up 23% from the previous year. It's also collecting a higher premium per customer (up 7% year over year to $414) as it expands its offerings to include renter, home, life, auto, and pet insurance.

Lemonade is steadily growing its car insurance business by expanding to additional states. The company expects Lemonade Car to play a key role in driving accelerated growth. With the insurance industry ripe for disruption, Lemonade can squeeze out a lot of growth by grabbing more market share from traditional insurers.

7. Chewy

Chewy is a pet-focused e-commerce company. It operates an online store and provides pet insurance and veterinary services. The company opened its first physical pet care clinic in 2024 and has expanded its reach into Canada. Chewy earns high praise for its customer service.

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: CHWY

Chewy

Today's Change

(-2.09%) $-0.48

Current Price

$22.49

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$9.6B

Day's Range

$22.45 - $23.24

52wk Range

$22.45 - $48.62

Volume

12M

Avg Vol

8.2M

Gross Margin

28.77%

Loading company_card...

The company's sales increased by more than 8% to over $3 billion in the third quarter of 2025. This growth was driven by a rising average net sales per customer as more customers subscribed to its autoship service.

Chewy's expansion into adjacent markets is growing its total addressable market opportunity, giving it plenty of room to run. The company also launched its Chewy+ membership program in 2025, which is driving higher order frequency among its customers.

Loading paragraph...

8. Snowflake

Snowflake operates a cloud-based data warehouse platform. It offers companies solutions (including the AI Data Cloud) to store all the data they collect while making it easily accessible. This technology is helping companies manage their AI data in the cloud.

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: SNOW

Snowflake

Today's Change

(-0.73%) $-1.12

Current Price

$151.33

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$53B

Day's Range

$148.19 - $154.80

52wk Range

$118.30 - $280.67

Volume

201K

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

66.12%

Loading company_card...

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: TOST

Toast

Today's Change

(-3.39%) $-0.85

Current Price

$24.20

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$15B

Day's Range

$23.93 - $25.59

52wk Range

$23.93 - $49.66

Volume

632K

Avg Vol

11M

Gross Margin

26.23%

Loading company_card...

The software company grew its ARR run rate by 26% over the past year, topping the $2 billion milestone in the fourth quarter of 2025. A big growth driver was its addition of new locations. It has increased its location count by 22% to around 164,000 over the past year. The company still has a long growth runway ahead, given there are about 750,000 restaurants in the U.S. alone.

10. Klarna

Klarna is a leading digital bank and flexible payments provider (buy now, pay later). The company had more than 118 million active users in early 2026 and recorded an average of 3.4 million transactions each day. Klarna is an early leader in using AI to power its payments and commerce platform.

Loading paragraph...

NYSE: KLAR

Klarna Group

Today's Change

(-0.62%) $-0.09

Current Price

$14.41

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$5.5B

Day's Range

$13.86 - $14.57

52wk Range

$12.06 - $57.20

Volume

231K

Avg Vol

6.6M

Gross Margin

56.37%

Loading company_card...

The company's active customers increased 28% in the fourth quarter of 2025, and gross merchandise volume rose 32%. Klarna sees massive market opportunities in payments ($520 billion, with another $500 billion in expansion potential) and ads ($570 billion, rising to $735 billion in the future). The company has only a tiny sliver of each market (0.6% for payments and 0.03% for ads), giving it a large growth runway.

11. Zscaler

Zscaler is a cloud-based cybersecurity platform. Increasingly, employees and customers need to access information stored in off-site data centers rather than a central server, and they're often accessing it from remote locations outside the office. Zscaler helps them access this information securely. The company is also combining its pioneering Zero Trust platform with AI to secure its customers' use of AI applications.

Loading paragraph...

NASDAQ: ZS

Zscaler

Today's Change

(-2.16%) $-3.29

Current Price

$148.84

Key Data Points

Market Cap

$24B

Day's Range

$147.70 - $152.96

52wk Range

$114.63 - $336.99

Volume

114K

Avg Vol

Gross Margin

76.28%

Loading company_card...

The company's ARR climbed 25% to nearly $3.4 billion in its 2026 fiscal second quarter. The cybersecurity company continues to grow rapidly as new clients join its integrated platform and existing ones expand their relationships. Companies increasingly find they can consolidate their security architecture with Zscaler's better, lower-cost platform.

It set an ambitious goal to boost its ARR to $5 billion in the coming years. Zscaler aims to achieve its bold target by bringing new customers into its network and upselling existing ones.

Loading paragraph...

Up-and-coming stocks FAQ

Loading faq...

About the Author

Matt DiLallo has been a contributing Motley Fool stock market analyst specializing in covering dividend-paying companies, particularly in the energy and REIT sectors, since 2012. He also covers pre-IPO companies, ETFs, and other investing topics. He holds an MBA from Liberty University.

TMFmd19

@MatthewDiLallo

Matt DiLallo has positions in Chewy, CrowdStrike, Klarna Group, Lemonade, ServiceTitan, Snowflake, Toast, Upstart, and Zscaler. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Bitcoin, Chewy, CrowdStrike, Ethereum, Klarna Group, Lemonade, On Holding, Snowflake, Toast, Upstart, and Zscaler. The Motley Fool recommends Coinbase Global and ServiceTitan. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Best Up-and-Coming Companies to Invest in for 2026

A closer look at some of the most exciting up-and-coming companies.

Key Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

3. CrowdStrike Holdings

Key Data Points

4. Upstart

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

6. Lemonade

Key Data Points

7. Chewy

Key Data Points

8. Snowflake

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

10. Klarna

Key Data Points

11. Zscaler

Key Data Points

Related investing topics

Best Stocks to Buy Now: Our Buy-and-Hold Picks for May 2026

Best IPO Stocks to Buy in 2026: Latest Upcoming Stocks to Watch

Top 8 Artificial Intelligence Start-Ups to Watch in 2026

Best Small-Cap Stocks to Buy in 2026: Are They Right for Your Portfolio?

Up-and-coming stocks FAQ

About the Author

Read Next

Stocks Mentioned

Premium Investing Services

Best Stocks to Buy Now: Our Buy-and-Hold Picks for May 2026

Best IPO Stocks to Buy in 2026: Latest Upcoming Stocks to Watch

Top 8 Artificial Intelligence Start-Ups to Watch in 2026

Best Small-Cap Stocks to Buy in 2026: Are They Right for Your Portfolio?

Key Data Points

Up-and-coming stocks FAQ

What are the 11 best stocks to buy right now?

What stocks will skyrocket in 2026?

How much of a portfolio should be allocated to emerging stocks?

How do I research promising emerging stocks?

Top up-and-coming businesses to consider

1. ServiceTitan

3. CrowdStrike Holdings

4. Upstart

5. On Holding

6. Lemonade

7. Chewy

8. Snowflake

9. Toast

10. Klarna

11. Zscaler

Key Sectors for Growth

These up-and-coming stocks are worth a closer look

Related investing topics

FAQ

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

Key Data Points

2. Coinbase Global

Key Data Points