I'm Buying These 30 Stocks Like Crazy in 2026
Speakers
Paul Gabrail
— Host / Value Investor
Summary
Paul Gabrail presents a 2026 watchlist of 32 high-quality businesses he wants to own only at the right price. He walks through valuation estimates and target entry prices for each name, emphasizing that price matters more than simply owning great companies. He also notes active positions, past buying, and option strategies such as cash-secured puts on several stocks. The overall message is to wait for market dislocations rather than buy the list indiscriminately.
- Paul Gabrail shares 32 stocks he would like to buy in 2026 at lower prices.
- Most names are framed as high-quality businesses currently above his desired entry levels.
- He uses discounted cash flow estimates with a 9% required return and no margin of safety.
- Several names are already owned or targeted via cash-secured puts, including Southwest, Alibaba, Target, Sprouts, and Starbucks.
- He highlights margin recovery, brand strength, sticky business models, and free cash flow as key supports.
- He warns that overpaying can turn great companies into bad investments.
- He hopes a bear market provides better entry points across the watchlist.
Ideas
High-quality Microsoft; wants discounted entry.
Paul loves Microsoft and has owned/loved it since the 1990s; it keeps accelerating revenue growth despite its size. Using a 9% required return and no margin of safety, his DCF values are $290 low, $430 middle, and $630 high versus a current price near $476, so he wants a discount before buying.
Google quality; wait for lower price.
Google has the top two search engines in the world in Google.com and YouTube, is advertiser/user focused, and deserves a premium. With a 9% return assumption, his DCF values are $170 low, $303 middle, and $530 high versus a current price near $315; he loved it at $150 but wants to buy nearer $140 and is deciding whether to pull the trigger.
Margin recovery; selling cash-secured puts.
Southwest is a margin-recovery play: it made only about 1.5% margins annually over the last five years versus 10%-15% pre-COVID. He assumes 8%, 11%, and 14% margins, giving DCF values of $62 low, $110 middle, and $182 high versus a recent surge to $42.75, and he is selling cash-secured puts to build a bigger position.
Meta quality; buy on pullback.
Half the world uses Meta products such as Facebook, Instagram, Oculus, and WhatsApp, and he views WhatsApp as superior. His DCF values are $473 low, $754 middle, and $1,178 high versus a current price near $662; he bought at $88 in 2022 and regrets selling at $195, and would want to buy again if a bad bear market takes it to $400.
Alibaba China cloud; buy pullback.
Alibaba is China's biggest and best company with a cloud computing business, and he felt good about it below $100. His DCF ranges are $110-$134 low, $195-$233 middle, and $340-$400 high versus a current price near $152; he lost shares to covered calls and hopes to buy back with cash-secured puts at $140 or lower.
Owns Amex; wealth beneficiary.
American Express is the elite credit-card company with high margins and should benefit as the world becomes wealthier. He owns it and notes his DCF values are $480 low, $722 middle, and $1,178 high versus a current price near $385, though he is hesitant to buy more because he owns it at a lower cost.
Berkshire attractive near book value.
Berkshire Hathaway cannot be run through his stock analyzer because of mark-to-market accounting, but he cites Buffett's comment about buying at 1.2 times book value. With a $1 trillion market cap, that implies about $650 billion of book value, and current stockholders' equity is around $600-$700 billion, so Buffett might already be a buyer; he is waiting for that 1.2x book condition.
Apple bear-market survivor; wait price.
Apple is the company that keeps going and is a late bear-market survivor: when people give up on Apple, he thinks a bear market is near its end. Current price is around $263 near all-time highs, while his DCF values are $120 low, $190 middle, and $285 high, so he is waiting for the right price.
Visa global payments; wait discount.
Visa is a lot like American Express but for everybody, with high returns on capital and a benefit as the world gets bigger and wealthier. Current price is about $356, while his DCF values are $211 low, $350 middle, and $570 high; it is close to his middle price, but he wants a discount.
Payments leader; high-margin quality watch.
Mastercard is the counterpart to Visa and American Express, and he thinks all three payment companies can do very well as the economy improves. Current price is about $580, while his DCF values are $275 low, $420 middle, and $760 high; these are very high-margin businesses he loves but wants at a better price.
Home Depot quality; wait discount.
Home Depot is a great-return-on-capital business where consumers, workers, and contractors go, and he thinks Home Depot can lead delivery in the category rather than Amazon. Current price is about $348, while his DCF values are $240 low, $330 middle, and $450 high; he is waiting for a better entry.
Lowe's quality; wait for lower price.
Lowe's is Home Depot's counterpart, and he likes Lowe's customer service better. Current price is about $246, while his DCF values are $100 low, $140 middle, and $195 high, so it still has a way to go before hitting his buy price.
Fast-food leader; wait for price.
McDonald's is a fast-food leader with really high returns on capital. His DCF ranges are $150-$170 low, $220-$240 middle, and $330-$350 high, so he needs patience and a lower price before buying.
Content strength; buying Disney lower.
Disney had a profit-margin issue like Southwest, but it owns tons of content and he thinks it can win streaming wars and remain a leader in movies and animated films. Current price is about $114, while his DCF values are $50 low, $92 middle, and $155 high; he has been buying and remains a believer, though less excited now.
AI fears overdone; Adobe undervalued.
The market fears Adobe will be wiped out by AI, but he disagrees: free cash flow is significantly higher than net income, with 39%-41% FCF margins, a hidden gem. AI has been surging and Adobe's revenue and profit are rising with it; current price is about $334 versus FCF DCF values of $380 low, $560 middle, and $820 high.
Nike recovery; buy below sixty.
Nike was criticized as 'go woke, go broke,' and he said he would look at it below $100. Large companies need major mispricings for outsized returns; current price is about $65 after touching $58, with DCF values of $50 low, $75 middle, and $110 high, so it is not screaming but below $60 in a bear market he would be happy to own some.
Ferrari scarcity; wait for discount.
Ferrari sells only 14,000-15,000 cars a year when it could sell far more, preserving demand, and it has 50% gross margins versus 15%-18% for average car companies. Current price is about $372, while his DCF values are $185 low, $290 middle, and $450 high, so he is waiting.
Luxury brands; wait for discount.
Louis Vuitton/LVMH owns tons of growing luxury brands and is a company to watch. Current price is about $750, while his DCF ranges are $530-$580 low, $750-$850 middle, and $1,160-$1,280 high; he also likes Hermes but notes it is not publicly traded.
Sticky 401k; bear-market risk.
T. Rowe Price is a great 401(k) manager with sticky assets, and he looks at it long term. However, a bad bear market would hurt revenue and profit significantly, and current valuation is high; current price is about $109 versus DCF values of $110 low, $163 middle, and $236 high, so he is watching the down-cycle risk.
Paint leader; wait for discount.
Sherwin-Williams is the paint leader in the world. Current price is about $340, while his DCF values are $160 low, $265 middle, and $450 high, so he has to wait for a much better price.
Owns Generac; attractive here.
He loves Generac and owns the stock. Current price is about $145 versus DCF values of $115 low, $165 middle, and $235 high, so he finds it pretty attractive here and is updating his watch-list price to $130.
Buy Starbucks under eighty.
Starbucks has very high returns on capital and is going through changeover. Current price is about $90 versus DCF values of $60 low, $82 middle, and $115 high; he was a buyer below $80 and still is, and he wants to sell more puts if it reaches $80.
Elevator moat; wait for price.
Otis is the elevator company with a very strong union, unique skill set, and only a handful of competitors that can manage the work. Current price is about $90 versus DCF values of $46 low, $70 middle, and $103 high; he is putting a watch-list price at $70 for further research.
Intuit FCF strength; wait price.
He loves Intuit/QuickBooks, uses QuickBooks for personal budgeting, and says QuickBooks Online is great. Like Adobe, free cash flow is much greater than profit margin; current price is about $650 versus DCF ranges of $230-$385 low, $360-$600 middle, and $560-$908 high.
Great Costco; wait for price.
Costco is a great company that Charlie Munger loved, but he personally believes the price is too high. Current price is around $900 versus DCF values of $300 low, $425 middle, and $600 high; he is adding it to his watch list at $500.
Temporary Target problems; own and buy.
He owns Target, which has been a roller coaster and gone through temporary problems he thinks are exaggerated, creating opportunity. Current price is about $104 versus DCF values of $106 low, $170 middle, and $250 high; he thinks he should be selling monthly puts on it.
TJ Maxx; wait for discount.
TJ Maxx is a great retailer with more than TJ Maxx, but at about $155 it is a problem for him. His DCF values are $50 low, $65 middle, and $88 high; he is putting a watch-list price of $65 because the business has gotten better since he last updated it.
Sprouts margins; selling cash-secured puts.
Sprouts Farmers Market is a phenomenal grocery business with great margins, and it is increasing margins through higher-margin Sprouts private-label products. He bought it at $31-$33 and lost it to covered calls at $165, but his 10-year analysis shows current price near $77 versus DCF values of $96 low, $150 middle, and $220 high, so he wants to sell cash-secured puts.
Boring Cintas; wait for price.
Cintas is a nice boring uniform and facilities-services company. Current price is about $188, above his high DCF value; his values are $81 low, $120 middle, and $170 high, so he is putting a watch-list price of $120 and hoping for a bear market.
J&J overpriced; wait for price.
Johnson & Johnson is a boring company with a healthy dividend, but at about $205 he thinks it is overpriced and the dividend is only about 2.5%. His DCF values are $106 low, $150 middle, and $190 high, so he is waiting patiently.
Boring Hershey; wait for price.
Hershey is a good, boring company. Current price is about $180 versus DCF values of $108 low, $150 middle, and $200 high; he is adding it to his watch list at $150 because it has been a while since he adjusted prices.
P&G; wait for better price.
Procter & Gamble is another everything company like Johnson & Johnson, nothing sexy, but he needs a good price if it is not going to be a grower. Current price is about $140 versus DCF values of $75 low, $100 middle, and $135 high.
Up Next
This Everything Money video, published January 19, 2026, features Paul Gabrail discussing MSFT, GOOG, LUV, META, BABA, AXP, BRK.B, AAPL, V, MA, HD, LOW, MCD, DIS, ADBE, NKE, RACE, LVMH, TROW, SHW, GNRC, SBUX, OTIS, INTU, COST, TGT, TJX, SFM, CTAS, JNJ, HSY, PG. 32 trade ideas extracted by AI with direction and confidence scoring.
Speakers: Paul Gabrail · Tickers: MSFT, GOOG, LUV, META, BABA, AXP, BRK.B, AAPL, V, MA, HD, LOW, MCD, DIS, ADBE, NKE, RACE, LVMH, TROW, SHW, GNRC, SBUX, OTIS, INTU, COST, TGT, TJX, SFM, CTAS, JNJ, HSY, PG