Best stocks to buy today

Screening Filters

1. Market Cap ≥ $20,000,000,000 (Large Caps Only)

   • Purpose: Focus on large, established U.S. companies.
   • Rationale: When someone asks for the “best US stocks to buy today,” a common interpretation is liquid, relatively stable, widely followed names rather than speculative small caps. A minimum $20B market cap:
     • Reduces risk relative to micro/small caps.
     • Ensures better liquidity (tighter spreads, easier to enter/exit).
     • Targets businesses with more mature operations and disclosure.

2. PriceAboveMA200 (Trading Above 200-Day Moving Average)

   • Purpose: Include stocks in a longer-term uptrend or at least not in a confirmed downtrend.
   • Rationale: The 200-day moving average is a widely used indicator of long-term trend. Requiring price > 200-day MA:
     • Filters out names in persistent downtrends.
     • Aligns with the idea of “best to buy today” by favoring technically healthier price action.
     • Reduces the chance of catching a falling knife.

3. is_index_component: S&P 500 (GSPC) or Nasdaq 100 (NDX)

   • Purpose: Restrict results to major index components.
   • Rationale: The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 contain many of the largest, most scrutinized U.S.-listed companies. Using this filter:
     • Confirms U.S. market focus and high listing standards.
     • Ensures analyst coverage, institutional participation, and better information flow.
     • Aligns with what most investors informally mean by “top US stocks.”

4. analyst_consensus: Strong Buy

   • Purpose: Include only stocks with very favorable Wall Street analyst sentiment.
   • Rationale: “Best to buy” often implies broad professional agreement that a stock is attractive:
     • Strong Buy means the majority of covering analysts rate it at the highest bullish level.
     • Suggests positive expectations for earnings, growth, or valuation.
     • Uses external, fundamental research as an additional quality screen.

5. target_price_upside_potential: MoreAbovePrice

   • Purpose: Ensure analysts see further upside from the current price.
   • Rationale: It’s not enough that analysts like a stock; the upside must still be there:
     • Filters for names where consensus target price is meaningfully above today’s price.
     • Directly ties into “best to buy today” by incorporating expected future return, not just quality.
     • Avoids stocks already at or above their target values.

Why Results Match the User’s Request

• The screen focuses on high-quality, large, U.S. index constituents, which are what many investors think of as the “best” U.S. stocks.
• It combines positive fundamentals (Strong Buy, upside to target) with supportive technicals (price above 200-day MA) to identify stocks that are both well-regarded and not in downtrends.
• It adds a valuation/return angle via upside vs. target price, so the list is not just “good companies,” but “good companies that still appear attractive to buy today.”