Small-Cap and Renewable Energy Stocks Expected to Perform Well in 2026
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Jan 04 2026
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Source: NASDAQ.COM
- Market Prediction: The S&P 500 is expected to end its streak of three consecutive years of double-digit gains in 2026, yet the strong economy and corporate earnings suggest investors should remain optimistic about single-digit growth.
- Small-Cap Surge: Small- and mid-cap stocks are predicted to shine in 2026, with Mirum Pharmaceuticals' flagship product, Livmarli, likely to gain momentum, potentially driving the company's stock price higher.
- Renewable Energy Growth: Despite political shifts, renewable energy stocks like Brookfield Renewable and Clearway Energy performed well in 2025, and are expected to continue benefiting from increased demand for energy to power data centers in 2026.
- Political Market Volatility: The mid-term elections in 2026 may lead to increased market volatility, but once the election outcomes are clear, stocks are likely to rise, especially if Democrats regain control of Congress.
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Analyst Views on BEP
Wall Street analysts forecast BEP stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for BEP is 34.73 USD with a low forecast of 27.00 USD and a high forecast of 39.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
11 Analyst Rating
9 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 29.000
Low
27.00
Averages
34.73
High
39.00
Current: 29.000
Low
27.00
Averages
34.73
High
39.00
About BEP
Brookfield Renewable Partners L.P. operates publicly traded platforms for renewable power and decarbonization solutions. The Company’s renewable power portfolio includes hydroelectric, wind, utility-scale solar, distributed generation, and storage facilities across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. Its operations are divided into six segments: hydroelectric, which is further categorized by geography (North America, Colombia, and Brazil); wind; utility-scale solar; distributed energy and storage, including distributed generation, pumped storage, and battery energy storage systems; sustainable solutions, encompassing agricultural renewable natural gas, carbon capture and storage, recycling, cogeneration, biomass, nuclear services, electro fuels, and power transformation; and corporate. The Company’s total power portfolio comprises approximately 46,200 megawatts of installed capacity and a development pipeline of approximately 200,000 megawatts.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Brookfield Renewable Partners Set to Announce Q4 Earnings on January 30
- Earnings Announcement: Brookfield Renewable Partners is set to release its Q4 2023 earnings on January 30 before market open, with consensus EPS estimate at -$0.38, reflecting a significant year-over-year decline of 182.6%, indicating profitability challenges ahead.
- Revenue Expectations: The anticipated revenue for Q4 is $1.42 billion, representing a slight year-over-year decrease of 0.7%, which suggests that the company is facing hurdles in revenue growth amid economic uncertainties.
- Historical Performance: Over the past two years, Brookfield has beaten EPS estimates 100% of the time and revenue estimates 63% of the time, showcasing its strong capability in managing market expectations effectively.
- Estimate Revisions: In the last three months, EPS estimates have seen two upward and two downward revisions, while revenue estimates experienced no upward revisions and two downward adjustments, indicating mixed market sentiment regarding the company's future performance.
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Brookfield Renewable's AI-Driven Growth Potential
- Surging Market Demand: With accelerating demand for tech hardware like chips, Brookfield Renewable anticipates robust AI-driven growth in 2026 and beyond, reinforcing its leadership in the renewable energy sector.
- Strategic Partnership Agreement: The global renewable energy framework agreement with Microsoft will deliver over 10.5 gigawatts of power to support its cloud and AI operations, making it eight times larger than the largest corporate power purchase agreement ever signed.
- Renewable Energy Investments: Brookfield plans to invest $10 billion over the next five years to support development projects and acquisitions, expecting to drive its funds from operations per share to grow at over 10% annually through 2030, enhancing its market competitiveness.
- Strong Return Expectations: With annual dividend increases projected between 5% and 9%, combined with robust income growth, Brookfield could achieve mid-teens annual returns in 2026 and beyond, further solidifying its position in the renewable energy market.
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