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The 10 Best S&P 500 Stocks Right Now, Ranked In Order


Updated on June 24th, 2026 by Bob Ciura

The S&P 500 Index is the world’s best-known and most widely recognized stock market index.

The index includes 500 companies and covers approximately 80% of available market capitalization.

As global industry leaders, the companies that comprise the S&P 500 widely enjoy durable competitive advantages, including wide economic moats.

In turn, their strength and stability allows many of the S&P 500 companies to raise their dividends each year.

With this in mind, we created a list of stocks that have increased their dividends for over 10 consecutive years. We collectively refer to these dividend growth stocks as blue chips.

You can download your free copy of the blue chip stocks list by clicking below:

 

Click here to instantly download your free spreadsheet of all 500+ Blue Chip Stocks now, along with important investing metrics.

There are currently more than 500 securities in our blue chip stocks list.

Keep reading to see our list of the 10 best S&P 500 stocks for expected total returns over the next five years.

Table of Contents

Best S&P 500 Stock #10: Brown & Brown, Inc. (BRO)

Brown & Brown Inc. is a leading insurance brokerage firm that provides risk management solutions to both individuals and businesses, with a focus on property & casualty insurance.

Brown & Brown posted first quarter earnings on April 28th, 2026, and results were better than expected. However, the
stock continued its year-plus long decline into new lows once again.

Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $1.39, which beat estimates by three cents. Revenue was up 36% year-over-year to $1.9 billion, and beat estimates by $10 million. Revenue grew 2.2% on an organic basis, with the balance from acquisitions.

Income before taxes was $533 million, up 25% year-over-year, with margin of 28.0%, down from 30.4% a year earlier. Net income was $426 million, up $95 million, or 28.7%, compared to the year-ago period.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on BRO (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #9: S&P Global (SPGI)

S&P Global is a worldwide provider of financial services and business information with revenue of about $16.5 billion.

Through its various segments, it provides credit ratings, benchmarks and indices, analytics, and other data to commodity market participants, capital markets, and automotive markets.

S&P Global has paid dividends continuously since 1937 and has increased its payout for 53 consecutive years.

S&P posted first quarter earnings on April 28th, 2026, and results were much better than expected on both the top and bottom lines. Adjusted earnings-per-share came to $4.97, which was 15 cents ahead of estimates.

Revenue was up more than 10% to $4.17 billion, beating estimates by $100 million. Revenue growth reflected Ratings and Market Intelligence growth, while revenue from subscription products rose 6%. On a constant currency basis revenue rose 9%.

The company noted that expense management and leverage from higher revenue saw operating margin expansion of about 100 basis points year-over-year to 51.8% of revenue, and 12% growth in operating profit on an adjusted basis.

The spin-off of the Mobility business is on track for the middle of 2026.

Guidance for this year is for revenue growth of 6.3% to 8.3%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on SPGI (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #8: Accenture plc (ACN)

Accenture is an information technology company that offers services such as consulting, technology, and outsourcing solutions.

Its customers include communications and media companies, banks and other financial corporations, the healthcare industry, and public services, as well as consumer goods, retail, travel, and other industries.

Accenture reported its most recent quarterly results, for the fiscal second quarter of fiscal 2026, on March 19th. The company showed revenues of $18 billion, up 8% from the previous year’s quarter.

Accenture’s sales were up by 4% in constant currencies, which was just below the currency-neutral revenue growth rate during the previous quarter.

Accenture recorded new bookings of $22.1 billion, which suggests that revenue growth will continue as the book-to-bill ratio was significantly above 1.0.

The new bookings growth rate was solid as well, with bookings during the period being 6% higher compared to one year earlier.

The company was able to earn $2.93 per share during the second quarter, which beat what the analyst community had estimated by $0.10.

It forecasts organic revenue growth of 3% to 5% for fiscal 2026, with a guidance midpoint of 4%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ACN (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #7: Domino’s Pizza (DPZ)

Domino’s Pizza was founded in 1960. It is the largest pizza company in the world based on global retail sales. The company operates more than 21,000 stores in more than 90 countries.

It generates nearly half of its sales in the U.S. while 99% of its stores worldwide are owned by independent franchisees.

In late April, Domino’s reported (4/27/26) financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2026. Its U.S. same-store sales grew 0.9% but its international same-store sales dipped -0.4% over the prior year’s quarter.

Earnings-per-share decreased -5%, from $4.33 to $4.13, mostly due to a remeasurement of the company’s investment in DPC Dash.

Earnings-per-share missed the analysts’ consensus by $0.14. Domino’s has beaten the analysts’ estimates in 10 of the last 14 quarters.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on DPZ (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #6: Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (AJG)

A.J. Gallagher was founded in 1927 as a commercial insurance broker focused on risk management. It offers insurance and risk management programs.

The brokerage segment makes up more than 80% of total insurance revenue, while the risk management business is the balance. It generates over $14 billion in annual revenue.

Gallagher posted first quarter earnings on April 30th, 2026, and results were mixed. The company posted adjusted earnings-per-share of $4.47, which was four cents ahead of estimates.

Revenue was up 28% year-on-year to $4.76 billion, but missed estimates by $10 million.

Organic growth came to 5%, while M&A saw the top line move 23% higher in the core Brokerage and Risk Management segments combined. Earnings for the segments grew 12% while adjusted EBITDAC was up 18%.

The company repurchased 1.4 million shares for $310 million.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on AJG (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #5: Zoetis Inc. (ZTS)

Zoetis focuses on animal health, including discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing medicines, vaccines, and diagnostic products.

Biodevices, genetic tests, and precision livestock farming complement the company’s offerings. The Vaccine segment is the largest revenue generating segment, with 22% of the total revenue, while the United States generates 54% of the revenue.

Zoetis reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results on February 12th, 2026, delivering solid full-year performance.

For the fourth quarter, revenue grew 3% year-over-year to $2.39 billion, with 4% organic operational growth. Adjusted net income increased 3% to $648 million, while adjusted diluted EPS rose 6% to $1.48.

Reported diluted EPS was $1.37, up 6% from the prior year. For the full year, revenue increased 2% to $9.47 billion, representing 6% organic operational growth.

Adjusted net income rose 6% to $2.85 billion, and adjusted diluted EPS climbed 8% to $6.41, up from $5.92 in 2024.

Reported diluted EPS was $6.02, a 10% increase year-over-year. Performance was supported by continued strength in the companion animal portfolio.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on ZTS (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #4: Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH)

Cognizant Technology Solutions is a 31-year-old company that provides information technology, consulting and business process outsourcing services in North America, Europe, and other regions.

The company operates in four segments: financial services, healthcare, products & resources and communications, media & technology.

In late April, Cognizant reported (4/29/26) results for the first quarter of 2026. The currency-neutral revenue grew 3.9% over the prior year’s quarter.

Adjusted earnings-per-share grew 14%, from $1.23 to $1.40, exceeding the analysts’ consensus by $0.07, thanks to strong growth in AI-related deals.

Bookings grew 11% over the prior year’s quarter thanks to 7 large deals, to $29.6 billion (book-to-sales ratio of 1.4x). Business momentum remained solid and management slightly improved its guidance for 2026.

It expects 4.8%-7.3% revenue growth, operating margin of 16.0%-16.2% (vs. 15.9%-16.1% in previous guidance) and adjusted earnings-per-share of $5.63-$5.77 (vs. $5.56-$5.70 in previous guidance).

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on CTSH (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #3: Meta Platforms (META)

Meta Platforms is a technology conglomerate known for its social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

It has also been investing in emerging technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) through its Oculus subsidiary.

With nearly 4 billion people logging into at least one of Meta’ platforms every month, the company attracts nearly 20% of all global advertising revenue, second only to Alphabet (GOOGL), which commands a substantial 40% market share.

Meta Platforms generates $201 billion in annual revenue, and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.

On April 29th, 2026, Meta Platforms released its Q1 results for the period ending March 31st, 2026. Revenues came in at $56.3 billion, up 33% year-over-year.

This growth was largely driven by continued strength across Meta’s advertising business and momentum across its apps. Specifically, Meta’s Family daily active people (DAP) reached 3.56 billion in March, a 4% increase year-over-year.

Ad impressions delivered across the Family of Apps rose 19%, while the average price per ad increased 12%.

EPS reached $10.44, up 62% compared to last year.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on Meta (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #2: Intuit Inc. (INTU)

Intuit is a cloud-based accounting and tax preparation software giant, headquartered in Mountain View, California.

Its products provide financial management, compliance, and services for consumers, small businesses, self-employed
workers, and accounting professionals worldwide.

Its most popular platforms include QuickBooks, TurboTax, Mint, and TSheets. Cumulatively they serve more than 100 million customers.

The company recorded $18.8 billion in revenue last year and is headquartered in Mountain View, California.

On May 20th, 2026, Intuit posted its fiscal Q3 results for the period ending April 30th, 2026. Global Business Solutions revenues were up 15% year-over-year to $3.3 billion.

Specifically, QuickBooks Online Accounting revenues grew 22% year-over-year, driven by higher effective prices, customer growth, and mix-shift.

Total revenues for the quarter reached $8.6 billion, up 10% year-over-year. Adjusted EPS grew by 10% to $12.80.

Management raised its outlook for FY2026. Revenues are now expected to be in a range of $21.341 billion to $21.374 billion, implying a growth rate of about 13% to 14% from last year.

Adjusted EPS is expected to be between $23.80 and $23.85, implying a year-over-year growth of about 18%.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on INTU (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Best S&P 500 Stock #1: Factset Research Systems (FDS)

FactSet Research Systems, a financial data and analytics firm founded in 1978, provides integrated financial information and analytical tools to the investment community in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific.

The company provides insight and information through research, analytics, trading workflow solutions, content and technology solutions, and wealth management.

On March 31st, 2026, FactSet Research Systems announced Q2 2026 results, reporting non-GAAP EPS of $4.46 for the period, which beat market consensus by $0.08.

Revenue grew 7.1% to $611 million. Organic revenue growth held at 6.8%, while Annual Subscription Value (ASV) a key gauge of recurring demand reached roughly $2.45 billion, up 6.7% from a year ago.

Operating margins narrowed, with GAAP margin slipping to 30.3% and adjusted margin to 35.0%, primarily due to higher compensation and ongoing technology investments.

Free cash flow jumped 23% year over year, giving FactSet flexibility to continue buybacks and reinvestment.

Management also raised its full-year outlook, now guiding for revenue between $2.45 billion and $2.47 billion.

Click here to download our most recent Sure Analysis report on FDS (preview of page 1 of 3 shown below):

Additional Reading

If you are interested in finding high-quality dividend growth stocks and/or other high-yield securities and income securities, the following Sure Dividend resources will be useful:

Other Sure Dividend Resources

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