Top 5 Non-AI S&P 500 Stock Picks for 2H 2026 That Have Surged in 1H
The S&P 500 Index – Wall Street’s most observed equity benchmark – finished the first half of 2026 on a solid note, similar to the past three years. The benchmark advanced 9.6% during this period, mostly owing to an astonishing rally of several artificial intelligence (AI)-centric stocks.
A handful of stocks from the S&P 500 stable — not related to either the AI application developer or infrastructure manufacturer space — have also jumped in the same period. Here, we have identified five non-AI S&P 500 stocks that have provided more than 30% returns in first-quarter 2026. Their current favorable Zacks Rank indicates more fire power to be unleashed in the second half.
The stocks are: Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. ADM, Casey's General Stores Inc.CASY, DaVita Inc. DVA, CVS Health Corp.CVS and Franklin Resources Inc. BEN. Each of our picks currently carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks year to date.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co.
Zacks Rank #1 Archer-Daniels-Midland is benefiting from a rebound in its Nutrition segment. Human Nutrition is gaining traction, with the Flavors portfolio benefiting from solid North American demand, international customer wins and improved margins from a favorable mix and disciplined pricing.
ADM continues to advance its Optimize, Drive and Grow pillars, enhancing productivity, accelerating cost savings, expanding BioSolutions and leveraging digital tools to unlock margin opportunities and strengthen customer reach.
ADM is actively managing productivity and innovation as well as aligning work to the interconnected trends in food security, health and wellbeing. The company is well-positioned for sustainable long-term profit growth across new avenues.
ADM has been creating additional margin opportunities, opening up channels to customers, advancing digital technologies in areas like farmer needs, the extension of Regen Act programs and partnerships, and the growth of its BioSolutions platform.
Archer-Daniels-Midland has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 6.5% and 36.2%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 2.9% over the last seven days.
Casey's General Stores Inc.
Zacks Rank #1 Casey's General Stores shows strong growth momentum, supported by resilient inside sales, driven by prepared foods, beverages and high-margin grocery categories. Effective pricing, product innovation and a favorable product mix continue to enhance CASY’s margins and customer traffic.
We anticipate the inside gross margin to expand 60 basis points year over year in fiscal 2026. CASY’s fuel segment is outperforming industry trends, strengthening market share and profitability despite price fluctuations.
The Fikes/CEFCO acquisition is boosting scale, operational efficiency and long-term growth potential, supported by integration synergies. CASY’s strong cash flow generation and stable financial position provide flexibility for investments, expansion, and shareholder returns, reinforcing confidence in its sustained growth trajectory and overall business strength.
Casey's General Stores has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 16.6% and 9.9%, respectively, for the current year (ending April 2027). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 2.9% over the last 30 days.
DaVita Inc.
Zacks Rank #1 DaVita continues to strengthen its position as a leading U.S. dialysis provider. DVA’s U.S. dialysis segment remains the primary earnings driver, supported by steady reimbursement and cost control.
DVA also highlighted continued momentum within the Integrated Kidney Care during first-quarter 2026, with year-over-year improvements across key Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting program performance metrics, including gross savings rates, quality scores and high-performing status. A strong solvency position of DVA is an added plus.
DaVita has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 4.8% and 39.8%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 6.4% over the last 60 days.
CVS Health Corp.
Zacks Rank #2 CVS Health has benefited from by improved results at Aetna. Sustained achievement in CMS Star Ratings reflects Aetna’s strong fundamentals and focus on improving health outcomes for MA members.
The Health Services segment benefits from pharmacy drug mix and brand inflation. CVS is also executing against its operational plans in health care delivery to improve health care access nationwide. CVS’ retail pharmacy script share position continues to be strong.
CVS Caremark PBM is driving meaningful savings for clients and members by adapting to client needs and market dynamics. A $20-billion long-term technology investment underpins the company’s digital strategy.
CVS Health has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 1.7% and 10.2%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 0.4% over the last 30 days.
Franklin Resources Inc.
Zacks Rank #1 Franklin Resources’ solid distribution platform and first-mover advantage in many countries will continue to support its revenue diversification. BEN has been witnessing solid growth in AUM balance over the years. Though AUM declined in fiscal 2022 and 2025, it recorded a CAGR of 3.1% over the last five fiscal years (ending fiscal 2025).
The rising trend continued in the first six months of fiscal 2026. BEN’s growth was supported by strong inflows in alternatives and multi-asset categories. BEN’s efforts to diversify its business into asset classes that are seeing growing client demand, like alternative asset classes, are expected to propel AUM growth.
Franklin Resources has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 5.4% and 24.8%, respectively, for the current year (ending September 2026). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year’s earnings has improved 1.1% over the last 30 days.
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See Stocks Now >>This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).
