Stocks That Could Go Up on Thursday, October 29, 2026

Target: the expected rise from the open to the day’s high; confidence: the chance we gave it of getting there. “To the high” and “to the close” are counted from the 9:30 AM opening price.

Picked by rules, not news: the setups were tested on every S&P 500 stock that opened 2% or more from the day before since 2016, and are read from pre-market prices at 8:55 AM ET. These stocks fell 2–6% before the open, at least 1.5 points more than the market, after a down day and without earnings news. The S&P 500 ETF was −0.37% at 8:55 AM ET. Since 2016 such stocks closed above their opening price 53% of the time and rose at least 1% above it 72% of the time; held from the open to the close they about broke even after costs (−0.04% a day in 2016–2022, 0.00% in 2023–2026).

4 of 8 are above their opening price; on average −0.05% from the open so far (S&P 500 ETF: +0.07%).

• Rebound

  Down 2–6% before the open, at least 1.5 points more than the S&P 500 ETF, after a down day, no earnings.

  On S&P 500 gap days since 2016 (3,150 picks on 1,223 days): closed above the open 53% of the time, rose at least 1% above it 72% and 2% 50%; held from the open to the close, −0.04% a day in 2016–2022 and 0.00% in 2023–2026 after costs.

1. 1

   Eli Lilly (LLY)

   Health care · +4% pre-market

   ▲ +1.5% target

   60% confidence

   EarningsEli Lilly jumps on earnings beat, raised guidance — Investing.com

   Lilly earned $7.48 a share adjusted vs. a $5.60 consensus on revenue of $24.4 billion, up 39% and above the $22.42 billion expected, with Mounjaro at $10.7 billion (+65%) and Zepbound at $5.4 billion (+48%). It raised its 2026 revenue forecast to $91–92 billion vs. $88.7 billion consensus. We estimate buyers keep adding after the open because the beat is broad and drug makers are a shelter on a weak tech day.

   Risk: About $900 million of the revenue was one-time and EPS guidance was trimmed to $35–36 on R&D charges, which could cap the gain.

   From $1338.51 at 9:30 AM:high +5.22% at 9:39 AMclose +2.96%day +6.97%✓ Reached +1.5%
2. 2

   Microsoft (MSFT)

   Technology · +3% after hours, higher pre-market

   ▲ +1.2% target

   55% confidence

   EarningsU.S. stock futures drop as Alphabet slides on soft earnings, Microsoft firms — Investing.com

   Microsoft's fiscal first-quarter revenue rose 19% to $92.28 billion, adjusted EPS of $4.89 beat estimates, and Azure grew 48% to $33.2 billion. The shares gained before the bell even as Nasdaq 100 futures fell 0.9%. A clean cloud beat on the day a rival disappointed tends to pull money toward the winner inside megacap tech.

   Risk: Alphabet's 10% drop and renewed AI-spending worries could drag all of big tech lower after the open.

   From $540.21 at 9:30 AM:high +0.14% at 9:30 AMclose −3.07%day −1.39%Not yet
3. 3

   Crocs (CROX)

   Consumer discretionary · +17% pre-market to $139.14 (9:13 AM ET)

   ▲ +3% target

   50% confidence

   EarningsCrocs jumps 19% premarket on Q3 EPS beat and raised 2026 outlook — Chartmill

   Crocs traded 17–19% higher before the bell after a third-quarter earnings beat and a higher full-year profit outlook, the strongest kind of same-day driver. A gap this size usually comes with a wide trading range, so we estimate a further 3% push above the open at some point in the session.

   Risk: Stocks up 15% or more before the open often give back part of the gain, so the day's high may come in the first minutes.

   From $139.75 at 9:30 AM:high +7.82% at 9:45 AMclose +6.33%day +24.15%✓ Reached +3%
4. 4

   United Airlines Holdings (UAL)

   Industrials · No pre-market quote confirmed; Brent -1.3%, WTI -1.6% overnight

   ▲ +2% target

   50% confidence

   MacroOil falls on hopes of renewed U.S.-Iran peace talks; Brent $113.84, WTI $101.19 — TipRanks

   Brent fell 1.3% to $113.84 and WTI 1.6% to $101.19 overnight after a Wall Street Journal report that Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iranian official Mohsen Rezaei, reviving hopes of peace talks. Fuel is one of the largest costs for airlines, and United is among the most oil-sensitive large carriers. We estimate a 2% rise above the open if crude stays lower through the morning.

   Risk: Oil is still above $100 a barrel and any setback in the Iran talks could reverse the move quickly.

   From $104.72 at 9:30 AM:high +2.24% at 10:07 AMclose +1.75%day +3.02%✓ Reached +2%
5. 5

   Hilton Worldwide (HLT)

   Consumer discretionary · No pre-market quote confirmed

   ▲ +1.2% target

   50% confidence

   UpgradeMizuho upgrades Hilton to Outperform from Neutral, target $421 — 24/7 Wall St.

   Mizuho raised Hilton to Outperform from Neutral with a $421 price target on Thursday. An upgrade from a major bank often brings buyers at the open, and hotel stocks sit outside today's AI-spending selloff. Lower oil also helps travel names.

   Risk: An upgrade with no earnings news behind it often fades by midday.

   From $355.21 at 9:30 AM:high +1.20% at 9:48 AMclose +0.79%day +2.40%✓ Reached +1.2%
6. 6

   eBay (EBAY)

   Consumer discretionary · No pre-market quote confirmed

   ▲ +1.5% target

   47% confidence

   UpgradeWells Fargo upgrades eBay to Equal Weight from Underweight, target raised to $106 from $91 — 24/7 Wall St.

   Wells Fargo dropped its Underweight call on eBay, moved to Equal Weight and lifted its target 16% to $106 from $91. A bearish analyst giving up a negative view removes a source of selling, and the stock has no direct exposure to today's AI-spending worries.

   Risk: The new rating is neutral, not Buy, so the lift may be small and short-lived.

   From $121.96 at 9:30 AM:high +1.84% at 10:44 AMclose +1.47%day +4.86%✓ Reached +1.5%
7. 7

   V.F. Corp (VFC)

   Consumer discretionary · No pre-market quote confirmed

   ▲ +2.5% target

   46% confidence

   UpgradeBNP Paribas upgrades V.F. Corp to Neutral from Underperform, target raised to $16 from $13 — 24/7 Wall St.

   BNP Paribas removed its Underperform rating on V.F. Corp and raised its target 23% to $16 from $13, the largest target increase among Thursday's upgrades. Footwear peer Crocs' 17% pre-market jump on a raised outlook gives apparel and footwear stocks a second reason to rise.

   Risk: A move to Neutral is a weak catalyst and the shares have no confirmed pre-market gain.

   From $17.71 at 9:30 AM:high +2.91% at 10:06 AMclose +2.26%day +5.11%✓ Reached +2.5%

1. Eli Lilly jumps on earnings beat, raised guidance — Investing.com
2. U.S. stock futures drop as Alphabet slides on soft earnings, Microsoft firms — Investing.com
3. Earnings live updates: Eli Lilly stock pops as strong GLP-1 drug demand lifts results, ServiceNow stock plunges — Yahoo Finance
4. Futures Trade Mixed as Investors Assess Microsoft and Alphabet Earnings — TipRanks
5. Here Are Thursday's Top Wall Street Analyst Research Calls: Alphabet, Boston Scientific, eBay, Fervo Energy, Fortinet, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Lennox International, Palantir Technologies, and More — 24/7 Wall St.
6. Premarket Movers — StockMarketWatch

• Every trading day at 9:00 AM ET, before the 9:30 AM open, we read last night’s and the morning’s company news — earnings and guidance, analyst upgrades, deals and contracts, product and regulatory news, index changes — and pick the 6–10 liquid US stocks most likely to rise that day.
• Each pick gets a target (the expected rise from the open to the day’s high) and a confidence (the chance of getting there), and we weigh the size of the surprise, the pre-market move and the market’s mood. Stocks under $5, thinly traded ones, and targets of cash takeovers are left out.
• Each list is measured from the moment it could be acted on: the 9:30 AM opening price, or the minute it went public if that was later. “To the high” is the rise from there to the session’s highest price; “to the close”, to the closing price. A pick reaches its target when its rise to the high is at least the target.
• Beside it, a second list picked only by the data: at 8:55 AM ET a screen reads every S&P 500 stock’s pre-market price and lists those matching setups tested on every gap day since 2016, with what each setup did then. It reads no news and stays empty when nothing matches; both lists are scored the same way so their records can be compared.
• The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) over the same minutes is shown as the bar to beat. Results are live while the market trades and final after the close; every past list stays online with its results.