Stocks That Could Go Up on Thursday, November 5, 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 +0.05% 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).

0 of 8 are above their opening price; on average −9.20% from the open so far (S&P 500 ETF: −2.99%).

• 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

   e.l.f. Beauty (ELF)

   Consumer staples · +5% pre-market

   ▲ +2.5% target

   60% confidence

   Earningse.l.f. Beauty Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2027 Results — e.l.f. Beauty

   Fiscal second-quarter net sales rose 51% to $520.8 million against about $470 million expected, and adjusted EPS of $1.21 roughly doubled the $0.60 forecast. The company raised its fiscal 2027 outlook to 22–24% sales growth from 18–20% and adjusted EPS to $3.82–$3.86 from $3.50–$3.55; a beat-and-raise with only a 5% pre-market gap leaves room for buyers after the open.

   Risk: Holders may take profits after a big quarter if the broader open is weak.

   From $114.00 at 9:30 AM:high +8.01% at 9:30 AMclose −1.45%day −1.13%✓ Reached +2.5%
2. 2

   AppLovin (APP)

   Information technology · +19% to +22% pre-market

   ▲ +3% target

   56% confidence

   EarningsAppLovin third-quarter 2026 results: revenue up 55% to $2.185 billion, buyback authorization raised by $3.2 billion — AppLovin

   Third-quarter revenue rose 55% to $2.185 billion against about $2.07 billion expected, and adjusted EBITDA of $1.842 billion (84% margin) topped the $1.73 billion estimate. Fourth-quarter revenue guidance of $2.365–$2.395 billion implies about 9% growth from the third quarter, and the board added $3.2 billion to the buyback, taking the authorization to $3.6 billion.

   Risk: Already up about 20% before the open in a weak Nasdaq tape, the stock may give part of the gap back before making a new high.

   From $349.94 at 9:30 AM:high +4.40% at 9:54 AMclose +1.22%day +30.34%✓ Reached +3%
3. 3

   Edwards Lifesciences (EW)

   Health care · +3.7% pre-market after a 4.4% gain on Wednesday

   ▲ +1.5% target

   56% confidence

   GuidanceEdwards Lifesciences reports third-quarter 2026 results, raises full-year sales, TAVR and EPS guidance — Edwards Lifesciences

   Third-quarter sales rose 10.5% to $1.72 billion, with TAVR heart-valve sales up 8% to $1.24 billion and adjusted EPS up 19% to $0.80. Edwards raised 2026 sales growth guidance to about 11.5% from 10–11%, TAVR growth to 9–9.5% from 8–9% and adjusted EPS to $2.97–$3.05; a health care name with a raised outlook should hold up better than chip stocks on a weak Nasdaq morning.

   Risk: After a 4.4% rise on Wednesday and a 3.7% pre-market gain, some of the beat may already be priced in.

   From $100.67 at 9:30 AM:high +3.47% at 9:59 AMclose +1.18%day +2.50%✓ Reached +1.5%
4. 4

   Unity Software (U)

   Information technology · +22% pre-market

   ▲ +3% target

   54% confidence

   EarningsUnity third-quarter 2026 revenue rises 32% to $622 million; fourth-quarter strategic revenue guidance $683–$691 million — Unity Software

   Third-quarter revenue rose 32% to $622 million against about $566 million expected, with adjusted EBITDA of $257 million (41% margin) and free cash flow of $220 million. Fourth-quarter strategic revenue guidance of $683–$691 million is far above the $601.3 million analysts expected, and adjusted EBITDA guidance of $290–$295 million is up 132–136% from a year earlier.

   Risk: A 22% gap on a weak morning for tech raises the odds of an early fade before any new high.

   From $48.06 at 9:30 AM:high +1.05% at 9:30 AMclose −3.73%day +8.96%Not yet
5. 5

   EPAM Systems (EPAM)

   Information technology · +13.6% pre-market

   ▲ +2.5% target

   52% confidence

   BuybackEPAM reports third-quarter 2026 results, adds $1.5 billion to its buyback and plans a $500 million accelerated repurchase — EPAM Systems

   Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $3.51 beat the $3.40 estimate on revenue of $1.426 billion, and EPAM raised full-year adjusted EPS guidance to $13.23–$13.31. The board added $1.5 billion to the buyback ($1.8 billion available through 2029) and plans a $500 million accelerated repurchase in the week of November 9, which adds steady demand for the shares.

   Risk: Revenue grew only 2.3%, so a 14% gap that rests mostly on buybacks could fade.

   From $156.20 at 9:30 AM:high +4.35% at 9:56 AMclose +3.48%day +17.67%✓ Reached +2.5%
6. 6

   Peloton Interactive (PTON)

   Consumer discretionary · +7% pre-market

   ▲ +2.5% target

   51% confidence

   EarningsPremarket movers: Qualcomm, Snap slide premarket; Unity surges — Investing.com

   Fiscal first-quarter revenue of $559.2 million beat the $554.6 million estimate and free cash flow reached $143 million. Adjusted EPS of $0.19 reads as a beat or a miss depending on the estimate used ($0.11 or $0.21), so revenue and cash flow are the cleaner positives, and the stock's wide daily swings make a 2.5% rise from the open reachable.

   Risk: Mixed EPS readings and a 7% gap can fade quickly once regular trading starts.

   From $5.98 at 9:30 AM:high 0.00% at 9:30 AMclose −7.64%day +1.16%Not yet
7. 7

   Shake Shack (SHAK)

   Consumer discretionary · +3.8% pre-market

   ▲ +2% target

   51% confidence

   EarningsStocks making the biggest moves premarket: Shake Shack, Wendy's, Peloton, Unity Software & more — CNBC

   Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.40 beat the $0.35 estimate, while revenue of $423 million was just under the $426 million consensus. The company reaffirmed 2026 revenue guidance of $1.6–$1.7 billion, a steadier read than restaurant peers Cava (down about 8% pre-market) and Dutch Bros (down about 13%).

   Risk: Weak results across restaurant chains could pull the group lower after the open.

   From $74.54 at 9:30 AM:high +2.63% at 9:30 AMclose −5.45%day −3.21%✓ Reached +2%
8. 8

   Planet Fitness (PLNT)

   Consumer discretionary · +1.2% pre-market

   ▲ +1.5% target

   50% confidence

   EarningsPremarket movers: Qualcomm, Snap slide premarket; Unity surges — Investing.com

   Third-quarter adjusted EPS of $0.83 beat the $0.80 estimate and revenue of $360 million topped the $347.7 million consensus by about 3.5%, with adjusted EBITDA up 3.9% to $146.2 million. A small 1.2% pre-market gain leaves room for buyers and little to give back.

   Risk: The reports read show no guidance raise, which may keep the move small.

   From $58.03 at 9:30 AM:high +3.05% at 9:31 AMclose +1.57%day +2.79%✓ Reached +1.5%

1. Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Shake Shack, Wendy's, Peloton, Unity Software & more — CNBC
2. Premarket movers: Qualcomm, Snap slide premarket; Unity surges — Investing.com
3. 5 Things Investors Need to Know About Thursday's Markets — AOL
4. Morning Brief Nov 5, 2026: APP Jumps, QCOM Falls on Guide — Current Logic
5. e.l.f. Beauty Announces Second Quarter Fiscal 2027 Results — e.l.f. Beauty
6. AppLovin third-quarter 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — SEC
7. Edwards Lifesciences third-quarter 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — SEC
8. Unity Software third-quarter 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1) — SEC
9. EPAM Systems third-quarter 2026 earnings release (Form 8-K, Exhibit 99) — SEC

• 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.