3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 03/27/2025

By Mijuško Šibalić, Stock Market Writer and Stock Researcher

March 27, 2025 2:50 AM UTC

3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 03/27/2025

1. Equitable Holdings Inc (NYSE: EQH)

Wealth manager Equitable Holdings has marked a steady increase in assets under management, with enviable growth in its insurance and retirement planning segments. Couple that with disciplined cost control, steady cash flow, and strong capital returns, and you’ve got a pretty compelling long-term play at hand.

Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $52.41 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $72.00

Why we’re watching:

Out of a total of 8 analysts, 5 have given EQH stock a Strong Buy rating. It also has 2 Buy rating and a single Hold rating. See the ratings
Most recently, Morgan Stanley’s Nigel Dally (a top 15% rated analyst) doubled down on a previous Strong Buy rating and upped his price target from $66 to $68.
Dally said they hiked their price target because they expect Equitable Holdings to deliver better earnings power and a higher valuation as a result of "pivoting to a more balanced mix between annuities and asset and wealth management, making it less reliant on annuities, which are capital intensive, and more driven by capital light investment management and wealth management.
With a Zen Rating of B, Equitable Holdings stock belongs to the top 20% of the stocks that we track.
EQH has plenty of strengths — in terms of Value, Growth, and Momentum, it ranks in the 88th, 92nd, and 92nd percentile, respectively.
However, none of that represents the main attraction. A neural net trained on more than 20 years of fundamental and technical data has detected subtle patterns that point to outperformance. Equitable Holdings stock has an Artificial Intelligence Component Grade rating of A — and in this category, it ranks in the top 2%. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

2. Corning Inc. (NYSE: GLW)

Remember when it was really easy to break the glass on your smartphone? A little thing called Gorilla Glass did away with all of that around 2007 — and we have Corning Inc to thank. With a whopping 174 years under its belt, this innovative company has been on the cutting edge of materials science for decades — and it isn’t resting on its laurels either.

Zen Rating: A (Strong Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $48.53 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $68.00

Why we’re watching:

GLW stock currently has 5 Strong Buy ratings, 1 Buy rating, and 3 Hold ratings. See the ratings
After the company’s March 18 investor event, Bank of America’s Wamsi Mohan (a top 6% rated analyst) reissued a Strong Buy rating and increased his price target on Corning stock from $65 to a Street-high $68.
The BofA analyst told investors management upgraded its Springboard plan by $1B in risk and non-risk-adjusted scenarios. Mohan detailed that the plan now calls for $4B in incremental sales by 2026 when risk-adjusted and $6B when not risk-adjusted, compared to the prior $3B and $5B.
Specifically, the analyst said, they bumped up their price target because BoA raised its FY25 revenue and EPS estimates to $15.8B and $2.37 from $15.5B and $2.35, respectively, "to align with the new Springboard plan targets."
Stocks that carry an overall Zen Rating of A, like GLW, have consistently beaten the markets since the early 2000s.
While it ranks quite well in terms of multiple Component Grade ratings, Growth is GLW’s biggest strength — in which it is currently in the 94th percentile. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

3. Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META)

Our next pick needs no introduction. Meta Platforms, the artist formerly know as Facebook, kicked off the age of social media. While META stock did struggle quite a bit at the beginning of the decade, the business has since mounted an impressive recovery. With an ambitious cost-cutting program in place, massive investments in AI infrastructure, and a large share of global ad spend, the brainchild of Mark Zuckerberg still has room to grow and deliver shareholder value.

Zen Rating: B (Buy) — see full analysis >

Recent Price: $618.40 — get current quote >

Max 1-year forecast: $935.00

Why we’re watching:

A whopping 41 analysts track META stock and issue ratings for it. At present, 27 deem it a Strong Buy, 12 deem it a Buy, and 2 consider the stock a Hold. See the ratings
Recently, KeyBanc’s Jason Celino (a top 16% rated analyst) doubled down on a Strong Buy rating while cutting his price target on Meta shares from $750 to $710.
In a Technology (Internet Content & Information) sector overview, Celino explained that although KeyBanc did not cut estimates for names in the group, their firm applied lower multiples to advertising and real estate stocks to reflect greater macro uncertainty.
On a slightly more optimistic note, Tigress Financial researcher Ivan Feinseth (a top 3% rated analyst) also reiterated a Strong Buy rating — but hiked his price target from $645 to $935.
Feinseth told readers that Tigress Financial sees Meta Platforms' "tremendous AI-driven opportunities for personalized AI-driven functionality across its apps" driving "significant upside because of the ongoing potential for the company to monetize many of its critical applications and technologies, including Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp."
META’s overall Zen Rating of B showcases that it has demonstrated strength in key areas — and that it is well-positioned to provide above-average returns.
To little surprise, Meta’s strong balance sheet is a key reason why it ranks so highly. In terms of its Financials Component Grade rating, the stock ranks in the top 2%. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)