3 New Strong Buy Ratings from Top-Rated Analysts: 04/08/2025

We cut through the market noise to bring you 3 brand-new Strong Buy alerts, all sourced from our Strong Buy Stocks from Top Wall Street Analysts screener:

• Kontoor Brands Inc (NYSE: KTB) remains a Strong Buy despite a challenging market 
• Why does MasTec Inc. (NYSE: MTZ) have 10 Strong Buy ratings from top-rated analysts?
• For a compelling mix of value and safety, consider Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC)

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1. Kontoor Brands Inc (NYSE: KTB)

Kontoor Brands owns not one, but two flagship denim labels — Wrangler and Lee. Even though recent trade disputes pose a short-term risk in terms of profit margins and have already exerted significant downward pressure on the price of KTB stock, the company’s disciplined inventory management, focus on direct-to-consumer (DTC) channels, and growing popularity overseas provide solid growth prospects that are increasingly being recognized by Wall Street.

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

Recent Price: $55.66  — get current quote > 

Max 1-year forecast: $100.00 

Why we’re watching:

• Kontoor Brands stock enjoys near-unanimously bullish coverage, with 4 Strong Buy ratings and 1 Hold rating. See the ratings
• In addition, the average price target currently set by Wall Street analysts at $94.40 implies a hefty 63.07% upside — almost twice the average return of a stock with a Zen Rating of A.
• UBS researcher Jay Sole (a top 8% rated analyst) recently doubled down on a Strong Buy rating for KTB stock while reducing his price target from $108 to $96.
• Cutting their price target even though UBS "sees solid long-term growth potential for Kontoor Brands even accounting for the impact from tariffs," Sole noted that their updated metric implies "43% upside potential and UBS sees a 3:1 upside/downside skew."
• As we briefly touched on, Kontoor Brands stock carries an overall Zen Rating of A. Stocks with this distinction have provided an average annual return of 32.52% since the turn of the millennium.
• KTB’s secret weapon is its balance sheet. The stock ranks in the top 2% according to its Financials rating. On top of that, a neural network trained on more than 20 years of fundamental and technical data has identified plenty of subtle signs that hint at outperformance, leading us to the stock’s Artificial Intelligence rating, in which it ranks in the top 4% of equities. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

2. MasTec Inc. (NYSE: MTZ)

MasTec is an infrastructure construction business, but there’s an important twist. The business specializes in electrical transmission networks, 5G deployment, and renewable energy infrastructure. More recently, it has also expanded into data centers. Per a recent earnings report, our latest pick also has a record-breaking $14.3 billion backlog. However, it is the MTZ’s growth potential going forward that makes it worth a closer look.

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

Recent Price: $105.60 — get current quote > 

Max 1-year forecast: $195.00 

Why we’re watching:

• At present, MasTec stock has 10 Strong Buy ratings, 1 Buy rating, and 2 Hold ratings. See the ratings
• The average 12-month price forecast for MTZ shares sits at $162.77 — which equates to a 53.45% upside
• B. Riley Securities researcher Alex Rygiel (a top 1% rated analyst) reiterated a Strong Buy rating and hiked his price target from $151 to $165 on March 19.
• Rygiel contextualized their price target by arguing that MasTec stock "deserves a valuation more in line with its peer group because the company is well-positioned as a market leader in AI data center infrastructure and in a position to take additional share as the market leader in wireless contracting and electric transmission and distribution."
• A similar outlook was given by Guggenheim’s Joseph Osha (a top 4% rated analyst), who maintained a Strong Buy rating with a $195 price target.
• MasTec stock has an overall Zen Rating of B — and ranks in the top 6% of equities. 
• MTZ’s Growth Component Grade rating is the standout attraction — as the company ranks in the top 1% in this regard. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

3. Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC)

As one of the United States’ largest high-speed electronic cable manufacturers, Belden Inc. stock may provide a handy way to gain exposure to several dynamic and high-growth fields, such as industrial IoT and smart manufacturing. To boot, BDC is currently trading at a pretty compelling discount.

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

Recent Price: $87.52  — get current quote > 

Max 1-year forecast: $145.00 

Why we’re watching:

• BDC has managed to garner unanimous support from the Wall Street analysts who cover it. Currently, the stock has 4 ratings — all of which are Strong Buys. See the ratings
• The average price target for Belden Inc shares is $135.25 — a figure that, if met, would correspond to a 51.92% rally.
• The Street-high price target of $145, which implies a 62.87% upside, came from Loop Capital’s Chris Dankert (a top 16% rated analyst).
• In a note shared with investors, Dankert said that the business remains well-positioned to benefit from reshoring, North American industrial recapitalization, and a rebound in automation demand.
• Belden Inc stock has an overall Zen Rating of A, and ranks in the 98th percentile of the more than 4,600 equities our proprietary quant rating system tracks.
• BDC shares rank highly in terms of Safety and Financials — in the top 11% and top 10% of stocks, respectively. 
• In addition, the stock ranks quite highly in several other categories, with B ratings in the following Component Grades: Value, Sentiment, and Artificial Intelligence. (See all 7 Zen Component Grades here >)

What to Do Next?

• 8 Stock Lists You Need Now >
• See All “A” Rated Stocks with +32.52% Average Annual Return > 
• 4 Step Process to Find More 100%+ Stock Winners >

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