Five stocks stand out heading into Monday, October 5, 2026, each carrying a bullish rating change issued on Friday, October 2. The labor market took center stage on October 2. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that nonfarm payrolls rose by just 29,000 in September, well below forecasts of roughly 84,000 to 90,000, and the unemployment rate rose to 4.2% from 4.1%. Traders responded by pulling back on rate-hike bets. Shortly after the release, the CME Group FedWatch tool showed an 85% chance that the Federal Reserve holds its 3.75% to 4.00% target range at the October 27-28 meeting, up from 75% on October 1. Markets still lean toward a hike by December.
The five ideas below span health-care products, travel platforms, cloud software, asset management, and power generation. Editorial notes only, not investment advice.
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) – Rothschild & Co Redburn Upgrades the Health-Care Giant
Abbott was upgraded from Neutral to Buy on Friday by Rothschild & Co Redburn analyst Ed Ridley-Day, who raised his price target to $127 from $119. Abbott sells medical devices, diagnostics, nutrition products, and branded generic drugs. In our view, its diabetes-monitoring and heart-device franchises give it durable growth, and the stock's pullback from its high makes the valuation more reasonable.
Shares traded near $97.16 during Friday's session, up about 0.49%, giving Abbott a market capitalization near $168 billion. The 52-week range runs from $81.97 to $135.37, the trailing price-to-earnings multiple is 31.22, and the dividend yield is near 3%.
Consensus reads strong buy, with all 19 tracked ratings bullish. The average price target of $124.63 implies roughly 28% upside. TD Cowen's Joshua Jennings reiterated Buy at $135 on September 8.
Risks: Several bulls have cut targets during 2026, including Stifel's Rick Wise, who lowered his to $120 from $145 in April. Slower diagnostics sales, product recalls, and competition in glucose monitoring all remain factors to monitor.
Airbnb (ABNB) – KeyBanc Upgrades to Overweight
Airbnb was upgraded from Sector Weight to Overweight on Friday by KeyBanc. Airbnb runs the largest short-term rental marketplace in the world and is expanding into hotels and in-stay services. In our view, the platform's strong cash generation and share buybacks support the stock even as travel growth normalizes.
Shares traded near $162.79 during Friday's session, up about 1.45%, giving Airbnb a market capitalization near $97 billion. The 52-week range runs from $110.81 to $193.45, and the trailing price-to-earnings multiple is 37.11.
Consensus reads buy, with 18 bullish, eight neutral, and two bearish ratings among 28 tracked firms. The average price target of $181.75 implies roughly 12% upside. Citizens' Matthew Condon raised his target to $200 on September 18.
Risks: Truist's Patrick Scholes holds Hold at $161, and JPMorgan's Doug Anmuth held Neutral at $140 in May. Local short-term rental regulations, a softer consumer if hiring keeps slowing, and the cost of new business lines all remain factors to monitor.
Datadog (DDOG) – FBN Securities Initiates at Outperform
Datadog drew a fresh Outperform initiation on Friday from FBN Securities. Datadog sells cloud monitoring and security software that helps companies track the performance of their applications and infrastructure. In our view, growing AI workloads create more systems to monitor, which supports demand for its tools.
Shares traded near $277.85 during Friday's session, up about 0.50%, giving Datadog a market capitalization near $99 billion. The stock sits near its 52-week high of $292.72 and far above its low of $98.01. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple is a very high 562.80.
Consensus reads strong buy, with 28 bullish, three neutral, and one bearish rating among 32 tracked firms. The average price target of $276.62 sits just below the current price, a sign the rally has caught up with many targets. The median target of $289.50 implies about 4% upside, and the panel high of $330 implies roughly 19%.
Risks: Valuation is the main concern. Goldman Sachs' Kash Rangan held Sell at $139 in May. Cloud spending cuts, pricing pressure from large customers, and competition from cloud providers' own tools all remain factors to monitor.
BlackRock (BLK) – Wells Fargo Initiates at Overweight
BlackRock drew a fresh Overweight initiation on Friday from Wells Fargo, part of a broad financials launch that also covered CME Group, Interactive Brokers, LPL Financial, Tradeweb, and several alternative asset managers. BlackRock is the largest asset manager in the world. In our view, its iShares ETF business and growing private-markets platform give it scale few rivals can match.
Shares traded near $1,068.70 during Friday's session, up about 0.41%, giving BlackRock a market capitalization near $166 billion. The 52-week range runs from $917.39 to $1,219.94, the trailing price-to-earnings multiple is 25.54, and the dividend yield is near 2%.
Consensus reads strong buy, with 11 bullish ratings and one neutral among 12 tracked firms. The average price target of $1,331.33 implies roughly 25% upside. Morgan Stanley's Mike Cyprys holds the high target of $1,479.
Risks: Evercore ISI's Glenn Schorr cut his target to $1,207 from $1,260 on September 9 while holding Outperform. Market declines that shrink assets under management, fee pressure in index funds, and integration of private-credit acquisitions all remain factors to monitor.
Vistra (VST) – Siebert Williams Initiates at Buy
Vistra drew a fresh Buy initiation on Friday from Siebert Williams Shank. Vistra owns one of the largest fleets of power plants in the country, including nuclear and natural gas generation. In our view, rising electricity demand from data centers supports long-term pricing for its output.
Shares traded near $137.71 during Friday's session, down about 1.46%, giving Vistra a market capitalization near $46 billion. The stock sits just above its 52-week low of $132.66 and well below its high of $217.10. The trailing price-to-earnings multiple is 23.20, and the dividend yield is near 1%.
Consensus reads strong buy, with all 12 tracked ratings bullish. The average price target of $230.75 implies roughly 68% upside, though many targets were set before the stock's decline. Bernstein's Sunaina Ocalan reiterated Outperform at $181 on October 1, implying about 31%.
Risks: The wide gap between the stock price and targets suggests analysts have been slow to adjust. Power price swings, the pace of data-center contracts, and regulatory pushback on deals that serve large tech customers all remain factors to monitor.
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