Bank of America says these five stocks have more room to run ahead of earnings

Bank of America has highlighted several stocks, including Amazon, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Oddity Tech, Bilibili, and AppLovin, as well-positioned ahead of their upcoming earnings reports. Analysts cited compelling valuations and catalysts such as Oddity Tech's strong DTC growth and raised price target to $80, Bilibili's AI strategy and increased price target to $27, and Anheuser-Busch InBev's anticipated margin expansion and focus on share buybacks despite potential volume softness. This outlook suggests confidence in these diverse companies' near-term performance.

Analysis

Bank of America has issued a bullish outlook on a select group of companies ahead of their respective earnings reports, citing specific catalysts and attractive valuations. For Oddity Tech (ODD), analysts are highly optimistic, raising the price target to $80 from $68 based on its innovative direct-to-consumer (DTC) model, which they believe provides a strategic advantage in the online beauty market; the stock has already appreciated 64% year-to-date. Similarly, Bilibili (BILI) saw its price target increased to $27 from $25, with analysts constructive on its strategy centered on AI-empowered content and monetization, viewing its mid-August earnings as a key positive catalyst. For the consumer staples giant Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD), despite anticipated Q2 volume softness in China and the US, the firm projects 5.6% organic EBITDA growth driven by margin expansion and identifies potential share buybacks as a major focus. The report also flags AppLovin (APP) as a top pick with significant upside to CY26 EBITDA expectations and notes Amazon (AMZN) is poised for a retail segment beat with a focus on AWS growth in the second half.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should consider the upcoming earnings reports for ODD, BILI, BUD, and APP as potential near-term catalysts, given Bank of America's specific buy ratings and catalyst-driven theses.
• For growth-oriented portfolios, Oddity Tech and Bilibili warrant attention due to the bank's strong conviction in their respective DTC and AI-driven growth strategies, which are supported by recent price target increases.
• Investors with a GARP (Growth at a Reasonable Price) or staples focus might find Anheuser-Busch InBev's thesis compelling, where expected margin expansion and capital returns via buybacks are forecast to offset near-term volume headwinds.
• It is critical to monitor the upcoming financial results to validate these forward-looking theses, particularly Anheuser-Busch's ability to deliver on margin expansion despite volume weakness and Bilibili's progress in monetizing content through AI.