2026 won’t reward the noisiest narratives. It’ll reward the businesses that keep stacking small wins until the market has no choice but to reprice them. Think: a few “one milestone changes everything” bets where patience is the edge. These seven names aren’t hot takes—they’re setups: durable moats, clear catalysts, and enough volatility to give you entry points if you stay sharp.
1) Lululemon (LULU)
Company profile: Premium athletic apparel brand with global scale and a major leadership transition underway.
Investment rationale:
Reset catalyst: CEO Calvin McDonald steps down effective Jan. 31, 2026—a clean “new chapter” moment.
Still growing: Q3 fiscal 2025 revenue $2.6B (+7%).
Capital return signal: Board authorized a $1.0B increase to the share repurchase program.
Why it’s interesting now: When a brand leader changes at the same time sentiment is shaky, you often get mispricing—and opportunity.
2) Oklo (OKLO)
Company profile: Advanced nuclear company working toward commercializing compact fast fission power plants.
Investment rationale:
Regulatory timeline: NRC accepted Oklo’s Principal Design Criteria topical report; draft evaluation expected early 2026.
Execution progress: DOE approved a preliminary documented safety analysis for Oklo’s Aurora fuel fabrication facility as assembly begins at Idaho National Laboratory.
Asymmetry: If licensing and deployment timelines tighten, the valuation can move faster than your emotions can keep up.
