2 Top Growth Stocks to Buy in the First Half of 2026
- - 2 Top Growth Stocks to Buy in the First Half of 2026
James Brumley, The Motley FoolFebruary 17, 2026 at 1:45 AM
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Key Points -
While it's one of several artificial intelligence names that's been upended of late, Alphabet is one of a handful of players that's proven it can do something constructive with its AI tech.
Online bank SoFi Technologies has an impressive growth track record that isn't apt to be derailed anytime soon. This is the new norm.
10 stocks we like better than Alphabet ›
Has the volatile start to 2026 already disrupted plans for your portfolio? If so, you're not alone. Plenty of investors are regrouping just two months into the new year.
If you need some help resetting your holdings for a market environment that looks very different than the one we were in just a few months ago, here's a closer look at two bigger-picture growth stocks well positioned to ride out -- and even push through -- the market's near-term uncertainty.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »
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1. Alphabet
At first blush the 11% pullback Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOG) (NASDAQ: GOOGL) shares have suffered since early February makes sense. Indeed, the fact that this stock's made no net progress since late November isn't exactly surprising, given the headwind that most artificial intelligence stocks have run into of late.
If you look closely though, you'll see that Google parent Alphabet is actually doing quite well despite the broad pessimism surrounding most technology names at this time.
Case in point: The company's all-important cloud computing arm, which includes its budding artificial intelligence (AI) business. It grew 48% year over year during the final quarter of 2025, pumping up its operating profits to the tune of 53%, and easily outpacing rivals Microsoft and Amazon's cloud ventures' growth for the same quarter.
And that's without much monetization of its AI capabilities thus far. Once its self-developed Tensor Processing Units reach their full commercialization stride, don't be surprised to see the company's cloud computing arm maintain similar growth rates for several quarters.
Meanwhile, Alphabet's breadwinning search business remains an incredible cash cow, shrugging off any economic headwinds that may or may not be blowing. Google Services' operating income improved by 22% last quarter, capping off a year of comparable growth.
Yes, Alphabet is planning on a staggering $175 billion to $185 billion worth of capital expenditures in 2026, mostly on AI. That's roughly double last year's outlays, and the big reason the stock's been in a slump since early this month.
This particular company, however, is one of the few that's proven it's getting an immediate and sizable bang for its buck.
2. SoFi Technologies
The other growth stock to consider stepping into sometime sooner rather than later this year is SoFi Technologies (NASDAQ: SOFI), while it's down nearly 40% from its November peak. This discount isn't apt to remain available for too much longer.
Simply put, SoFi is an online-only bank. While at one point a bank without any brick-and-mortar branches might have been a liability, in the digitally native environment we're now in, it's fine. For perspective, a recent survey commissioned by the American Bankers Association indicates that 54% of bank customers in the United States say a mobile app is their first choice for taking care of banking business, while 22% prefer using a PC to handle banking matters. At the other end of the spectrum, only 9% of these customers said an in-branch visit was their preferred choice.
And Sofi's results confirm this new dynamic. The company now boasts more than 13.6 million customers, up 8% from Q3's figure, and extending headcount growth seen every quarter since early 2019, when it was serving less than 1 million people.
And for what it's worth, while investors may be losing faith, analysts aren't. Their consensus price target still stands at $26.94, up 37% from this stock's present price. The market's going to catch on soon enough.
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James Brumley has positions in Alphabet. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Amazon, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Source: “AOL Money”
