A buying window before the quarterly numbers
Bank of America spent this week telling clients that several quality companies still look worth buying before they publish quarterly results. The investment bank argued that names such as Micron Technology carry meaningful upside into their reports, and CNBC Pro screened its buy-rated list for other candidates, among them Uber Technologies, Take-Two Interactive, Salesforce and Aramark. The framing is that investors can still act ahead of the announcements rather than waiting for the numbers to land.[S1][S2]
The recommendation arrives at a moment when several of the highlighted shares have already lost ground in 2026, which is central to the bank's case. Rather than treating the declines as a warning, the analysts present them as an opening for investors willing to look past near-term sentiment toward longer-term strategic value.[S1]
Salesforce and the enterprise AI pitch
Analyst Tal Liani lifted his rating on Salesforce to buy from underperform shortly before the company reports, describing the software maker as one of the broadest routes into corporate adoption of artificial intelligence. He also pointed to what the firm's checks turned up: the company appears to be folding AI into a wide range of products, which leaves room to grow.[S1]
Liani added that momentum looks to be improving, citing solid growth in net new annual order value and a pickup at Slack as evidence that the company can return to faster expansion in the quarters ahead. Salesforce shares, however, are down 13% in 2026, according to the report.[S1]
Take-Two, Uber and the case for patience
Analyst Omar Dessouky wants clients to stay invested in Take-Two Interactive through the debut of Grand Theft Auto 6, scheduled for Nov. 19. With the video game maker's shares down 25% this year, he argued the dip is worth buying, and he expects long-term earnings growth well above what he has heard from others. A launch of GTA Online in the first quarter of 2027 should start showing concrete evidence of that monetization potential, he added. Take-Two is due to report on Nov. 9.[S1]
For Uber, analyst Justin Post said the story is essentially about autonomous driving. Competition in the United States, including reported vehicle ramp-ups by Waymo and Tesla's Cybercab, weighed on the stock in the third quarter, and he expects the domestic supply roadmap to dominate the Nov. 4 earnings call. Sentiment going in is negative, in his assessment, but the company has an opening to reassure shareholders.[S1]
Post argued that Uber brings a great deal to autonomous-vehicle partners, and that clearer visibility on its American AV supply pipeline, potentially helped by its Nvidia deal, would be the key to shifting sentiment. Uber and Nvidia have partnered on autonomous vehicles, with plans to put robotaxis running on the chipmaker's software into 28 cities by 2028. Uber shares are down 20% so far this year.[S1]
Aramark and Micron round out the list
Aramark drew praise for a turnaround story. According to the bank, the food and facilities services company installed new executive leadership in 2019 that reset the organization, strengthened its sales force and gave managers incentives to win new business. The analysts see a compelling momentum case and expect the valuation multiple to expand as Aramark adds clients and reduces leverage.[S1]
Micron's appeal, in the bank's view, rests on the strategic value of memory over the medium and longer term. After hosting the chipmaker's chief operating officer Manish Bhatia, chief technology officer Scott DeBoer, chief financial officer Mark Murphy and investor relations executive Satya Kumar for meetings in New York and Boston following a technology and product webinar, the analysts said they had grown somewhat more positive. Management, they noted, increasingly expects 2027 and 2028 to be tighter than 2026.[S1]
