The S & P 500 is wrapping up its worst first half in generations, but Wall Street believes some stocks could still post a comeback in the latter part of 2022. Stocks have had a volatile start to the year, as a combination of rising inflation and a hawkish Federal Reserve spurred investors to drop equities. The broad market index is 20% off its highs this year, and continued to post up-and-down moves this week as investors prepared to close the books on the quarter-end. Still, some stocks in the S & P 500 could be poised for a rebound. A CNBC Pro screen found the names boasting the most buy ratings, among companies that have at least four analysts covering them, according to FactSet data. These stocks also have greater than 20% upside based on Wall Street’s 12-month consensus targets. They’re also expected to grow earnings by more than 10%, according to 2022 earnings per share growth estimates. Here are the top S & P 500 picks for the second half: The Number 1 stock pick recommended by 100% of analysts who cover it is Signature Bank . Shares of the New York commercial bank have tumbled almost 45% this year, particularly because of its exposure to cryptocurrencies. Still, Wells Fargo analysts said last week that they remain “highly constructive” on the stock, which they believe will get a boost from increased adoption of digital assets. Shares of Signature Bank have roughly 82% upside based on its 12-month price target. Backup power generator company Generac is another Wall Street favorite. While shares are down 39% in 2022, the stock could be a “play on the increasing instability of the grid” and extreme weather, according to a Wells Fargo note on Wednesday. The investment bank believes Generac could make roughly $500 million in incremental revenue every time there is a major hurricane in the U.S., and estimates there are roughly two each year. Generac could climb 81% to its 12-month target price, according to estimates from 17 analysts. Microsoft should be poised for a comeback in the back half. The Windows and Xbox maker has more than 30% upside based on its consensus target price, despite its slump this year. Citi analysts recently named Microsoft a top pick , believing the tech stock is now oversold. About 80% of analysts covering the stock consider it a buy. Other stocks on this list include: ServiceNow , News Corporation , Assurant , Micron Technology , Schlumberger NV , Intuit and Howmet Aerospace .
