9 Best Stocks To Buy For September 2026

9 Top Stocks To Buy Now In September 2026

To identify businesses generating real returns without high financial risk, I screened S&P 500 stocks on these metrics:

• Return on invested capital (ROIC) above 15%. ROIC measures how well a company uses its capital to produce profits. The formula is net operating profit after tax divided by invested capital, which is debt plus equity minus cash.
• Debt-to-equity ratio of 1 or less. Debt-to-equity measures a company’s use of borrowed funds versus shareholder capital. A higher number indicates more debt, which can amplify gains and losses. The formula is total debt divided by total equity.
• Minimum five consecutive years of revenue growth. Ongoing revenue growth supports sustainable EPS growth.
• Free cash flow margin of 10% or more. Free cash flow or FCF is the cash left after operating expenses and capital expenditures. FCF margin is the percentage of revenue that’s converted into free cash. The formula is free cash flow divided by revenue times 100.
• Price-to-free-cash-flow ratio of 25 or less. This ratio quantifies what investors pay for each dollar of free cash. A value above 25 indicates investors are paying a premium for high growth expectations, which can introduce volatility. The formula is market capitalization divided by annual free cash flow.
• Average analyst rating of buy or strong buy. Covering analysts are generally industry experts. Incorporating their perspectives helps weed out companies with recent negative developments that may affect long-term business fundamentals.

The nine largest companies by market capitalization meeting these thresholds are listed in the table below.

9 Best Stocks To Buy For September 2026

A review of each company follows. Metrics are sourced from company reports and stockanalysis.com. Note that I am a long-time shareholder of Procter & Gamble.

For more investing ideas, see best index funds 2026 and best dividend stocks.

1. Procter & Gamble (PG)

Procter & Gamble Business Overview

• Stock price: $144.55
• ROIC: 21.5%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.64
• Revenue growth years: 9
• FCF margin: 17.4%
• Price/FCF ratio: 22.2

Procter & Gamble owns a portfolio of consumer products spanning beauty, health care, home care and family care. Popular franchises include Head & Shoulders, Gillette, Pepto Bismol, Tide, Swiffer and Pampers.

Why PG Is A Top Choice

Procter & Gamble’s results are underwhelming relative to fast-growing technology companies, and that is by design. The company pursues a sustainable growth strategy built on recurring cash flows with products that people use every day.

The slow-and-steady approach has produced resilient business results over the last year despite rising transportation and energy costs. Longer-term, PG has had the cash flow and business visibility to raise its dividend for 70 years running.

2. Uber (UBER)

Uber Business Overview

• Stock price: $75.95
• ROIC: 19.2%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.52
• Revenue growth years: 5
• FCF margin: 18.3%
• Price/FCF ratio: 15.3

Uber operates a technology platform that connects people and businesses with drivers and couriers in the U.S. and around the world.

Why UBER Is A Top Choice

Uber recently reported trailing 12-month free cash flow of $10 billion for the first time in its history. The strong result came from efficient operations plus momentum in gross bookings across all three of its reporting segments: mobility, delivery and freight. Gross bookings have grown more than 20% for four consecutive quarters.

Uber has been aggressively expanding its footprint — in delivery and autonomous vehicles — through partnerships and acquisitions. In 2026, the company disclosed plans for robotaxi pilots or services in Tokyo, Zurich, Houston and Madrid. Uber also partnered with GameStop for videogame delivery and announced an agreement to acquire Germany’s Delivery Hero, which operates in 65 countries.

3. Airbnb (ABNB)

Airbnb Business Overview

• Stock price: $184.06
• ROIC: 16.8%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.32
• Revenue growth years: 5
• FCF margin: 36.9%
• Price/FCF ratio: 22.3

Airbnb operates a marketplace that connects travelers with independent hosts and other services.

Why ABNB Is A Top Choice

Airbnb has notched several consecutive years of revenue and free cash flow growth. The company is seeing sales and profit gains related to its AI initiatives that streamline hosting and booking processes. An ongoing expansion into services that complement the core lodging business is also contributing.

The marketplace operator has amassed a sizable cash balance of $6.8 billion. Those funds provide ample flexibility for growth and return initiatives. Airbnb’s capital allocation plan prioritizes investments to support organic growth, strategic acquisitions and partnerships, and return of capital to shareholders, in that order.

4. Accenture PLC (ACN)

Accenture PLC Business Overview

• Stock price: $176.89
• ROIC: 27.1%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.25
• Revenue growth years: 15
• FCF margin: 17.2%
• Price/FCF ratio: 8.6

Accenture is a business consulting firm that supports digital transformation and AI adoption in a broad range of industries.

Why ACN Is A Top Choice

In 2025, Accenture restructured core service lines to position itself as a generative AI partner. CEO Julie Sweet described the new Accenture as “the most AI-enabled, client-focused professional services company in the world.” In March, the company predicted its AI focus will double its work with key data partners this year.

Some analysts have raised the concern that AI could broadly undermine the value of consulting services. ACN is down nearly 34% this year, as investors wait to see results from the strategy. Those who are willing to take the chance can benefit from a solid 3.7% dividend yield plus a 1.5% buyback yield in the short term.

5. Intuit (INTU)

Intuit Business Overview

• Stock price: $345.66
• ROIC: 20.6%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.33
• Revenue growth years: 10
• FCF margin: 37.1%
• Price/FCF ratio: 12.2

Intuit operates the credit-monitoring service Credit Karma and software applications TurboTax, QuickBooks and MailChimp.

Why INTU Is A Top Choice

Intuit is already trading at low multiples prior to any potential September pullback. INTU is down 46% this year as investors worry that AI will make packaged software obsolete. While the concern may be valid in some scenarios, it’s overstated for Intuit. The company’s main titles, TurboTax and Quickbooks, have earned broad trust for tackling complex subjects accurately. Customers are willing to pay for that trust, in part because tax and bookkeeping mistakes have serious consequences.

Intuit is building on its reputation by enhancing its product suite with AI capabilities. Those efforts are paying off. In the April quarter, Intuit reported 10% growth in revenue and non-GAAP diluted EPS. The company also raised its 2026 adjusted diluted EPS growth guidance to 18%, from 14% to 15%. Additionally, Intuit announced a 17% workforce reduction aimed at simplifying operations.

Note that Intuit is facing a securities fraud lawsuit alleging misleading statements about TurboTax, which could represent a material risk.

6. Allstate (ALL)

Allstate Business Overview

• Stock price: $261.41
• ROIC: 32.6%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.22
• Revenue growth years: 15
• FCF margin: 17.5%
• Price/FCF ratio: 5.4

Allstate provides property and casualty services, plus a range of related services, including consumer product protection plans, identity protection, roadside assistance and vehicle service contracts.

Why ALL Is A Top Choice

Allstate reported stand-out results for the second quarter of 2026, making good on its promise to create shareholder value through operational excellence. The company delivered an adjusted, diluted net income per share gain of 51.3% over the prior-year quarter, from a revenue gain of 11.8%. The business momentum supported a $1 billion investment in share buybacks, demonstrating Allstate’s commitment to shareholder returns.

Going forward, Allstate should continue to benefit from its expansion efforts. The company is widening its insurance footprint across U.S. states and growing its Protection Services suite of embedded product upgrades.

Note that Allstate has significant catastrophe risk which can create earnings volatility.

7. Autodesk (ADSK)

Autodesk Business Overview

• Stock price: $251.66
• ROIC: 49.2%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.85
• Revenue growth years: 9
• FCF margin: 36.4%
• Price/FCF ratio: 19.5

Autodesk provides software used by 3D designers, architects, engineers, animators and gaming developers.

Why ADSK Is A Top Choice

Autodesk applications are industry standards in building design and construction. The company enjoys a deep competitive moat, anchored by high switching costs and workforce proficiency. As an example, aspiring designers and engineers learn AutoCAD in college, so it’s an efficient choice for employers versus training new hires on something else.

Like other software companies, Autodesk is rolling out AI-powered solutions to help customers work more efficiently. For example, the company is developing neural AI foundation models that create designs from text prompts and streamline the transition from early design to detailed layouts and systems. These features can deepen customer engagement and potentially create new revenue streams. Given Autodesk’s 90% gross margin, even modest revenue gains translate to the bottom line.

8. Veeva Systems (VEEV)

Veeva Systems Business Overview

• Stock price: $243.75
• ROIC: 176.9%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.01
• Revenue growth years: 15
• FCF margin: 49.4%
• Price/FCF ratio: 24.1

Veeva is a public benefit corporation (PBC) that offers cloud-based software for the life sciences industry. Solutions include applications for customer relationship management, analytics tracking and clinical data management. PBC status means Veeva pursues public benefit as well as shareholder returns.

Why VEEV Is A Top Choice

Veeva had a strong history of revenue and earnings growth before it announced an effort to embed AI capabilities across its applications. As part of the strategy, the company launched Veeva AI agents and acquired AI brand engagement platform Ostro. CEO Peter Gassner said the AI initiatives “will help our customers bring the right medicines to patients faster.”

Veeva’s results in the April quarter showed momentum related to the AI strategy. The company beat consensus estimates with revenue growth of 16% and adjusted, diluted EPS growth of 13.7% versus the prior-year quarter. After quarter-end, Veeva also announced a commitment from Eli Lilly to use Veeva Vault CRM globally.

DexCom Business Overview

• Stock price: $89.75
• ROIC: 44.5%
• Debt-to-equity ratio: 0.53
• Revenue growth years: 19
• FCF margin: 28.3%
• Price/FCF ratio: 24.1

DexCom designs and develops glucose monitoring systems for diabetes and metabolic health management. The devices are prescribed by physicians and diabetes educators for use by patients.

Why DXCM Is A Top Choice

DexCom has considerable competition in the continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) space but maintains a premium brand image. The positioning is supported by proprietary technologies and physician recommendations, factors that have contributed to several consecutive years of double-digit revenue growth. In 2022, 2023 and 2025, annual EPS growth exceeded 45%. Operational headwinds prompted a lower EPS growth rate of 9.8% in 2024.

The CGM market is expected to expand significantly in the coming years, which makes DexCom’s positioning increasingly valuable. One researcher, Research and Markets, estimated the global CGM opportunity will increase from about $9 billion in 2025 to more than $17 billion in 2030, for a CAGR of 13.8%.

Short-term market dips are opportunities. They can improve the case for owning quality stocks that may not have huge growth trajectories but do have solid fundamentals. Look for companies that can generate returns through all market cycles, then confirm with research that they suit your investing style.