TipRanks’ ‘Perfect 10’ Picks: 2 Top-Scoring Stocks with Bullish Backing

Stocks spent much of May in rally mode, but the momentum faded last week as the S&P 500 slipped nearly 3%.

It’s a fresh reminder of the market turbulence that’s shadowed President Trump’s second term. Investors continue to wrestle with the impact of his shifting policies and unpredictable leadership. Still, April’s economic data brought some relief: job growth remained solid, and inflation showed further signs of easing.

In such a climate, marked by political uncertainty and mixed economic signals, navigating the markets becomes especially challenging. That’s where tools like the TipRanks Smart Score come into play. This AI-powered system cuts through the noise by analyzing the vast data generated by millions of stock transactions, rating every stock based on factors historically tied to strong future performance.

The results of the Smart Score comparisons are shown on a simple scale of 1 to 10, giving investors a clear, intuitive signal on any stock’s likely near-term performance. The “Perfect 10” stocks, of course, are the top-scorers that deserve a closer look—and when they get bullish backing from the Street’s analysts, that’s a combination of signals that can’t be ignored.

So, let’s follow the Smart Score and analyst signals, and take a closer look at two “Perfect 10s.”

Whitestone REIT (WSR)

We’ll start in the world of real estate, where Whitestone REIT operates in the commercial real estate sector. The company’s name says it all – it’s a real estate investment trust, whose business is acquiring, owning, leasing, and managing various real properties. Whitestone’s property list includes a range of medical facilities, office spaces, and retail locations, 52 in total, with 28 in Texas and 24 in Arizona. Both states, and especially Texas, are known as leaders in US economic growth in recent years.

This background gives Whitestone a solid foundation for its ‘Perfect 10’ performance. The company follows a strict set of acquisition criteria, in order to maintain a high-quality portfolio. Its properties are located in ‘established or developing, culturally diverse neighborhoods,’ and Whitestone intentionally sets out to diversify its holdings. The company has built its portfolio by seeking out retail and mixed-use properties with upside potentials that include value-adds, lease ups, and the possibility of contractual rent increases. Whitestone prefers areas with high traffic and high visibility, and its operations have specifically targeted the Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Phoenix/Scottsdale urban areas.

The company’s most recent acquisition move was announced this month: the addition of a San Clemente neighborhood retail center in Austin, Texas. The center is restaurant-anchored, and totals 31,832-square feet; it is located near Austin’s bustling technology hub, which includes campuses for Apple and Tesla.

Also of note, particularly for return-minded investors, is Whitestone’s dividend. REITs are well-known as dividend ‘champs,’ offering payments that are usually both highly reliable and above inflation. Whitestone pays out a monthly common share dividend, at 4.5 cents per share, with the last payment sent out on May 13. At its current rate, the dividend annualizes to 54 cents per common share and gives a forward yield of 4.3%, which compares well to the prevailing 2.3% rate of inflation. Whitestone has been paying out dividends since 2010.

In its last quarterly earnings report, covering 1Q25, Whitestone had total revenues of $38 million. This figure was up 2.2% year-over-year, although it missed the forecast by $940,000. The company’s funds from operations, a key metric when assessing REITs, came to 26 cents per share for the quarter, up 3 cents per share year-over-year and in-line with analyst expectations. The FFO figure was more than enough to fully cover Whitestone’s total Q1 dividend payments of 13.5 cents per share.

For Citizens analyst Mitch Germain, this REIT presents a complex picture. Looking into the company’s workings, Germain is impressed by its quality portfolio – although he notes that Wall Street was not impressed by the last quarterly report. Germain writes of Whitestone, “Whitestone REIT’s 1Q25 results were viewed unfavorably by the investment community, though we believe the company remains on track to achieve its earnings outlook, while operating trends are positioned to trend ahead of shopping center REIT peers… Underlying property operating trends were mixed in the quarter, as occupancy dipped (-120bps Q/Q), while rents posted 20% growth. Same-store growth continues to track toward the high end of the retail REIT sector, supported by recent redevelopment efforts and leasing. Overall, we believe it is best to judge management’s strategic plan execution over an extended period, rather than just one quarter, and over the last 12 quarters management has enhanced governance and shareholder outreach, lowered leverage, improved property operating trends, and produced earnings growth toward the high end of the shopping center REIT sector.”

Germain goes on to explain the discounted nature of the stock, adding to the above, “The shares trade at ~12x 2025E earnings, which is a two-turn discount to the shopping center REIT peers; with superior market exposures, and above-average property growth prospects, we think the discount is penalizing.”

All of this adds up to an Outperform (i.e., Buy) rating for the Citizens analyst, whose $16 price target implies that the shares are looking at a one-year gain of 33%. (To watch Germain’s track record, click here)

The Strong Buy consensus rating here is based on 5 unanimously positive reviews set in recent weeks. The stock has a trading price of $12.06 and its average target price, $15.20, suggests an upside potential of 26% for the year ahead. (See WSR stock forecast)

Permian Resources (PR)

Next on our list of ‘Perfect 10s’ is Permian Resources, one of the many independent oil and gas research and exploration (E&P) firms working in the hydrocarbon-rich Permian Basin of West Texas. Permian Resources, which is based in Midland, has holdings that include over 450,000 net leasehold acres, located mainly in Reeves and Ward Counties, Texas, and Eddy and Lea Counties, New Mexico. The company is the second-largest pure-play E&P firm working in the Permian, and as of March 31 this year it was realizing 373 MBoe/d in total production.

Earlier this month, Permian Resources announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire 13,320 net acres, 8,700 net royalty acres and 12,000 Boe/d from APA Corporation. These assets directly offset Permian Resources’ core New Mexico operating areas in the Delaware Basin formation of the larger Permian. The acquisition will cost Permian Resources $608 million. We should note here that Permian Resources has an established strategy of expansion-through-acquisition, and last year added approximately 50,000 net acres via $1.2 billion of acquisitions.

Turning to the financial results, we find that the company’s last quarterly report showed 1Q25 results that were in-line with analyst expectations. Permian Resources had revenue in the quarter of $1.38 billion, up 11.3% year-over-year, and saw an EPS of 44 cents; the EPS figure was a strong increase from the 25-cent earnings reported in 1Q24.

Like REITs – see Whitestone, above – energy companies are known as solid dividend payers, and Permian Resources fits that bill. In its last dividend declaration, Permian Resources set a 15-cent payment per common share, to be paid out on June 30. The dividend annualizes to 60 cents per share and gives a forward yield of 4.7%.

This ‘Perfect 10’ stock has caught the attention of Raymond James analyst John Freeman, who sees Permian Resources as a sound investment for multiple reasons. The 5-star analyst, who ranks 2nd amongst the thousands of stock experts on Wall Street, writes of this oil and gas company, “The core tenets of PR’s success are improving operational efficiencies and accretive consolidation. Market volatility presumably reduces the latter, although PR delivered another tuck-in to add into the fold. Activity remains steady-as-she-goes despite oil price weakness relative to the original budgeted levels. PR’s strong balance sheet and cash balance allows the company to make the most of the current environment. The needle management is threading accrues to less CAPEX versus more production… We believe PR shares should outperform the peer group over the next 12 months.”

With that stance in the background, it makes sense that Freeman rates PR shares as a Strong Buy. His $23 price target implies that the stock will appreciate by 81% in the next 12 months. (To watch Freeman’s track record, click here)

This is another stock with a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating, based on 16 positive analyst reviews. The shares are currently trading for $12.72 and the $17.88 average price target indicates room for a 40.5% upside on the one-year horizon. (See PR stock forecast)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.