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These 3 Stocks Got the Most Love From Analysts in September

By Leo Miller. Originally Published: 10/6/2026.

The S&P 500 technology sector had a strong September, delivering a return of approximately 5.1%. Notably, among all 11 sectors, tech was the only one to post a positive performance during the month. Against this backdrop, it’s not surprising that technology stocks topped the list of the most upgraded names by Wall Street analysts. These are three stocks analysts showered with praise last month, along with what their price targets say about their potential going forward.

Meta’s Big Comeback: Muse Is Winning Over Markets and Analysts

In recent months, Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has experienced arguably the largest positive shift in sentiment of any AI stock. Following its Q2 earnings report, META closed at approximately $538, leaving shares down 18% for the year. However, Meta now trades well above $700, and its year-to-date return has exceeded 10%.

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The most critical factor in this shift has been the release of its Muse Personal AI agent. According to Sensor Tower, Muse reached 5 million app downloads in just 22 days—less than half the 56 days it took ChatGPT to achieve the same milestone. Clearly, Muse is generating strong interest as Meta targets the agentic e-commerce market, which could be worth hundreds of billions of dollars over the coming years.

Muse’s release helped Meta become one of the most upgraded stocks in September, with more than 15 upgrades or price-target increases. Following these updates, the MarketBeat consensus price target of $791.86 implies limited upside of less than 10%. However, the average of the targets updated in September is dramatically higher, at nearly $858, implying upside of about 15%.

Analysts Shower Dell in Upgrades After Record Earnings

Unlike Meta, Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) has experienced a strong rally throughout most of 2026. Shares are up more than 350% year to date as the company benefits from strong demand for its AI servers.

The company’s Q2 earnings report at the beginning of September was a major upside catalyst. Shares soared 15.8% following the report as Dell posted record revenue and earnings per share (EPS). Its sales of $47 billion were more than $2 billion higher than anticipated, while its EPS of $7.04 easily surpassed estimates of $4.91. The company says it now has a record AI backlog of $95 billion, and its pipeline of potential deals is multiple times larger.

The company’s record results led analysts to upgrade the stock en masse, with Dell receiving approximately 15 upgrades or price-target increases in September. The MarketBeat consensus price target of $571.12 is roughly in line with recent trading levels. However, the average rises moderately to just under $600 when isolating September updates, putting those targets modestly above recent trading levels. September updates also show a relatively wide range, with Deutsche Bank’s $480 target the lowest and Melius Research’s $735 target the highest.

Okta Leads the Pack on September Upgrades

Okta (NASDAQ: OKTA), one of the largest players in the cybersecurity industry, takes the cake as September’s most upgraded stock, according to MarketBeat data. During the month, Okta received more than 25 analyst upgrades or price-target increases, and shares are up approximately 150% in 2026. The vast majority of Okta’s September upgrades came after the company’s Oktane conference, where Okta provided more details on one of its key initiatives: Okta for AI Agents.

As the use of AI agents expands, the product allows companies to track where agents are, what they can do, what they are actually doing, and how to respond. Notably, the company’s CEO, Todd McKinnon, said that the market for securing AI agents could be larger than the entire Identity and Access Management (IAM) market today. Grand View Research estimates that the IAM market was worth around $26.8 billion in 2025.

Following Okta’s gains and upgrades, the MarketBeat consensus price target of nearly $201 implies moderate downside for the shares. However, the average of targets updated in September is considerably higher, at nearly $225.

12-Month Targets Often Don’t Tell the Full Story

While average price targets for Meta, Dell, and Okta imply somewhat limited upside, they represent 12-month forecasts. This distinction is important given that these companies are targeting markets with potentially long growth runways.

For example, Okta believes the market for securing AI agents could be larger than the entire IAM market today. However, Okta for AI Agents has only been generally available since April, and the firm has not yet provided specific revenue figures for the product. As for Meta, Morgan Stanley estimates that AI agents could account for up to 20% of e-commerce in 2030, compared with just 1% today. Although the AI server market is already very large, Grand View Research estimates that it could grow from $157 billion in 2026 to $598 billion by 2033.

The moral of the story is that price targets look out only 12 months, so they do not necessarily capture each company’s long-term growth opportunities. As a result, they may not fully reflect the long-term potential of these firms’ share prices.