Mid Cap Stocks: How to Find and Buy Them

Grab mid cap stocks before the market realizes their growth potential. Then practice what you’ve learned with our free stock market simulation.

Mid Cap Stocks List

Here are some popular mid cap stocks according to Kiplinger:

Symbol	Company
NBIX	Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.
LITE	Lumentum Holdings Inc.
PZZA	Papa John’s International Inc.
SBNY	Signature Bank
BLDR	Builders FirstSource Inc.

What are Mid Cap Stocks?

To be considered a mid cap stock, a company’s total shares multiplied by their current market share price should fall between $2 and $10 million. This will be their market cap. Mid cap companies are smaller in stature than their blue-chip counterparts but, if picked correctly, could be great growth stocks and yield high profits. Mid cap stocks are an important component of a properly diversified financial portfolio. They respond faster to changes and innovations in the market because they tend to be more specialized and focused on their own niche.

Investing in smaller companies carries additional risk, but, because of their extreme potential for growth, can seriously pay off. If you can get in on the ground floor of a great company before they make it big, you stand to make a huge return on your investment. However, it can be hard to predict greatness with so many start-ups to choose from today. A happy medium exists for some in the middle range, as moderately sized companies are more established but generally have lower growth prospects. These companies have been around at least a few years and they have a longer track record. It is a bit easier to predict whether or not these companies are going to make it big in the long run, so the risk is smaller and the return not as lucrative. When it comes down to it, smaller competitors who can change dynamically to meet market demands can outperform large companies.

Finding the Best Mid Cap Stocks to Buy

Investors looking to build their portfolio of high quality mid cap stocks should be paying attention to both growth and valuation.

Growth

The most important thing to tick off the checklist when hunting for mid cap stocks is potential for growth. The target company that you choose should have the ability to grow faster than its larger peers in the industry (thus gaining market share)

Undiscovered Territory

The company should be a relatively undiscovered stock and therefore come with a cheaper valuation. Find mid-caps that have low leverage and higher growth profiles that the market has not yet realized.

Mid Cap Mutual Funds

A mid-cap mutual fund is a type of stock fund that invests in companies with mid-sized firms generally ranging from $2 billion to $10 billion in market cap. Most stocks held in a mid cap fund are firms with established businesses – so not exactly small cap – but that are still considered developing companies. These funds arguably present the best of both worlds, as they tend to offer more growth than large cap stocks and less volatility than the small caps.

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Ranking of Top Stock Newsletters Based on Last 3 Years of Stock Picks as of December 27, 2025

We are paid subscribers to dozens of stock and option newsletters. We actively track every recommendation from all of these services, calculate performance, and share our results of the top performing stock newsletters whose subscriptions fees are under $500. The main metric to look for is "Return vs S&P500" which is their return above that of the S&P500. So, based on December 27, 2025 prices:

Best Stock Newsletters Last 3 Years' Performance

Rank	Stock Newsletter	Picks Return	Return vs S&P500	Picks w Profit	Max % Return	Current Promotion
1.	Alpha Picks	82%	56%	76%	1,583%	January Promotion: Save $50 HERE
Summary: 2 picks per month based on Seeking Alpha's Quant Rating; consistently beating the market every year since launch; tells you when to sell and they have sold almost half. See complete details in our full Alpha Picks review. Or get their Premium service to get their QUANT RATINGS on your stocks to better manage your current portfolio--read our Is Seeking Alpha Worth It? article to learn more about their Quant Ratings.
2.	Zacks Value Investor	60%	40%	54%	692%	January Promotion: $1, then $495/yr
Summary: 10 stock picks per year on January 1st based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr and includes 6 different services including those below. Read our Zacks Review.
3.	Moby.co	50%	16%	74%	2,569%	January Promotion: Next pick free!
Summary: 60-150 stock picks per year, segmented by industry; consistently beating the market every year; retail price is $199/yr. Read our full Moby Review.
4.	Zacks Top 10	36%	15%	71%	170%	January Promotion: $1, then $495/yr
Summary: 10 stock picks per year on January 1st based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr and includes 6 different services. Read our Zacks Review.
5.	TipRanks SmartInvestor	20%	9%	62%	464%	Current Promotion: Save $180
Summary: About 1 pick/week focusing on short term trades; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2015. Retail Price is $379/yr. Read our TipRanks Review.
6.	Action Alerts Plus	27%	5%	66%	208%	Current Promotion: None
Summary: 100-150 trades per year, lots of buying and selling and short-term trades. Read our Jim Cramer Review.
7.	Zacks Home Run Investor	5%	-0.4%	45%	241%	January Promotion: $1, then $495/yr
Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review.
8.	Dogs of the Dow Strategy	16%	-1.8%	43%	44%	Current Promotion: None
Summary: Buy the 10 highest yielding dividends stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average on January 1st and sell on Dec 31st each year.
9.	IBD Leaderboard ETF	11.4%	-1.8%	n/a	n/a	January Promotion: NONE
Summary: Maintains top 50 stocks to invest in based on IBD algorithm; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Investors Business Daily Review.
10.	Stock Advisor	34%	-3.9%	75%	289%	January Promotion: Get $100 Off
Summary: 2 picks/month and 2 Best Buy Stocks lists focusing on high growth potential stocks over 5 years; Retail Price is $199/yr. Read our Motley Fool Review.
11.	Zacks Under $10	-0.2%	-4%	-4.3	263%	January Promotion: $1, then $495/yr
Summary: 40-50 stock picks per year based on Zacks' Quant Rating; Retail Price is $495/yr. Read our Zacks Review.
12.	Rule Breakers	34%	-5.1%	69%	320%	Current Promotion: Save $200
Summary: Rule Breakers is included with the Fool's Epic Service. Get 5 picks/month focusing on disruptive technology and business models; Lifetime average return of 355% vs S&P500's 149% since 2005; Now part of Motley Fool Epic. Read our Motley Fool Epic Review.
Top Ranking Stock Newsletters based on their last 3 years of stock picks covering 2025, 2024, and 2023 performance as compared to S&P500. S&P500's return is based on average return of S&P500 from date each stock pick is released. NOTE: To get these results you must buy equal dollar amounts of each pick on the date the stock pick is released. Investor Business Daily Top 50 based on performance of FFTY ETF. Performance as of December 27, 2025.