Top 2 stocks to buy before March 1

The beginning of 2026 has not been kind to the stock market, but some names have still emerged as potentially worthy investments as we head towards March.

To see which of them have the potential to deliver outsized gains and meet Wall Street expectations in the coming weeks, Finbold has identified 2 stocks that may be worth buying before March 1.

1. Microsoft (MSFT)

Microsoft’s (NASDAQ: MSFT) continues to deliver blockbuster fundamentals and, being the cheapest stock among the so-called “Magnificent Seven,” represents a very compelling investment case, even after a not-so-splendid start to 2026.

The stock has struggled in the opening weeks of the year, sliding more than 15% year-to-date to trade around $398 at press time. However, long-term signals indicate that the coming stretch could be one of Microsoft’s strongest periods.

Specifically, recent data, based on 26 years of monthly performance, shows that March has produced gains 65% of the time, with an average return of 2.1%. April has been even stronger, delivering a 69% win rate and an average gain of 2.3%. 

Further bullish is the fact that the company is trading at roughly 25 times trailing earnings. This suggests a steep discount to its five-year average multiple of 33.2x and 10-year average of 31.4x. What’s more, the tech leader has also reported $81.3 billion in quarterly revenue, alongside a formidable 47% operating margin. 

Zooming out, Microsoft remains the world’s largest software company, a dominant cloud platform provider, and one of the cornerstones of enterprise-grade artificial intelligence (AI). If early 2026 weakness was indeed driven primarily by short-term concerns over AI capital expenditures, the pullback may represent a buying opportunity, not deterioration.

2. Datavault AI (DVLT) 

Datavault AI (NASDAQ:DVLT) is a far riskier play. Its shares remain highly volatile, with the stock trading at $0.76 at the time of writing, down nearly 25% year-to-date. However, the management has lifted its fiscal 2025 revenue outlook to $38–$40 million, implying roughly 1,300% year-over-year growth.

Despite the volatility, some on Wall Street remain constructive. Maxim Group, for example, maintains a ‘Buy’ rating and has recently raised its DVLT stock price target to $4. Institutional ownership has also climbed sharply into late 2025, with firms such as Vanguard and BlackRock initiating or amping up their positions.

Encouragingly, the higher ups attribute much of the growth potential to recurring-style revenue streams, including tech-licensing fees and tokenization services. If sustained, that would suggest Datavault’s AI and Web3 infrastructure is beginning to convert from pilot-stage deployments into tangible revenue generation.

Even more ambitious is the reaffirmed fiscal 2026 revenue target of $200 million, implying more than 400% year-over-year growth. If achieved, the figure would position Datavault firmly within a hyper-growth category. However, it also dramatically increases execution risk.

All in all, Datavault remains priced as a high-growth, early-stage revenue story rather than a profitable operating company. The company carries a market capitalization of roughly $459 million and an enterprise value of nearly $487 million. 

While liquidity remains a concern, trading liquidity appears relatively strong for a small-cap stock. Indeed, the average daily volume has ranged between 48 million and 73 million shares over recent months. 

Fiscal 2025 results are expected around late March. If management delivers revenue near the high end of its target, confidence could rebuild and support further upside.

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