Wall Street analysts say these are some of their best ideas for the new year

Published Sat, Jan 9 20218:39 AM EST

(This story is for CNBC PRO subscribers only.) Wall Street analysts recently unveiled a wide range of top stocks that they believe are well-positioned to prosper this year. CNBC Pro combed through recent analyst research to find the best buying opportunities for your portfolio in 2021. They include: Restaurant Brands , Nike , Southwest, Darden and General Motors . Darden The national restaurant chain operator and owner of brands like Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse is well positioned to rebound with an "attractive" set up, according to Oppenheimer analyst Brian Bittner. The firm said the stock which finished the week up over 4% is one of its "favorite names to own as calendar 2021 unfolds." Darden also recently reported second quarter earnings last week t hat beat estimates but missed on revenue. But Bittner remains steadfast in his belief that Darden has plenty of upside especially as the virus begins to fade away. "Our fiscal '22E EPS remains above consensus, and management appears committed to healthy 'post-COVID' profit metrics that embolden our earnings upside view," he wrote. Bittner believes the company has executed well in initiatives like digital during the pandemic and will emerge stronger because of it. In fact, the firm believes investors could see a sales recovery that's bigger than many anticipate. "While the near-term industry environment is full of challenges with coronavirus issues, we believe DRI remains a best-in-class operator," he said. Southwest As the coronavirus vaccine begins its rollout and consumers return to the sky, the low-cost carrier is well-positioned for success, investment firm Cowen said in a recent note to clients. "Southwest is our best idea for 2021," analyst Helane Becker said. And with the 737-Max returning to service, Becker believes the airline is in a unique spot. "The company's relative balance sheet strength puts them at an advantage to its peers which should result in market share gains," she wrote. Becker also warned that the first half of 2021 would be "challenging" and revenue could be "unpredictable, but investors should have confidence in the company's execution. "Southwest management team is highly seasoned and has been through downturns before," she said. The firm also said it sees several other upside catalysts in the company's near-term future including new domestic markets and international expansion. "We believe Southwest shares remain an attractive option for participating in airline recovery upside without taking on outsized downside risk, compared to peers. Shares of the company are up 18% over the last three months. Nike Meanwhile, shares of Nike ended the first week of the year up almost 3.5% and they continued to climb higher on the heels of the athletic retail shoe company's late December second quarter earnings . Nike reported sales and earnings that beat analyst estimates as well as raising its 2021 outlook. Led by new CEO John Donahoe and a strong digital presence, the sky is the limit for investors of the stock, according to Guggenheim analyst Robert Drbul. "Nike is rapidly embarking on the next era of its company history," Drbul said. The firm said the brand, "commands dominant market share" and that Nike will prosper as investment continutes in "key growth drivers" along with "robust" innovation. Drbul expects that going forward Nike will be "defined by even greater separation vs. industry peers as well as from Nike's own historical rates of productivity, consumer engagement, and financial performance," he wrote. "Nike is our best idea," he said. Darden- Oppenheimer, Buy rating An Attractive Setup For 2021; Maintain Outperform. We view DRI positioned as one of our favorite names to own as calendar 2021 unfolds. Our fiscal '22E EPS (starts May 2021) remains above consensus, and management appears committed to healthy "post-COVID" profit metrics that embolden our earnings upside view.While the near-term industry environment is full of challenges with coronavirus issues, we believe DRI remains a best-inclass operator. Southwest- Cowen, Outperform rating "Southwest is our best idea for 2021. The company's relative balance sheet strength puts them at an advantage to its peers which should result in market share gains. ... .The revenue outlook is unpredictable, but Southwest has significant upside. ... .We believe Southwest shares remain an attractive option for participating in airline recovery upside without taking on outsized downside risk, compared to peers. Southwest management team is highly seasoned and has been through downturns before." Nike- Guggenheim, Buy rating "NKE is our best idea. ... .Nike is rapidly embarking on the next era of its company history; this will be digitally-led and likely defined by even greater separation vs. industry peers as well as from Nike's own historical rates of productivity, consumer engagement, and financial performance. ... .The brand commands dominant market share, which we expect will grow materially from here as digital scales further, new product innovation remains robust, and heavy investment behind key growth drivers continues, while some global peers operate more cost-consciously in an uncertain environment." Restaurant Brands International- Deutsche Bank, Buy rating "We like QSR both tactically as well as with a one, three, and five year view. This is a best idea within our U.S. Restaurants coverage universe. We believe that the current outsize focus on the same store sales softness at the Tim Horton's brand in Canada and at the Burger King brand in the U.S. is creating an attractive entry point for QSR shares. We consider the former to be primarily related to temporary COVID dynamics impacting consumer mobility in that market, and we consider the structural concerns on the latter to be a bit overdone." General Motors- JPMorgan, Outperform rating "Best idea. GM in the years since the Global Financial Crisis proved that it could earn a sustainably higher margin in North America than many investors thought possible but never really re-rated as investors doubted how it would perform in a severe downturn, but now we know after the firm essentially broke even in its core operations in 2Q20 despite unit volumes -62% y/y This greater than presumed resiliency, combined with accelerating investments in electric vehicles to rival much more highly valued peers, we think could engender multiple expansion in 2021 even as earnings surge back as volume rebounds."

Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors.

Bill Pugliano | Getty Images

(This story is for CNBC PRO subscribers only.)

Wall Street analysts recently unveiled a wide range of top stocks that they believe are well-positioned to prosper this year.

CNBC Pro combed through recent analyst research to find the best buying opportunities for your portfolio in 2021.