According to reports from NDTV Profit, Axis Securities has identified 15 stocks as top picks for August 2026, offering upside potential of up to 28% across large-, mid- and small-cap segments. The brokerage's preferred large-cap selections include Bharti Airtel and Kotak Mahindra Bank, both targeting 28% upside with target prices of ₹2,530 and ₹500 respectively. Among mid-cap picks, Dalmia Bharat leads with a 26% upside potential and target price of ₹2,260, while ICICI Bank offers 25% upside with a target of ₹1,800. The complete list includes Bajaj Finance, Nestle India, Varun Beverages, Avenue Supermarts (D-Mart), APL Apollo Tubes, LG Electronics India, Eternal (Zomato), Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Chalet Hotels, Minda Corporation, and Healthcare Global Enterprises.
As reported by NDTV Profit, Axis Securities remains positive on Bharti Airtel's industry-leading ARPU, growing 4G and 5G subscriber base, strong Africa business and emerging opportunities in data centres and AI infrastructure. The brokerage highlighted ICICI Bank's superior asset quality, resilient margins, broad-based credit growth and industry-leading return ratios, making it their preferred large private-sector banking play. Kotak Mahindra Bank also features among the top picks with its 28% upside potential. Recent market performance shows Kotak Mahindra Bank posting gains of around 1% in today's session, highlighting its role as a sector leader in a day of mixed performance. The stock's outperformance in a relatively cautious market environment points to a premium placed on robust balance sheets, strong loan growth, and steady earnings quality.
According to the Axis Securities report, Avenue Supermarts (D-Mark) offers 24% upside with a target price of ₹4,845, while APL Apollo Tubes provides 24% upside at ₹2,250. Chalet Hotels targets 23% upside with a ₹1,000 target price, and LG Electronics India offers 22% upside at ₹1,815. The remaining picks include Varun Beverages with 20% upside at ₹530, Ujjivan Small Finance Bank, Healthcare Global Enterprises, and Minda Corporation.
According to latest market data, the Sensex rose by over 100 points to trade above 78,800, while the Nifty 50 fell by more than 150 points, hovering around the 24,600 mark. The opening session showed a tale of two markets, with heavyweight gainers like Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, Axis Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Trent, Adani Ports, Power Grid and others joining the rally, while Infosys slipped about 1% as part of a tech-led drag. The market breadth stayed positive with 1,389 advances and 1,098 declines, and 121 stocks unchanged. Bajaj Finance stock demonstrated how durable demand for consumer credit and a robust liability franchise can help a financial large-cap outperform, gaining around 1% as consumer finance sentiment remains a core theme. Axis Bank also added around 1% in today's rotation, underscoring the resilience of the banking complex even as the broader market traded mixed.
