Dan Ives, managing director of Wedbush Securities, has long been recognized as one of Wall Street's most bullish analysts on tech stocks. Recently, he released his list of top AI investment targets for 2026. Surprisingly, Nvidia is among them. Not on the list...
"As we head towards 2026, investors are increasingly focused on artificial intelligence. " "The revolution is both exciting and nerve-wracking," Ives wrote in a report to investors on Monday. Ives referred to the wave that could trigger the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while also expressing concern about the enormous amount of capital it would require.
To capitalize on what he calls the AI "turning point," Ives selected five core stocks. Three of these belong to the current "Big Seven" of US stocks —leading high-growth technology companies in the US. From these, Ives chose Microsoft. , apple and Tesla .
As of Tuesday, Microsoft , Tesla , and Apple shares had risen approximately 16%, 14%, and 9% respectively this year, but still lagged behind the S&P 500 index, which had risen 17%.
Ives points out that Wall Street underestimated Microsoft Azure cloud computing. He believes the project has significant growth potential and is poised for further growth in the near future. Microsoft has also partnered with OpenAI, increased its spending on AI infrastructure, and is committed to deepening the integration of its Copilot AI product with its Office 365 business.
As for Apple , Ives believes the company's "invisible" AI strategy is "the elephant in the room." The company has leveraged partnerships and been more restrained than many of its peers in AI spending, but has also made a series of mistakes.
“Apple must accelerate its AI strategy immediately,” Ives emphasized, citing Wedbush Securities. It is estimated that the commercialization of AI will contribute up to $100 per share to Apple's value in the coming years.
Tesla has long been a favorite of Ives, who recently outlined a blueprint for the company to reach a market capitalization of $3 trillion by the end of next year . Its current market capitalization is only about $1.5 trillion. Tesla is currently planning to continue advancing its self-driving cars and humanoid robots until 2026. The research and development of advanced driver assistance systems.
Palantir Technologies, like Tesla , is considered a "cult stock" in the industry—possessing a large number of extremely loyal, even fanatical, followers, and is also a target of Ives's favor. He pointed out that the demand for Palantir's artificial intelligence system from governments and businesses is "unprecedented." This $439 billion company is on the "golden road" to a trillion-dollar market capitalization.
CrowdStrike was the last company to be included on Ives' list. Ives stated that the company is undervalued by Wall Street. He added that he believes the software company will continue to capitalize on people's interest in AI-driven cybersecurity. Interest.
“In an optimistic scenario, we expect CrowdStrike’s stock price to reach $700 over the next year as the company advances its core growth strategy,” Ives said last week. The company’s current stock price is around $477.
It's worth noting that while Nvidia wasn't included in the top five, Ives stated that the chip company remains one of Wedbush Securities' top picks for technology stocks next year. In an earlier report, he predicted that Nvidia will further expand its presence in the Chinese market and maintain its position as a chip manufacturing giant.
(Article source: CLS)
