TS2 TECH • DAILY MODEL PORTFOLIO
Stocks to Buy Today
Five cash-generating or estimate-backed ideas for Tuesday, built from Monday’s regular-session closes. The list favors earnings quality and diversified AI exposure while keeping direct chip-event risk below one-fifth of the portfolio.
MARKET SNAPSHOT
Monday close • Tuesday premarket not yet open
Cash market closed
Kodiak Gas Services
NYSE:KGS • Energy infrastructure
Kodiak combines a highly utilized compression fleet with a new behind-the-meter power platform aimed at data centers. The stock’s 3.7% Monday decline improves the entry while the latest quarter supports the operating case.
Fifteen-analyst consensus: Strong Buy. Average target $82.47, implying 39.4% upside.
Q2 adjusted EBITDA rose 21.7%; discretionary cash flow rose 40.2% to $163.3M. Compression utilization reached 98.2%.
2026 adjusted EBITDA guidance was raised to $830M–$860M and discretionary cash flow to $570M–$600M.
Open one tranche below $60; reserve a second near $56.50–$57.50. Do not chase a gap above $61.50.
Watch conversion of the data-center pipeline and whether leverage falls from 3.2× as growth spending rises.
Neurocrine Biosciences
NASDAQ:NBIX • Healthcare
Neurocrine offers the portfolio’s cleanest combination of current revenue growth, a reasonable forward multiple and low market beta. Product concentration remains real, but the commercial base is broadening.
Twenty-seven-analyst consensus: Strong Buy. Average target $211.57, implying 38.2% upside.
INGREZZA sales rose 15% to $716M; CRENESSITY reached $184M and VYKAT XR contributed $54M after the May acquisition.
INGREZZA 2026 net-sales guidance was raised to $2.825B–$2.875B. The balance sheet ended Q2 with about $500M cash and no debt.
Use a first limit in the stated band and add only on an orderly pullback toward $147–$149.
Track INGREZZA prescription growth, CRENESSITY reimbursement and VYKAT XR integration before the next quarterly report.
Alphabet Class A
NASDAQ:GOOGL • Communication services
Search, YouTube and Cloud all grew in the latest quarter, while Cloud’s acceleration gives the AI thesis a visible revenue line. The stock remains below its June high and closed higher during Monday’s semiconductor-led selloff.
Sixty-four-analyst consensus: Strong Buy. Average target $428.07, implying 23.0% upside.
Google Cloud revenue rose 82% to $24.8B and Cloud operating income reached $8.8B. Search revenue rose 17%.
The earnings base is expanding, but Q2 capital spending reached $44.9B and free cash flow was negative $5.9B.
Use a limit at or below Monday’s close. Keep a second tranche for $336–$340 if Nvidia resets AI valuations.
Watch Cloud backlog conversion, Search monetization and whether cash flow recovers after the capex step-up.
Applied Materials
NASDAQ:AMAT • Semiconductor equipment
Applied Materials delivered record revenue and margin expansion, then guided sharply higher. The share price is 34.5% below its June high, but Nvidia’s Wednesday report argues for staged buying.
Thirty-nine-analyst consensus: Strong Buy. Average target $641.03, implying 32.4% upside.
Revenue rose 25%; non-GAAP EPS rose 41% to $3.50 and free cash flow reached $2.33B.
Q4 guidance calls for $10.25B revenue and $4.02 non-GAAP EPS at the midpoint, up 51% and 85% year over year.
Buy only a partial position before Nvidia. Add at $462–$470 or after a constructive industry read-through.
Listen for data-center spending, supply constraints and demand visibility across advanced packaging and leading-edge logic.
JPMorgan Chase
NYSE:JPM • Financials
JPMorgan supplies lower-beta ballast and broad earnings exposure outside technology. The latest quarter set a U.S. bank profit record, although the smaller target gap demands a disciplined entry.
Twenty-four-analyst consensus: Buy. Average target $374.57, implying 5.1% upside before dividends.
Adjusted EPS was $6.14. Markets revenue rose 35%, investment-banking fees rose 30% and equity trading rose 86%.
Net interest income excluding markets rose 4% to $23.7B; the 2026 forecast was lifted to $96.5B.
Wait for a limit below Monday’s close. Do not chase above $358 with consensus upside near 5%.
Watch credit costs, lower-income consumers, capital-markets activity and the $107.5B expense outlook.
CROSS-CHECK
Forecast and valuation comparison
| Ticker | Price | Forecast | Fwd P/E | Avg target | Upside | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KGS | $59.18 | Strong Buy | 28.2× | $82.47 | 39.4% | $58–$60 |
| NBIX | $153.04 | Strong Buy | 13.7× | $211.57 | 38.2% | $151–$154 |
| GOOGL | $348.06 | Strong Buy | 26.1× | $428.07 | 23.0% | $343–$348 |
| AMAT | $484.19 | Strong Buy | 27.5× | $641.03 | 32.4% | $478–$486 |
| JPM | $356.39 | Buy | 14.8× | $374.57 | 5.1% | $350–$355 |
Prices are Aug. 24 regular-session closes. Consensus ratings, targets and forward estimates can lag new information; targets are uncertain 12-month opinions, not price guarantees. Multiples use the latest available consensus inputs and are rounded.
ALLOCATION
Portfolio structure
METHOD
How the model ranks today’s list
Today’s entry rule
The U.S. cash market is closed and premarket has not opened. Do not place market orders now or during the first ten minutes after the 9:30 ET open. Use a 35% first tranche at the stated limit, 35% on an orderly retest and hold 30% in reserve. For GOOGL and AMAT, keep the final tranche until after Nvidia reports Wednesday unless the opening price is at least 3% below Monday’s close.
WATCHLIST
Good reports, weaker entries today
Options imply a 5.4% move after Wednesday’s report, equivalent to roughly $280B of market value. The stock has fallen seven sessions, but the event still dominates the entry.
Broadcom closed at $358.76 after a 2.63% fall and trades about 27.5% below its June high. The next earnings report is close enough to keep it out of today’s funded list.
Micron fell 5.83% to $910.43 after a 208% year-to-date run. The low forward multiple is attractive, but Nvidia’s read-through and Monday’s $887.60 low require confirmation.
PORTFOLIO HEAT
6.7 / 10
Moderate-high
Technology and AI demand still drive 40% of the allocation, but healthcare, energy infrastructure and banking reduce single-event dependence.
MARKET RISK CHECK
Yield and event risk remain elevated
The S&P 500 is only modestly lower, yet the 10-year yield at 4.74% and WTI above $85 leave little room for an earnings miss. Nvidia can reset the AI complex on Wednesday; trade and Iran headlines can move energy, inflation expectations and long-duration multiples before then.