Stocks to Buy Today
Five U.S.-listed AI leaders ranked after Nvidia’s latest earnings beat, with valuation discipline kept high before the opening bell.
Constructive • staged entries
U.S. session: closed; premarket opens at 4:00 a.m. ET
Latest regular close: Aug. 26, 2026
NVIDIA
The cleanest post-report AI infrastructure exposure: revenue and data-center growth again outran expectations, next-quarter guidance reset the earnings base higher, and the balance sheet remains unusually strong for this growth rate.
Price and analyst forecast
$209.66 Aug. 26 close; $219.53 after hours. Consensus target: $310.91. Upside from the regular close: 48.3%.
Latest confirmed results
Fiscal Q2 revenue was $96.2B, up 106% year over year; data-center revenue was $89.0B, up 117%. Adjusted EPS was $2.22; Q3 revenue guidance is $108B.
Forecast and valuation
Forward P/E: 18.4×. Three-year consensus growth: revenue 47.6%, EPS 50.2%. Net cash was about $61.0B after the report.
Model entry
Start only if the first 30 minutes hold $216–$220; reserve the larger tranche for $208–$212. Do not chase an opening print above $222.
Next check
Opening-volume support after the earnings gap, commentary on memory-cost pressure, and whether the market accepts the new $108B quarterly revenue guide.
Meta Platforms
Advertising growth is funding a large AI buildout, while the stock’s valuation and analyst upside remain more forgiving than most mega-cap peers. The model accepts near-term spending pressure in exchange for improving ad efficiency and optional compute monetization.
Price and analyst forecast
$576.14 close; $579.11 after hours. Consensus target: $754.84, implying 31.0% upside from the close.
Latest confirmed results
Q2 revenue rose 28% to $60.80B. Ad impressions increased 14%, average price per ad rose 12%, and daily active people averaged 3.60B.
Forecast and valuation
Forward P/E: 18.0×. Three-year consensus growth: revenue 21.5%, EPS 11.2%. Trailing-12-month free cash flow was about $41.0B.
Model entry
Use $565–$580 for the first tranche. Add only on a controlled pullback toward $550; avoid sizing up into a gap above $590.
Next check
Whether ad-pricing gains persist while capex accelerates, and whether operating margin normalizes after legal, severance and infrastructure charges.
Alphabet
Google Cloud’s AI-led acceleration, a net-cash balance sheet and continued Search monetization provide three distinct earnings engines. The entry is more attractive after the stock closed below its 50-day average.
Price and analyst forecast
$342.00 close; $342.94 after hours. Consensus target: $428.07, for 25.2% upside.
Latest confirmed results
Q2 Google Cloud revenue increased 82% to $24.8B. Google Services operating income rose 20% to $39.5B, with a 41.8% margin.
Forecast and valuation
Forward P/E: 25.7×. Three-year consensus growth: revenue 21.8%, EPS 17.2%. Net cash was about $121.7B.
Model entry
Build between $335–$344. Keep a second limit near $328; pause buying if the stock loses its 200-day area near $334 on heavy volume.
Next check
Cloud backlog conversion, Gemini-driven costs and Search resilience. The next immediate test is today’s rate response after 8:30 a.m. ET data.
Amazon
AWS growth has reaccelerated while retail scale continues to lift consolidated operating income. The stock offers useful AI exposure across cloud infrastructure, custom silicon and enterprise services, but capex requires a measured entry.
Price and analyst forecast
$260.28 close; $261.91 after hours. Consensus target: $327.00, implying 25.6% upside.
Latest confirmed results
Q2 net sales increased 20%; operating income rose 43% to $27.5B. AWS sales grew 37%, the fastest pace in more than four years.
Forecast and valuation
Forward P/E: 28.1×. Three-year consensus growth: revenue 15.2%, EPS 23.2%. Operating cash flow was $161.4B over the last 12 months.
Model entry
Start at $255–$262, then add near $248–$251. Avoid paying above $265 before the 8:30 a.m. macro data is absorbed.
Next check
AWS growth versus AI infrastructure depreciation, retail margin durability and whether capex begins to translate into positive free-cash-flow inflection.
Microsoft
The portfolio’s highest-quality enterprise software and AI distribution platform, supported by double-digit revenue and earnings growth. It ranks fifth because the shares are extended above key moving averages and offer the list’s lowest target upside.
Price and analyst forecast
$496.37 close; $495.94 after hours. Consensus target: $569.45, for 14.7% upside.
Latest confirmed results
Fiscal Q4 revenue rose 18% to $90.0B; operating income increased 18% to $40.6B. Non-GAAP EPS increased 23% to $4.74.
Forecast and valuation
Forward P/E: 25.1×. Three-year consensus growth: revenue 19.6%, EPS 18.5%. Trailing free cash flow was about $67.0B.
Model entry
Use a smaller first tranche at $485–$495. Prefer the second tranche near $470–$478; do not chase above $500.
Next check
Azure capacity additions, AI gross-margin pressure and capex efficiency. Entry quality improves if today’s yields rise and produce an orderly software pullback.
Forecast and valuation comparison
| Ticker | Price | Forecast | Fwd P/E | Avg target | Upside | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NVDA | $209.66 | 3Y EPS +50.2% | 18.4× | $310.91 | +48.3% | $208–$220 |
| META | $576.14 | 3Y rev. +21.5% | 18.0× | $754.84 | +31.0% | $565–$580 |
| GOOGL | $342.00 | 3Y EPS +17.2% | 25.7× | $428.07 | +25.2% | $335–$344 |
| AMZN | $260.28 | 3Y EPS +23.2% | 28.1× | $327.00 | +25.6% | $255–$262 |
| MSFT | $496.37 | 3Y rev. +19.6% | 25.1× | $569.45 | +14.7% | $485–$495 |
Prices are the Aug. 26 regular-session closes and all upside figures are recalculated from those prices; after-hours quotes appear inside each stock card. Consensus estimates and targets can lag new information—especially Nvidia’s just-released results—and targets are uncertain, not promised returns.
100% allocated across five AI engines
How the model ranks today’s list
- 35%Results and estimate revisions
- 25%Cash flow and balance sheet
- 20%Valuation against forecast
- 15%Entry quality after the move
- 5%Near-term event risk
Let price discovery happen first
At 3:34 a.m. ET, official U.S. premarket trading has not opened. Place limits only after the 4:00 a.m. premarket begins, keep at least half of each intended position unfilled through the 8:30 a.m. ET data, and avoid market orders at 9:30 a.m. For NVDA, wait 30 minutes after the cash open; for the other four, use two or three tranches and cancel limits if the 10-year yield jumps sharply above 4.66%.
Good reports, weaker entries today
Q2 revenue reached about $3.04B and adjusted EPS beat expectations, but the shares jumped 5.9% on Aug. 26 and trade near 63× trailing earnings.
Fiscal Q2 revenue rose 25.8% to $1.47B, ARR reached $5.84B and guidance increased; the stock then surged more than 10% after hours, weakening the immediate entry.
Q2 revenue grew 93% and U.S. commercial revenue rose 149%, but the Aug. 26 close of $177.50 still carried roughly 152× trailing earnings.
Selective, not cold
7.3/10
Growth and revisions are strong, led by Nvidia, but the model lowers heat for high rates, post-earnings gaps and heavy hyperscaler capex. Entry discipline matters more than adding beta.
Inflation and rates can overpower the AI beat
July PCE inflation reached 3.7%, the 10-year yield closed near 4.66%, and the market assigned a meaningful probability to a September Fed hike. A hot 8:30 a.m. ET labor or trade print could lift yields and reverse overnight AI gains. Oil near $82 remains another inflation sensitivity despite recent de-escalation.