In this article, we will take a detailed look at the 10 Most Popular Analyst Calls to Watch This Week.
Markets were pointing higher on Monday after seeing a massive bloodbath last week amid President Donald Trump’s new tariff warnings related to China. Many analysts believe the market overreacted last week, with investors taking profits after a long bull run amid high valuations and AI bubble concerns.
Patrick Moorhead of Moor Insights & Strategy said in a recent program on CNBC that the market was looking for “any reason” to sell, and found it. However, the analyst believes the selloff made “no sense” and was an “emotional” overreaction. He gave the example of Nvidia to explain his point:
“They (Nvidia) just zeroed it (China) out in all of their forecasts. But this is a left-brain emotional reaction. I mean, I understand companies like Apple, which do most of their manufacturing in China and a bit in India. But Nvidia, and even AMD in particular, make absolutely no sense.”
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10. VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (NASDAQ:PPH)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors:
Many analysts are picking healthcare stocks as indicators point to a potential rebound in the sector. Karen Finerman, CEO & Co-founder, Metropolitan Capital Advisors, said in a recent program on CNBC that she likes the VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF. Here is what the analyst said:
“VanEck Pharmaceutical ETF (NASDAQ:PPH), this is ETF, big cap pharma. I like it. I think there’s value in this space.”
9. Target Corp (NYSE:TGT)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 54
Dana Telsey from Telsey Advisors said in a latest program on CNBC that there’s “a lot of work to do” at Target Corp (NYSE:TGT) as the company is lagging behind its competitors. The analyst agreed with the program’s host that people “didn’t like” the new CEO change at the company.
“There’s a lot of work to do. They’re coming to my conference tomorrow. You have a new CEO that’s been appointed, promoted from within. You’ve got a consumer, which people didn’t like, by the way. Right. Well, they didn’t. They wanted like some slick outsider that might change things, right? Well, you need change. You look at the results lately. You need change. We have to see what that change is going to look like especially when you have so much competition whether it’s from the off-pricers. You’ve got Amazon Prime Day today, early indications of search interest for Amazon Prime Day pretty good, traffic up nearly 20%. Which is a big number.”
Matrix Asset Advisors stated the following regarding Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
“The market’s Q1 volatility provided opportunities to take profits on strength while very slowly redeploying the proceeds. With our larger-than-usual sales and scale-backs, we entered the current quarter with a higher-than usual cash balance, allowing us to add to some laggards and start a new position in Target Corporation (NYSE:TGT), a name we have held before in the portfolio. As we write this commentary, more stocks are nearing compelling levels, and we expect to accelerate our buying.
Target is a well-run retail company whose recent results were less than expected, causing the stock price to fall to attractive levels. Though we expect the economic slowdown and tariffs to depress near-term results, expectations are low enough to provide excellent appreciation from the current price. We started buying the shares a little above $100 at the end of March, down from a 52-week high of $177, and are adding to the position on weakness. The company trades for just over 12 times earnings and has a current well-covered dividend yield of 4.3% on March 31. It is one of only 55 companies that have raised their dividend annually for at least 50 years.”
8. IBM Common Stock (NYSE:IBM)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 63
Steven Grasso, the CEO of Grasso Global, said in a recent program on CNBC that he likes IBM. Here is what the analyst said:
“IBM Common Stock (NYSE:IBM) is a quiet way to play AI and a quiet way to play quantum. It never gets credit.”
IBM’s generative AI book of business exceeds $7.5 billion, which shows strong demand and client adoption. The company deployed its first Quantum System Two outside the U.S., in Japan, and continues initiatives like watsonx Orchestrate (generative AI and automation solution) and Client Zero to integrate AI into customer operations. Over the past three years, the company has seen strong revenue growth driven by Red Hat, hybrid cloud (OpenShift), automation (Ansible), AI, and security solutions.
However, the stock trades at a forward P/E of 25x, above its historical average of 16x. Its forward EV/EBITDA multiple stands at 17x, also higher than typical market levels.
7. Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 67
Courtney Garcia from Payne Capital Management recently recommended TOL in a latest program on CNBC. Here is what the analyst said:
“You saw the home builders downgraded and everything was down. I don’t think you want to throw out the baby with the bath water. I think Toll Brothers Inc (NYSE:TOL) is one to look at, which has the wealthier consumer. They’re more likely to buy in all cash. I think if you want to be in the space, that’s where you want to be.”
Toll Brothers is one of the top homebuilding companies in the US. It builds, markets, and finances for residential and commercial properties.
Baron Real Estate Fund stated the following regarding Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
“Toll Brothers, Inc. (NYSE:TOL) is a leading luxury homebuilder in the U.S. with an exceptional management team and a large, valuable owned land real estate portfolio. Toll Brothers is more insulated than its peers from elevated mortgage rates because approximately 25% of Toll Brothers home buyers pay 100% in cash.
The company is valued at only 1.1 times 2025 estimated tangible book value and a P/E multiple of less than 7 times earnings per share. In the past, Toll Brothers’ shares have appreciated to a peak multiple of 2.0 times tangible book value which would represent over 50% upside. We believe a multiple of 1.8 to 2.0 times tangible book value will ultimately be warranted based on the company’s aspirations to generate a consistent return on equity in a range of high teens up to 20% or more.”
6. TJX Companies Inc (NYSE:TJX)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 73
Dana Telsey from Telsey Advisors said during a program on CNBC that TJX is benefiting in the current retail environment because of its category diversification and partnerships. The analyst believes the company is a “winner.”
“You can look at brands and who’s doing new things in brands. You look at TJX and the category diversification that they have with the buys that they get because of the relationships with vendors and brands. They get better deals because of where they can distribute their product through their own, and basically they’re an umbrella because they’re lower price than a lot of the department stores and other players out there. TJX Companies Inc (NYSE:TJX) is a winner. I think it continues to win, and I think off-price overall. Let’s see Burlington’s comps, too.”
ClearBridge Growth Strategy stated the following regarding The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:
“Two newer positions also held up well: uniform and workplace products provider, Cintas, and off-price apparel retailer, The TJX Companies, Inc. (NYSE:TJX). TJX also put up a high-quality beat and has become a relative safe haven for investors amid elevated recession fears. The company has historically benefited from trade-down and inventory availability during periods of weaker consumer spending.”
5. Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 75
Tim Seymour, the founder and Chief Investment Officer of Seymour Asset Management, said in a recent program on CNBC that he likes fire, HVAC, and security equipment company JCI. Here is what the analyst said:
“Johnson Controls International PLC (NYSE:JCI). Key part of that data center trade, electrical components.”
ClearBridge Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:
“Several of the Strategy’s industrials holdings also continue to benefit from the growing focus on AI and the underlying infrastructure investments required to support it. Vertiv delivers power and thermal management systems critical for data center operations, while Johnson Controls International plc (NYSE:JCI) has a leading position in commercial HVAC for data centers, with a data center business larger than the next two competitors combined.”
4. Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 105
Dana Telsey from Telsey Advisors said in a latest program on CNBC that Walmart is benefiting from tariffs as people turn to retailers offering lower prices.
“Amazon, the ease with which it is, there’s definitely share to gain and especially what you’re going to see during this holiday season because we all know that these tariffs, price increases are coming steadily, not all at once. So where’s the share going to go? It’s going to off-pricers. It’s going to Walmart Inc (NYSE:WMT). It’s going to Amazon. We have to see what those companies that are enacting change, what can they deliver that’s exciting.”
Cracks have started to appear in the labor market, and analysts believe companies like WMT are set to benefit from sticky inflation and joblessness. WMT’s revenue is growing faster than the sector median, with improving profitability. Net margin has risen from 2.37% in 2021 to 3.08% (TTM). However, the stock trades at a forward P/E of 39.54, which is 2.4x the sector median of 15.89 and 65% above the S&P 500 average of 23.65.
3. Oracle Corp (NYSE:ORCL)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 124
Karen Finerman, CEO & Co-founder, Metropolitan Capital Advisors, recently discussed Oracle stock decline following a report that said the company’s AI Cloud business margins are thin. The analyst said she sees “cracks” in the ongoing run based on AI deals and has been decreasing her exposure:
“But I mean remember when that sort of stunning RPO report came out, right, of this giant giant backlog. There was at the time discussion of, I mean basically it was some wholesale business, right? So that was a kind of much lower margin business that would be low single digits. So I mean that’s not new that some of this there would be a margin hit here. I think it’s more the idea of the market is getting concerned about, you know, we see tons of just giant deals to your point. How will they happen? When will they happen? Will they ever reach the promise of these very, very huge headline numbers? And so they’re sort of wondering, all right, well, let’s see how it actually plays out. We haven’t really seen that yet. We do see Nvidia’s numbers because that’s revenue now, but we don’t see yet, they’ve talked about three to four trillion dollars over the next few years. We haven’t seen that yet. There just seems to be, I think, cracks in the belief that this is going to keep going gangbusters and ultimately it’s all going to be worth it. It’s not all going to be worth it to everyone who’s involved. So, I’ve actually been paring back somewhat on anything that has exposure.”
Why are some analysts reluctant about the Oracle-OpenAI deal? OpenAI is expected to burn about $115 billion over the next four years and is not projected to be profitable until 2030. Even after Nvidia’s latest $100 billion investment by Nvidia, OpenAI will likely need to raise over $200 billion in total funding to cover its commitments. Some analysts believe Oracle may need to borrow tens of billions to build enough data centers for the deal.
ClearBridge Large Cap Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
“During the quarter, the Strategy initiated new positions in infrastructure software providers Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) and Datadog and added to custom silicon developer Broadcom. Oracle, a leading provider of database software for large enterprises, has successfully expanded into cloud infrastructure as a platform to run generative AI workloads. Oracle is gaining share among hyperscalers due to its lower-cost data center architecture, which is well-suited for large scale AI training workloads. We believe Oracle’s share of the market will continue to grow over the next few years with profitability of this growth underappreciated by the market.”
2. UnitedHealth Group Inc (NYSE:UNH)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 159
Victoria Greene from G Squared Private Wealth said in a recent program on CNBC that UNH could turn around if the company executes. The analyst believes UNH is a cheap stock and made the case for the company in detail:
“It’s the behemoth that’s been beaten down for the last 12 months. And what we’re looking for is this is the turnaround quarter, and we’re really excited to see if they can actually execute. It’s on them to finally execute on their plans. They can’t just talk about it. What we need to see is not just cost-cutting, but we need to see revenue growth driven by a better medical loss ratio. That means, did they price their plans correctly? They already came out with some great news on their 78% of their plans are rated four-star or better, which makes them much more eligible for bonuses, enhanced rebates. The stock has the potential, if they execute, could see a really nice pop because you’re going to see more and more investors pile in. It’s a cheap stock, 15 times price-earnings. I think you’re going to see, if you have good news, possibly even a raise, but definitely, hey, we know how to price our insurance plans. This stock could really move and could be one that powers the Dow as well. It’s one of the more heavily weighted members of the Dow Jones Industrial Index.”
LRT Global Opportunities Strategy stated the following regarding UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) in its third quarter 2025 investor letter:
“UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH) stands as the premier, category-defining enterprise in the United States healthcare sector. The company has built an unparalleled competitive moat by uniquely combining a dominant health benefits platform, UnitedHealthcare, with a rapidly growing and diversified health services business, Optum. This integrated model creates a powerful, self reinforcing ecosystem that is fundamentally reshaping the delivery and management of healthcare, establishing UnitedHealth as a truly elite and durable compounding enterprise.
The foundation of the company’s strength begins with UnitedHealthcare, the nation’s largest private health insurer. Its immense scale provides significant and sustainable cost advantages, affording it superior negotiating power with healthcare providers and the ability to spread administrative costs over a massive membership base. This allows the company to offer competitive and attractive benefit plans while generating consistent, predictable cash flows. This benefits business serves as both a stable foundation and a vast data-gathering engine for the entire enterprise…” (Click here to read the full text)
1. NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Investors: 235
CNBC host Jon Fortt recently interviewed Jim Cramer and said that Cramer has been recommending the stock for years and went “all in” on the chipmaker back in 2017. Here is how Fortt explained how Cramer’s bull call panned out over the years:
“Time for a little history lesson. September 30th, 2009. That is the date when Jim Cramer first recommended NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA) on Mad Money. In 2010, the year I started at this network, CEO Jen-Hsun Huang had his first interview on that show. And June 20th, 2017, that is when Jim Cramer was all in on Nvidia stock, even naming his dog NVIDIA Corp (NASDAQ:NVDA). Nvidia stock now up more than 4,600% since then. So if you had invested a little more than $20,000 that day, you’d have $1 million from just that.”
Can NVDA keep rising?
The current AI boom cycle stems from spending by major tech companies, and Nvidia is the biggest beneficiary of this spending. In Q2 FY2026, three direct customers accounted for 23%, 19%, and 14% of NVDA’s accounts receivable. Almost all of the company’s revenue comes from AI-related infrastructure spending. In the latest quarter, $41.3 billion of the $46.7 billion revenue came from these clients. The music could stop for Nvidia if these major companies decide to slow down their spending amid a lack of ROI. If investors sense a weakness in CapEx spending, and the market begins to waver, NVDA stock price would be the first to see its impact.
Baird Chautauqua International and Global Growth Fund stated the following regarding NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in its second quarter 2025 investor letter:
“NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) reported first quarter results that were extremely solid. The company took a write-down on China-specific datacenter products and flushed out any future China contributions from their guidance, following the new export restrictions introduced in April. Demand commentary ex China was extremely encouraging—Nvidia is outgrowing expectations despite supply constraints and outgrowing competing ASIC products by a large margin. We have been underweight Nvidia relative to the benchmark, which was up 46% in the quarter, given our short-to medium-term concerns that the feverish AI datacenter build may be resulting in overcapacity, which has not come to bear.”
While we acknowledge the potential of NVDA to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVDA and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
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