In this article, we’ll look at the 11 AI Stocks That Will Go to the Moon.
The artificial intelligence trade is alive and well, even as valuation concerns continue to send shockwaves on Wall Street. Five companies committing to spend $700 billion on AI infrastructure is the clearest indicator that the AI boom is only getting started. Famed portfolio manager Cathie Wood, who projects data center capital expenditure will climb to $1.4 trillion, further underscores the tremendous opportunities around AI plays.
At the same time, AI’s rapid evolution is reshaping investor sentiment across other sectors. Real estate, trucking, and logistics are the latest to feel the brunt of the revolutionary technology. They join financial and software-as-a-service stocks that have plunged amid AI fears. Billionaire investor Elon Musk has already warned that office towers could soon be empty as the AI revolution replaces workers.
According to Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, AI has turned technology into a more competitive sport. Software firms once cherished for their sticky subscriptions are already feeling the pressure as AI threatens to automate workflows.
“Software stocks were particularly affected after Anthropic introduced new tools for its Cowork product,” he said. “While it remains to be seen how impactful these new tools will be, investors have reduced the valuation multiples of software companies.”
Software companies that show AI can act as a growth enabler rather than just a competitive threat are the only ones likely to shrug off the onslaught.
Meanwhile, Dan Ives of Wedbush has downplayed the software Armageddon, insisting it’s been blown out of proportion. The famed investor expects software stalwarts to be at the heart of the AI revolution rather than be cannibalized. Blackstone Chief Executive Officer Steve Schwarzman has also brushed aside talk of a data center bubble.
“This is not bubble-type work,” Schwarzman stated. “This represents a highly conservative approach.”
Against this backdrop of dynamic investment and debate, let’s look at some of the best AI stocks that are likely to benefit from heightened AI spending and deployment.
Our Methodology
To compile our list of the 11 AI Stocks That Will Go to the Moon, we reviewed news articles and Insider Monkey’s database of prominent AI stocks. We settled on companies with significant exposure to AI and that are popular among elite hedge funds in Q3 2025. We trimmed the list by selecting AI stocks with an upside potential of more than 50% as of February 20, 2026. Finally, we ranked the stocks in ascending order of their upside potential.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research shows we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 427.7% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 264 percentage points (see more details here).
AI Stocks That Will Go to the Moon
11. Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL)
Stock Upside Potential: 50.08%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 77
Marvell Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 2, Marvell Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) announced the completion of its acquisition of Celestial AI, a specialist in optical interconnect technology. The deal enhances Marvell’s capabilities in high‑bandwidth, low‑latency connectivity solutions for AI and cloud data centers. However, the acquisition is not expected to contribute to revenue until the second half of fiscal 2028.
On February 3, UBS lowered its price target on Marvell to $115 from $120, while maintaining a Buy rating. UBS noted that the Celestial AI acquisition will have a near‑term dilutive impact on earnings, projecting EPS reductions of about $0.20 in fiscal 2027 and $0.16 in fiscal 2028. Revenue from Celestial AI is expected to begin in Marvell’s fiscal third quarter of 2028, with Amazon as the initial customer, though expense dilution will not be offset until the fourth quarter of that year.
The firm maintained its 2026 revenue forecast at $9.7 billion but raised its 2027 projection to $12.7 billion. EPS estimates were lowered to $3.26 for 2026 and $4.69 for 2027. Overall, UBS sees Marvell’s strong financial position and expanded technology portfolio as supportive of long‑term growth, even as near‑term earnings face pressure from integration costs.
Marvell Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRVL) is a major enabler of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, focusing on high-speed connectivity, data storage, and custom compute silicon for data centers. It provides essential components, such as Ethernet switches, optical DSPs, and active electrical cables, that enable fast, low-latency communication between AI accelerators.
10. Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG)
Stock Upside Potential: 52.53%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 72
Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 17, analysts at Stifel reiterated a Buy rating and a $160 price target on Datadog stock (NASDAQ:DDOG). The positive stance is in response to the management team reiterating its commitment to expanding growth opportunities across newer products and sales motions.
Management is also increasingly broadening the company’s go-to-market efforts into un-penetrated areas in pursuit of growth opportunities. There is also increased focus on larger enterprise accounts in a bid to unlock new opportunities. The push is expected to result in an operating margin of more than 25%.
Stifel remains confident in Datadog’s long-term prospects, given significant runway in the core product set and emerging opportunities in newer products. The research firm expects sustained sales and marketing investments to strengthen the company’s push for 20%+ growth.
On February 17, analysts at DA Davidson reiterated a Buy rating and a $225 price target. The firm attended Datadog’s investor day in New York, where the company outlined its platform roadmap, autonomous observability strategy, and AI product plans, including ARR disclosures for Security and AI customers. Datadog reiterated financial targets, and DA Davidson noted the event clarified its positioning in autonomous observability.
Datadog, Inc. (NASDAQ:DDOG) is a cloud-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform that provides unified monitoring, observability, and security for modern IT infrastructure and applications. It enables DevOps teams, developers, and security engineers to monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize their technology stack in real time.
9. Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW)
Stock Upside Potential: 54.88%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 102
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 11, Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) sentiment received a significant boost after Wolfspeed confirmed it has expanded its use of the company’s AI Data Cloud.
Wolfspeed has unified its factory, supply chain, and enterprise data across Snowflake’s platform. It has also integrated Snowflake Cortex AI into daily manufacturing to enhance decision-making. It is using the company’s AI to improve manufacturing efficiency, quality, and workforce training.
“By applying AI across our operations, we’re giving teams better visibility into what’s happening on the factory floor and across the business so they can act earlier, work more safely, and deliver higher-quality outcomes.” said Priya Almelkar, senior vice president and chief information officer at Wolfspeed.
Earlier, on February 2, Snowflake entered into a multiyear, $200 million strategic partnership with AI startup OpenAI. Under the terms of the agreement, Snowflake customers will use OpenAI models, such as GPT-5.2, with tools like Snowflake Cortex AI to build custom applications and agents.
Additionally, the pact allows Snowflake to bring OpenAI models and enterprise-grade data to enable organizations to build and deploy AI on top of their valuable assets.
Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW) provides a cloud-based, fully managed data platform that enables organizations to consolidate, analyze, and share data. It operates across major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud) and is designed to break down data silos, enabling rapid data engineering, analytics, and application development without the complexity and manual effort of traditional infrastructure.
8. Upstart Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST)
Stock Upside Potential: 57.63%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 37
Upstart Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 17, Upstart Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) unveiled a new line of credit, Cash Line, designed to provide customers with access to funds as needed.
Cash Line is designed as an alternative to the unreliable and often predatory short-term options available in the market. It comes with a guaranteed minimum of $200 for all approved customers. It also offers a line of credit of up to $ 5,000, five times more than other players in the industry. It also stands out because it does not charge any extra fees for expedited access. It also comes with a Rest Mode that allows consumers to control their repayment schedule.
“Cash Line is Upstart’s next great leap toward always-on credit for every American,” said Dave Girouard, co-founder and CEO of Upstart. “We are rapidly building a one-stop shop for all flavors of credit where guaranteed best rates are available 24/7 in a matter of minutes. Cash Line offers reliable access to money in the moments that matter the most.”
Earlier, on February 13, Goldman Sachs upgraded Upstart to Neutral from Sell and set a $35 price target. According to the investment bank, the stock has underperformed significantly, creating a more balanced risk-reward profile for investors.
Upstart Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:UPST) is a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) lending marketplace that partners with banks and credit unions to provide consumer loans. Founded in 2012 by former Google employees, the company aims to improve access to affordable credit while reducing the risk and costs of lending for its partners.
7. CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEVA)
Stock Upside Potential: 57.64%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 12
CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEVA) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. It is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 17, CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEVA) delivered fourth-quarter and full-year results. The company had a landmark year with record fourth-quarter revenue and the strongest royalty quarter in more than 4 years.
Revenue in the fourth quarter was up 7% year over year to $31.3 million, representing the highest quarterly revenue. The robust revenue growth came as the company signed 18 licensing agreements affirming demand across AI connectivity and sensing. Royalty revenue was up 2% to $13.8 million. Meanwhile, full-year revenue rose 2% to $109.6 million, with licensing revenue up 65% to $63.6 million.
Diluted loss per share shrank to $0.04 compared to a diluted loss of $0.07 delivered in the fourth quarter of 2024. Operating income increased to $5.7 million from $4.5 million a year earlier in the same quarter. The company delivered non-GAAP net income of $10.8 million, or $0.42 a share, compared to $9 million, or $0.36 a share, in 2024.
Yaniv Arieli, Chief Financial Officer of Ceva, said: “We delivered record fourth-quarter revenues and achieved 18% non-GAAP operating margins, reflecting disciplined execution and improving mix.
CEVA, Inc. (NASDAQ:CEVA) is a leading licensor of silicon and software intellectual property (IP) specialized for smart edge devices. The company designs and licenses technologies that enable devices to connect, Sense, and efficiently infer (AI) data.
6. Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM)
Stock Upside Potential: 66.98%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 119
Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 18, Salesforce Inc. (NYSE:CRM) entered into an agreement to acquire Momentum. The acquisition of the conversational insights and revenue orchestration platform will extend Agentforce 360 and Slackbot abilities to ingest and analyze unstructured data from third-party voice and video channels.
Salesforce plans to merge Momentum’s universal ingestion engine with Agentforce 360 and Slackbot to capture interactions from third-party voice and video applications. The merger should accelerate the company’s push to unlock the long tail of conversational data.
“Momentum accelerates our roadmap by unlocking the long tail of conversational data and bringing it directly into our platform. This ensures Agentforce 360 and Slackbot can incorporate the true voice of the customer to drive complex, multi-step workflows,” said Steve Fisher, President and Chief Product Officer at Salesforce.
On February 17, UBS lowered its price target of Salesforce to $200 from $260 while reiterating a Neutral rating. The price target cut follows discussion with Salesforce customers and partners. According to the research firm, feedback on Agentforce has improved significantly, and customers are not showing signs of replacing Salesforce with AI-built alternatives. However, the firm notes there is evidence of increasing backlog or revenue growth rates.
Salesforce Inc (NYSE:CRM) is a leading cloud-based software company that provides a comprehensive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, connecting businesses with their customers through integrated AI, data, and applications.
5. ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW)
Stock Upside Potential: 77.35%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 104
ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 12, ServiceNow Inc (NYSE:NOW) announced the acquisition of Pyramid Analytics. The acquisition of the unified AI-powered business analytics and data science platform is part of the company’s bid to develop solutions that help organizations turn data into action.
Pyramid Analytics’ acquisition comes on the heels of its acquisitions of Data World and Veza, as it continues to build additional context and semantics into its software stack. A Merger of Pyramid Analytics capabilities and the ServiceNow AI platform will help customers turn self-service insights into action without leaving their workflows.
Earlier, on January 30, Bernstein reiterated an Outperform rating and a $219 price target on ServiceNow. According to the research firm, ServiceNow is a large-cap growth opportunity at a discount, as it appears relatively cheap compared to its peers. The research firm expects the company to deliver 30 basis points of currency-neutral subscription revenue growth. The growth would be driven by artificial intelligence reaching $1.2 billion in annual contract value in FY26, compared to the company’s guidance of $1 billion.
ServiceNow Inc. (NYSE:NOW) provides a cloud-based AI platform—the Now Platform—that automates enterprise workflows to improve efficiency across IT, HR, customer service, and security operations. It acts as a central digital hub, using AI and automation to replace manual tasks, streamline business processes, and connect disparate systems, helping organizations operate more intelligently.
4. Zscaler Inc (NASDAQ:ZS)
Stock Upside Potential: 81.14%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 50
Zscaler Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 17, Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz lowered his price target of Zscaler Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) to $265 from $310 and reiterated an Outperform rating. The price target cut comes amid concerns of multiple compressions in the sector.
Despite the price target cut, the analyst believes there are uncommonly attractive investment opportunities in the software sector for investors willing to be somewhat patient. Sentiment in the software sector remains muted amid fears of disruption from artificial intelligence.
Meanwhile, on February 13, Bernstein upgraded Zscaler to an Outperform and cut its price target to $228 from $264, noting Feb. 26 earnings could act as a re‑rating catalyst. The sentiment follows a December downgrade of the stock on concerns about the durability of the company’s 20% growth amid heightened competition. There were concerns that the company’s growth could drop below 20% by 2028 and to 15% over the next five years.
Zscaler Inc (NASDAQ:ZS) is a cloud-native cybersecurity company that provides a “Zero Trust Exchange” platform to securely connect users, devices, and applications from any location, replacing traditional, perimeter-based security appliances with a cloud-based model. It specializes in securing internet access (ZIA), private applications (ZPA), and digital experiences (ZDX) for enterprises.
3. Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU)
Stock Upside Potential: 100.71%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 96
Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 10, BMO Capital lowered its price target for Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) to $624 from $810 while maintaining an Outperform rating. The price target cut follows an annual survey of US tax filers that showed favorable trends for the company’s TurboTax product line.
According to the research firm, strong TurboTax Full Service metrics and an expanded local strategy should help the company navigate difficult comparisons in 2026. Nevertheless, the research firm has warned that the online segment, excluding the ‘Live’ features, appears shakier, which is a significant risk as advertising focus shifts to Expert services.
Similarly, BMO has quashed concerns about AI’s negative impact on the company. According to the research firm, the company boasts a diversified product mix, well-positioned to drive strong results in the years to come.
On February 18, Intuit has selected Fourlane as the official reseller of Intuit Enterprise Suite, the company’s artificial intelligence-native ERP solution built to help complex mid-market organizations scale.
“As an official Intuit Enterprise Suite reseller, we’re helping clients unlock automation, AI-driven insights, and real-time financial visibility,” said Marjorie Adams, CEO of Fourlane. “We’re extending our decade-long QuickBooks leadership into a next-generation ERP platform designed for multi-entity and project-based organizations ready to scale.”
Intuit Inc. (NASDAQ:INTU) is a global financial technology platform that provides software and services. It operates an AI-driven expert platform that integrates generative AI (GenAI) across its products—TurboTax, QuickBooks, and Credit Karma. It also uses AI to automate financial tasks, provide personalized insights, and act as a “done-for-you” tool.
2. Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX)
Stock Upside Potential: 119.55%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 19
Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On February 18, Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) came under pressure after regulatory filings indicated that Nvidia had divested all its stake in the company.
The giant semiconductor company exited its previous holding of 7.71 million shares in Recursion Pharmaceuticals, which is making a name for itself by leveraging artificial intelligence to accelerate and enhance drug discovery. NVIDIA had maintained its stake in the company for 2 years and was viewed as a vote of confidence in the AI-driven approach to drug discovery.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals has grown its end-to-end AI drug discovery platform by integrating clinical data to support patient translation. Last year, it unveiled a whole-genome map comprising 46 million images of microglial cells to facilitate the identification of new targets.
On February 18, Recursion announced it will share business updates and report Q4 and full‑year 2025 results on February 25.
Recursion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:RXRX) is a “TechBio” company that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and high-throughput automation to accelerate drug discovery, aiming to reduce the high failure rates and costs of traditional drug development. It operates a proprietary AI-powered platform called the Recursion Operating System (ROS).
1. Innodata Inc. (NASDAQ:INOD)
Stock Upside Potential: 146.75%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 21
Innodata Inc. (NASDAQ:INOD) is one of the AI stocks that will go to the moon. On January 29, Innodata Inc. (NASDAQ:INOD) was selected by Palantir to provide high-quality training data and data engineering services. The company is to provide specialized annotation, multimodal data engineering, and generative AI workflow support for select programs.
In addition, Innodata Inc teams are to work directly within Palantir’s development and deployment workflows to process highly complex data modalities, including video imagery and multimodal sensor data. The joint partnership seeks to enhance the development of sophisticated AI capabilities in computer vision and geospatial analytics.
The strategic partnerships underscore Innodata’s growing credibility as a trusted data engineering partners to leading artificial intelligence companies.
“Together, we are enabling next-generation enterprise AI deployments. Palantir’s requirements validate the investments we have made in domain-expert annotation, end-to-end generative-AI workflow enablement, rigorous quality systems, and secure global operations,” said Vinay Malkani, Senior Vice President, Innodata Federal.
Earlier, on January 20, Innodata secured a contract with the Missile Defense Agency for the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD). The company is to compete for future task orders across research, development, engineering, and prototyping of missile defense systems.
Innodata Inc. (NASDAQ:INOD) is a global data engineering company that specializes in preparing, annotating, and managing data to train artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) models.
While we acknowledge the potential of INOD 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 INOD and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 11 High-Growth Industrial Stocks to Buy and 10 Best Emerging Markets Stocks to Buy Right Now.
Disclosure: None. Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge funds’ investor letters by entering your email below.
