12 Best AI Stocks Under $50 to Buy Right Now

10. Bigbear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BBAI)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 27

Bigbear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BBAI) is one of the best AI stocks under $50 to buy right now. On May 5, BigBear.ai reported its financial results for Q1 2026, highlighted by an expansion in gross margins and a robust increase in its project backlog. Quarterly revenue reached $34.4 million, a slight 1% decrease year-over-year, as lower volumes in Army programs were nearly offset by contributions from the late-2025 acquisition of Ask Sage.

Crucially, gross margins jumped to 34.0% from 21.3% in the prior year, driven by the higher-margin GenAI platforms integrated through the Ask Sage deal. The company’s total backlog grew 14% from the previous quarter to $281.9 million. This surge was primarily fueled by a $53 million sole-source prime classified award in the national security sector, alongside other wins totaling ~$75 million.

CEO Kevin McAleenan noted that these victories validate the company’s focus on national security and trade markets, keeping BigBear.ai on track to meet its full-year revenue targets. Bigbear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BBAI) affirmed its full-year 2026 revenue guidance of $135 to $165 million while also launching a new retail shareholder voting program to increase accessibility for its upcoming annual meeting.

Bigbear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BBAI) is a provider of AI solutions for defense, national security, and critical infrastructure, using machine learning at scale through its end-to-end data analytics platform.