On June 17, Todd Rosenbluth, VettaFi director of research, joined CNBC’s Dom Chu on ETF Edge to discuss the broader context of tech investing amidst a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape, specifically addressing the volatility observed around the Middle East conflict and its comparison to the impact of tariffs in April-May. Rosenbluth noted that while the geopolitical developments have been jarring, their quantitative volatility in the markets has been less pronounced than that caused by the tariffs.
Rosenbluth attributed the current bout of volatility to investors and advisors in 2025 becoming more accustomed to a generally more volatile market environment. He suggested a higher level of acceptance for this volatility. From the perspective of ETF flows, he observed a growing interest in fixed income ETFs, particularly short-term ones, as investors seek to earn income with minimal risk. Delving into whether mega-cap tech stocks still serve as a safe haven for investors, as they did in previous periods of market turbulence, Rosenbluth acknowledged that while investors gravitated towards tech as a haven during the COVID-19 sell-off in 2020, perceiving it as the lowest-risk part of the market then, the current trend shows a flight to safety in the equity markets shifting towards more defensive sectors.
He concluded that while large-cap tech might still be considered a relatively safe haven, investors are seeking the benefits of diversification as well. That being acknowledged, we’re here with a list of the 13 best QQQ stocks to buy according to hedge funds.
A successful investor reviewing the NASDAQ-100 Index® portfolio on a touchscreen monitor.
Methodology
We sifted through the Invesco QQQ exchange-traded fund (ETF) holdings to find the 13 best stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of the number of hedge funds that have stakes in them, as of Q1 2025. The hedge fund data was sourced from Insider Monkey’s database, which tracks the moves of over 1000 elite money managers.
Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
13 Best QQQ Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds
13. Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 82
Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) is one of the best QQQ stocks to buy according to hedge funds. On June 18, Arup and Autodesk announced a partnership to develop carbon management solutions for the architecture, engineering, construction, and operations/AECO industries. The collaboration is first-of-its-kind for Autodesk under a new collaboration model to enable sustainable outcomes at scale.
The partnership seeks to develop actionable tools and frameworks for decarbonization and address the carbon footprint of the built environment sector, which accounts for ~34% of energy-related carbon emissions worldwide. The urgency of this initiative is underscored by projections that the global building floor area will double by 2060, with three-quarters of the infrastructure existing in 2050 yet to be built.
The collaboration includes the development of Building Information Modeling/BIM guidelines for carbon assessment through the World Business Council for Sustainable Development/WBCSD. The plan explores the standardization of whole life carbon data journeys and integrates BIM automation for Whole Life Carbon Assessment methods. It uses AI for decarbonization R&D.
Autodesk Inc. (NASDAQ:ADSK) provides 3D design, engineering, and entertainment technology solutions worldwide. Arup Group Limited is a professional services firm that provides design, engineering, architecture, planning, and advisory services across every aspect of the built environment.
12. Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 91
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) is one of the best QQQ stocks to buy according to hedge funds. On June 18, B. Riley Securities analyst Craig Ellis raised the price target for Lam Research from $95 to $115, while maintaining a Buy rating on the shares. The adjustment cited ample upside room ahead due to the company’s strong financial targets and robust growth in new product revenue and market share.
In FQ3 2025, the company achieved a revenue of $4.72 billion, which was an 8% increase from the prior quarter. Key revenue compositions for the quarter included Memory at 43%, Foundry at 48%, and Logic and Other at 9%. Regionally, China contributed 31% of the revenue, with Taiwan and Korea each accounting for 24%.
Lam Research demonstrated leadership in virtual fabrication with new licensing agreements for its SEMulator3D platform in the quarter. However, the company experienced a decrease in memory systems revenue, as well as logic and other systems revenue, due to reduced leading-edge spending.
Lam Research Corporation (NASDAQ:LRCX) designs, manufactures, markets, refurbishes, and services semiconductor processing equipment used in the fabrication of integrated circuits.
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