In this article, we will list the 5 Best Major Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts. Please visit the 10 Best Major Stocks to Buy According to Wall Street Analysts if you’d like to see an extended list and methodology behind it.
5. Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA)
On April 10, Bank of America Securities’ analyst Matthew O’Neill maintained his Buy rating on the Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) stock. Alongside the rating, he also assigned a price target of $700 to the stock. This reflects upside of 34.3% from current levels.
However, on March 31, Timothy Chiodo, an analyst at UBS, lowered his price target on Mastercard shares from $700 to $650. This is quite close to where the stock is currently trading. Despite lowering the price target, the firm issued a positive note on the company’s prospects on April 6. Analysts believe the company has a strong pricing power and is set to benefit from its expansion into value-added services. Going forward, the firm sees a positive impact on the shares from forex trends, travel recovery, and pricing benefits.
Based on ratings from 41 different analysts, MA has a strong bullish sentiment, with a median price target of $665, representing 27.6% upside from here on. The highest price target on Wall Street is $735, which would bring investors an upside of 41%.
Mastercard Inc (NYSE:MA) operates in the payments industry and is one of the leading payment processors for everyday consumers, financial institutions, governments, and businesses. The company is headquartered in New York, United States.
4. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
According to a report released on April 10, Barclays analyst Ross Sandler reaffirmed a Buy rating on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), along with a price target of $800. The firm’s price target implies a further 16% upside from the current levels.
Based on data from Sensor Tower on April 10, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) saw an increase in downloads of its AI app following the launch of its new model called Muse Spark. Across the United States, iOS downloads surged 87% day-over-day to around 46,000. The app also moved up the App Store rankings and saw strong growth across other countries, while Android growth was modest. U.S. web traffic climbed even higher, rising over 450% day-over-day to an all-time high.
The data also highlighted the strong momentum in AI apps overall, with four of the top five apps on the U.S. App Store on April 9 being AI-related. A year earlier, only one AI app appeared in the top five.
Analyst Abe Yousef commented:
This massive surge in downloads could be attributed to the recent release of Meta’s new AI model, Muse Spark, which may have prompted a rise in consumer interest.
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) develops products that help people connect with their friends and family. The company operates through Reality Labs (RL) and Family of Apps (FoA). It operates major apps such as Instagram, Messenger, Facebook, Meta AI, Threads, and WhatsApp.
3. Adobe Inc (NASDAQ:ADBE)
On April 10, Citi analyst Tyler Radke lowered the rating on Adobe Inc (NASDAQ:ADBE) stock from $287 to $253. Despite a 12% reduction in the target price, the new price target still represents 3.7% upside from here on. Radke refuses to upgrade the Hold rating on ADBE shares as he does not see any changes in events that could increase the value of shares over the next 12 months.
This negative sentiment was evident across the software sector, mainly due to an announcement from Anthropic just a day earlier. The Project Glasswing announced on April 9 has the capability to detect security flaws in modern software, which is resulting in negative sentiment across software companies, particularly cybersecurity firms. As a result of this, analysts like Radke are becoming increasingly selective when picking software stocks.
On March 26, William Blair, a research firm, downgraded ADBE, citing intense competition in the software market. Supporting this statement, analyst Arjun Bhatia wrote to clients:
While we acknowledge that shares are inexpensive at 9 times free cash flow, our primary concern is around the intense competition Adobe faces, particularly in core Creative Cloud.
Arjun Bhatia mentioned the dominance of AI as a huge risk to the pricing power and long-term economics of Adobe’s business.
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) is a provider of multimedia and digital marketing software, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign. It also offers AI products such as Adobe FireFly and Adobe Sensei. The company was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in San Jose, California.
2. Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
On April 14, Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) denied reports that it is in talks to acquire any PC maker. A company spokesperson said that the media report is false and confirmed that NVDA is not involved in any discussions for such a deal. The clarification came after SemiAccurate reported that the company had been in negotiations for over a year to buy a large company that could reshape the personal computer industry. The report also suggested that a decision on the deal could be approaching.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) received a positive demand signal after Foxconn reported solid early first-quarter results, reflecting continued momentum in the global AI supply chain. Foxconn’s revenue increased 30% year-over-year to $66.6 billion, with March alone rising 45.6% to a record high. The growth was mainly driven by strong demand for AI infrastructure tied to Nvidia’s ecosystem. Despite some product transition challenges, Foxconn is still guiding for growth in the second quarter. It expects both quarter-over-quarter and year-over-year increase, which further supports a positive outlook for the broader AI supply chain.
Foxconn is also expanding its global manufacturing footprint through new investments in the United States and large-scale AI infrastructure projects in Taiwan. These initiatives include building advanced computing systems using Nvidia’s GB300 NVL72 platform, strengthening long-term demand visibility for the AI ecosystem.
Nvidia Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a fabless semiconductor and AI computing company that designs GPUs, AI accelerators, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), and system-on-a-chip units. Through its CUDA ecosystem, the company enables industries ranging from autonomous vehicles to scientific research by advancing AI, accelerated computing, and data center infrastructure.
1. Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Microsoft is one of the 10 best major stocks to buy according to Wall Street analysts. On April 13, Mark Moerdler of Bernstein maintained his Outperform rating on Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) and set a price target of $641. The analyst directly addressed a key point about the stock, which he believes is often misunderstood: AI spending.
According to the analyst, questions regarding Microsoft’s growth are not valid. The main concern among investors is not whether the firm is able to capture growth, but when exactly it is likely to do so. The short-term margin compression resulting from higher investments would not be a problem if the timeline were clearer.
Mark Moerdler pointed out that most of Microsoft’s AI spending is in the high-margin segments. Moreover, the pressure on Azure margins is also temporary, as early-stage AI workloads typically carry low margins. These should pick up soon, with a higher momentum likely in the second half of the year.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a global technology company that develops and sells a wide range of software, cloud services, devices, and business solutions, serving both individual users and enterprise customers worldwide. Its flagship products include Windows, Microsoft 365, Azure, LinkedIn, and Xbox.
While we acknowledge the potential of MSFT 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 MSFT and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 8 Best American Stocks to Buy and Hold in 2026 and 12 Best Mid Cap AI Stocks to Buy According to Hedge Funds.
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 address below.
