In this piece we will look at the 5 Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down. Please visit 10 Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down if you’d like to see an extended list and how we came up with the list of Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down.
5. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)
Analyst Upside Potential: 27.57%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 150
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down.
On April 14, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) was reiterated with a Buy rating by Citi. However, the firm lowered the price target from $735 to $675. Citi noted that despite the ongoing macroeconomic volatility, the company’s fundamentals remain intact. Moreover, the firm also highlighted stable consumer spending trends, which boost optimism for Mastercard. Citi attributed the price target reduction solely to lower multiples in the peer group, not company-specific issues.
In separate news, on March 31, Loop Capital initiated coverage of Mastercard with a Buy rating and a $631 price target. Analyst Dominick Gabriele noted strong growth prospects despite recent stock weakness. Gabriele pointed to key opportunities, including expanding into new geographies, value-added services, agentic transactions, international cash-to-card shifts, and rising cross-border volumes. The firm believes that these factors position Mastercard to outpace payment processor peers in net revenue growth through new transaction generation and market share gains.
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. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)
Analyst Upside Potential: 26.18%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 184
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down.
The Street has a bullish sentiment on Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) as 93% of the 40 analysts covering the stock have a Buy rating on the stock. Moreover, analysts’ 12-month average price target on the stock represents more than 26% upside from the current level.
Recently, on April 14, Citi maintained a Buy rating on the stock but lowered the price target from $450 to $400. The firm noted that, regardless of the ongoing macroeconomic uncertainties, the fundamentals of Visa remain intact. The firm also highlighted stable consumer spending trends, which support Visa’s business. However, despite the overall positive sentiment and strong fundamentals, the price target was lowered due to lower multiples in the group.
That said, earlier on April 7, Baird lowered the price target on Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) from $425 to $375 and maintained an Outperform rating on the stock. The firm noted updating its valuation model ahead of the company’s FQ2 2026 earnings. Visa is expected to release its earnings on April 28. The Street anticipates revenue around $10.75 billion along with a GAAP EPS of $3.05.
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a payment technology company operating in the United States and internationally. It operates VisaNet, a transaction processing network that handles the clearing, authorization, and settlement of payments. The company offers its services under different brands such as PLUS, Visa, V PAY, Visa Electron, and Interlink.
3. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)
Analyst Upside Potential: 23.45%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 256
Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down. On April 20, Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and CBRE, which is a major real estate and data center service company, announced a multi-year partnership. The collaboration is a multi-year initiative that aims to train thousands of fiber technicians in the United States.
The companies highlighted that this training will help address a critical issue of the shortage of trained labor for building advanced data centers, which Meta needs to fuel its AI and cloud computing growth.
As part of this partnership, CBRE will open multiple US training centers in summer 2026. At these training centers, the workers will be taught skills such as installing fiber-optic cables, network gear, and other data center infrastructure. Moreover, management also noted that graduates from these training programs will get priority placement at Meta’s construction sites.
Overall, the Street is bullish on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) with 90% of the 72 analysts covering the stock maintaining a Buy rating. The 12-month average price target reflects more than 27% upside from the current level.
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.
2. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Analyst Upside Potential: 32.64%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 264
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down.
On April 18, Reuters announced that Cerebras Systems, which is a venture capital-backed, Silicon Valley-based company, filed for a US initial public offering. This can mean direct competition for NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA), as on its website, Cerebras Systems boasts to “stand alone as the world’s fastest AI inference and training platform.” According to Reuters, Cerebras aims to compete with Nvidia with different types of AI chips that don’t rely on high-bandwidth memory.
The timeline, number of shares, and price of shares are not decided yet. The company says it plans to IPO when the market conditions are favorable. Despite this, Cerebras has already gained some big customers, including OpenAI, Amazon, and Meta. Notably, the company’s deal with OpenAI includes a $20 billion contract under which the ChatGPT creator will deploy 750 megawatts of the company’s chip.
While the IPO of Cerebras Systems will result in increased competition for Nvidia, with the pace at which the AI chip market has been growing, there’s room for several companies in the space. Moreover, the Street remains bullish on NVDA as 93% of the 70 analysts covering the stock have maintained a Buy rating. The average 12-month price target suggests more than 32% upside from the current level.
NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) designs and manufactures graphics processing units (GPUs), system-on-a-chip units (SoCs), and AI hardware and software. Its GPUs are used in gaming, high-performance computing, AI training, and inference and serve as the backbone of data center infrastructure worldwide.
1. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Analyst Upside Potential: 38.60%
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 312
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the Best Stocks to Buy While the Market Is Down.
On April 16, Reuters reported that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Stellantis have entered a five‑year strategic partnership. As part of this collaboration, Stellantis will rely heavily on Microsoft’s cloud, AI, and cybersecurity expertise to modernize its digital and engineering operations as cars become more software‑driven.
The report noted that both companies will jointly develop more than 100 AI initiatives and will also roll out digital features for vehicles. The partners aim to speed up innovation, improve software‑based features, and make Stellantis more competitive against tech‑savvy rivals. No financial details of the deal have been disclosed yet.
That said, the Street is bullish on Microsoft; around 93% of the 59 analysts covering the stock have a Buy rating. The average 12-month price target suggests more than 38% upside from the current level. Recently, on April 21, Piper Sandler reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a price target of $500. The firm cited strong AI growth as the key reason behind its bullish sentiment.
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.
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