In this piece, we discuss the 7 Best AI Advertising Stocks to Buy.
Artificial intelligence is reshaping the advertising industry from multiple directions at once, and recent developments point to three distinct trends behind that transformation.
In late 2025, CNBC reported that Build American AI, an advocacy group backed by the AI super PAC Leading the Future, launched a $10 million campaign pushing Congress toward a national AI regulatory framework that would preempt state laws. Donors behind the effort include Andreessen Horowitz, SV Angel’s Ron Conway, OpenAI’s Greg Brockman, and Palantir’s Joe Lonsdale, underscoring how deeply AI’s biggest backers are now embedded in policy fights that will shape the industry’s operating environment.
Meanwhile, consumer sentiment toward AI in advertising itself is proving complicated.
CNBC reported on January 1, 2026, that Porsche’s hand-sketched, largely AI-free animated ad drew praise online, arriving weeks after Coca-Cola’s AI-generated Christmas ad faced backlash from critics who called it soulless. Wharton marketing professor Americus Reed told CNBC that brands able to pair AI tools with authentic storytelling will gain an edge, while uninspired use of the technology could backfire.
On the infrastructure side, Forbes reported last year that eMarketer projects U.S. advertisers will direct more than $25 billion toward AI-powered search advertising by 2029, up from roughly $1.04 billion in 2025, as platforms like Shopify build real-time product feeds for AI shopping agents.
With that context in mind, let’s dive into our list of the best AI advertising stocks to buy.
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Our Methodology
To curate our list for this article, we relied on financial media sources to identify AI advertising stocks. We then narrowed the list to those with a low short percentage of float (%) and ranked them in descending order. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds and analysts.
Note: All data extracted as of June 15, 2026.
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. Insider Monkey’s quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 599.2% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 372 percentage points (see more details here).
7. Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP)
Short Float: 5.24%
Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP), with an upside potential of 53.15%, ranks among the best AI advertising stocks to buy.
Analyst coverage on Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP) has stayed upbeat through May, and the company followed with a fresh platform launch in June that builds on the competitive data advantage those analysts cite.
On May 12, 2026, DA Davidson raised its price target on Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP) to $16.50 from $16.00 and kept a “Buy” rating, citing solid first-quarter results with CexT slightly ahead of consensus. The firm said this year’s growth drivers remain intact: strong advertiser demand for CTV ads and expanding use of Viant’s AI-powered product suite.
That same day, Citizens reiterated a “Market Outperform” rating and $16.00 price target, saying Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP) is executing well on its enterprise pipeline and should see further share gains through 2026. The firm called its newest AI offering, Outcomes, another catalyst into 2027 as Viant pushes down market to SMB advertisers, and pointed to data assets, including Household ID, IRIS ID, and TVision data, acquired in early May, as difficult to replicate. Citizens views the risk/reward as attractive at roughly 6.4 times the 2027 estimated EBITDA.
On June 11, 2026, Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP) integrated those same data assets into enhanced Publisher Solutions, a centralized toolset giving publishers and advertisers shared access to monetization and supply insights. More than 20 partners, including LG Ads and TCL, joined the free rollout, anchored by SupplyIQ, a publisher dashboard built on Direct Access, Household ID, and IRIS ID data. CEO Tim Vanderhook said the goal is to be a more transparent marketplace with access to premium, signal-rich supply.
Viant Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:DSP) operates a cloud-based demand side platform for programmatic digital advertising across connected TV, streaming audio, digital out-of-home, mobile, and desktop channels.
6. AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP)
Short Float: 5.00%
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) is one of the best AI advertising stocks to buy, with an upside potential of 33.86%. The stock has drawn analyst attention as AppLovin approaches two general availability launches that could shape both its growth trajectory and near-term volatility.
On June 10, 2026, Benchmark reiterated a “Buy” rating and $775.00 price target on AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) shares. Analyst Mike Hickey said AppLovin’s recent investor presentation reinforced management’s view that its consumer advertising business remains in early stages, with a general availability milestone expected by the end of June to expand functionality, total addressable market, and advertiser accessibility. Management pointed to a disciplined rollout strategy, wallet share expansion opportunities, and AEBITDA margins above 80%, along with long-term growth vectors across demand and supply.
That same day, BofA Securities reiterated a “Buy” rating on AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) and $705.00 price target, flagging increased volatility heading into summer as the Axon self-serve platform opens to the public. The firm cited uncertain adoption pace, shifting intra-quarter sentiment from channel checks, and possible check-accuracy degradation as the advertiser base grows. BofA’s 2027 revenue model sits 14% above consensus, assuming 20,000 advertisers by the end of 2026 and 60,000 by the end of 2027, though it cautioned that those estimates could prove too high within months.
The setup follows Citi’s June 2, 2026, note, adding a 90-day upside catalyst watch with a “Buy” rating and $710 price target on AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP), pointing to the e-commerce platform’s planned general availability by June 30 as a potential driver of store growth and e-commerce revenue acceleration.
AppLovin Corporation (NASDAQ:APP) enables businesses to advertise profitably with marketing technologies that attract customers, increase revenue, and track ad performance. The company provides end-to-end software and AI solutions for businesses to reach, monetize, and grow their global audiences.
While we acknowledge the potential of APP 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 APP and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
Click to continue reading and see the 5 best AI advertising stocks to buy following Meta’s earnings beat.
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