We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Quality Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) stands against the other quality stocks.

Income-Focused Investing

The stock market has seen a notable 20% increase year-to-date, but as it approaches the seasonally volatile months leading up to Election Day, potential volatility is expected. The S&P 500 has historically pulled back 5% to 10% around election time but tends to recover afterward.

Instead of cashing out, investors are encouraged to take advantage of any market pullbacks. Historically, when the Fed cuts rates without an impending recession, it creates a favorable environment for broader market performance. Mona Mahajan, Edward Jones senior investment strategist, recently appeared on CNBC to discuss her similar sentiment on these latest market trends, and where investors can find opportunities right now. We talked about this in our article about the 10 Best WallStreetBets Stocks To Buy Right Now, here’s an excerpt from it:

“When asked if investors should consider cashing out and taking a holiday for the remainder of the year, Mahajan advised against such a move. Instead, she suggested that if there are pullbacks or corrections in the market, it would be prudent to lean into those opportunities… Additionally, rate cuts typically lead to expanded valuations, particularly for sectors that have lagged behind in this regard. She emphasized that lower borrowing costs from Fed rate cuts would benefit both consumers and corporations.

In terms of investment strategies during potential downturns, she recommended focusing on cyclical sectors such as utilities and industrials while also maintaining exposure to technology and the artificial intelligence sectors. Mahajan underscored that diversification would be key over the next 12 to 18 months.”

Global Investment Strategist at ProShares Advisors, Simeon Hyman, appeared on CNBC on October 2 to emphasize ‘income’ as a key focus, highlighting the opportunity in fixed-income markets, which could provide 10-15% returns if geopolitical tensions worsen. He thinks that the US economy is stronger than the rest of the world despite tensions.

Simeon Hyman emphasized the importance of the term ‘income’ in the context of current market conditions, noting that the market was just 1% off its all-time highs. This situation presents a salary cut for income-oriented investors, highlighting the challenges they face. However, the fixed-income market offers a silver lining; it currently provides enough yield to cushion against worsening geopolitical tensions. For instance, the yield on the 10-year bond is nearly 4%, and there is potential for it to drop to 3% or lower if significant negative events occur. This scenario presents an opportunity for investors to realize gains of 10% or 15% on bonds in a tumultuous environment, a situation not seen in over a decade.

Despite the current market being down by 3.7%, which is slightly less than 4%, Hyman insisted that rounding was at play. He expressed surprise at this performance given ongoing geopolitical tensions but pointed out that positive economic news in the US persists. Specifically, there has been a 50-basis point cut and indications of a soft landing for the economy. A month-over-month increase of just 0.1% suggests that if one can overlook geopolitical issues, the US economy is faring better than many others globally and remains on solid economic footing.

Additionally, Hyman proposed a covered call strategy focused on the Russell 2000 index, which has been underperforming compared to the S&P 500. He described this strategy as beneficial because it allows investors to generate income that could offset recent losses while maintaining a bullish position in small caps. Historically, rate cuts have positively impacted small-cap stocks, and this strategy enables investors to capitalize on that trend while also generating income through covered calls.

For risk-averse investors, the current emphasis on fixed-income markets as a viable investment option aligns well with the insights shared by Simeon Hyman, who highlighted the potential for 10-15% returns in bonds amid geopolitical tensions. Additionally, they may also explore quality stocks with reliable growth histories, which can provide stability in uncertain market conditions, similar to the defensive strategies Hyman suggested. As investors try to track stock performances to find strategies, we’re here with a list of the 10 Best Quality Stocks to Buy According to Analysts.

Methodology

To compile our list, we first sifted through Vanguard U.S. Quality Factor ETF holdings to find the ones with an upside potential of over 15% as of October 4, 2024. We then selected the 10 stocks that were the most popular among elite hedge funds and that analysts were bullish on. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their analysts’ upside potential.

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 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA)

Average Upside Potential: 22.10%

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 179

NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) is known for its high-performance GPUs, which are widely used in gaming, artificial intelligence, data centers, and professional visualization. Its GPUs are essential for powering advanced graphics and computing tasks, and they are a key component in many modern technologies, such as self-driving cars, virtual reality, and supercomputers.

The company recently partnered with Accenture. Management recently talked about this partnership and its new AI chip, Blackwell. Blackwell is now being made in large numbers, and there is a lot of demand for it. AI will help businesses innovate faster through the partnership with Accenture. In late August, management also approved a $50 billion share buyback program.

NetApp released a new AI tool on September 25 that uses NVIDIA technology to help businesses manage their data. Elon Musk’s company, xAI, is using 100,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs for its AI project, Colossal. Colossal may grow to use H200 GPUs and Blackwell chips in the future.

Its networking platform for AI, Spectrum X, is expected to be worth billions of dollars within a year. The company recently partnered with Salesforce to help businesses use AI and data better. In September, the company also introduced a new AI tool called Aerial to improve wireless networks for mobile devices, robots, self-driving cars, and 5G.

Its software called CUDA gives it an advantage over competitors. However, the company’s future depends on continuing to innovate and find ways to make money from AI. CUDA is a tool that helps developers use GPUs for different kinds of computing. Experts think the company should focus more on robotics to grow.

Columbia Contrarian Core Fund stated the following regarding NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

“NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) – Following the release of first-quarter earnings in May featuring record revenue growth of 262% year over year, NVIDIA continued its upward march. On June 10, shares of the company began trading on a split-adjusted basis following a 10-for-1 forward stock split, making stock ownership more accessible to employees and investors alike. Just one week later, the company officially surpassed Microsoft in market cap to become the most valuable publicly traded company (although it would relinquish the title not long after). While other companies have also stood to benefit from the artificial intelligence (AI) trend this year, NVIDIA stands out as the unquestionable leader in the space and that is unlikely to be challenged for many years ahead. NVIDIA continues to see extremely strong levels of demand and the recent introduction of the Blackwell system looks to be an exciting next phase of growth for the stock.”

Overall NVDA ranks 6th on our list of the best quality stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of NVDA as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold great promise for delivering high returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVDA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: $30 Trillion Opportunity: 15 Best Humanoid Robot Stocks to Buy According to Morgan Stanley and Jim Cramer Says NVIDIA ‘Has Become A Wasteland’.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.