Investors contended with bank earnings and geopolitical tensions this week, but the ongoing volatility may help uncover a few attractive stock picks.
Stock ratings from top Wall Street analysts can help inform investors as they search for opportunities in the market. These experts arrive at their recommendations following a thorough analysis of the macro and micro factors affecting a company.
Here are three stocks favored by some of Wall Street’s top pros, according to TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their past performance.
Broadcom
This week’s first pick is Broadcom (AVGO), a semiconductor and infrastructure software provider. The company’s custom chips or Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, or ASICs, are seeing strong demand amid the ongoing artificial intelligence boom.
Following an investor meeting with Charlie Kawwas, president of Broadcom’s semiconductor solutions group, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon reiterated a buy rating on Broadcom stock with a price target of $475. TipRanks’ AI Analyst has an “outperform” rating on AVGO stock with a price target of $393.
The meeting made Rasgon conclude that investor concerns about the impact of rising competition and customer-owned tooling on Broadcom’s AI positioning are “hugely overblown and that the company is unlikely to be dethroned in the ASIC space anytime soon.”
While Broadcom acknowledges that Nvidia (NVDA) is innovating faster than anyone else, Rasgon noted that the company is confident about being the only partner that can help XPU customers keep up. With innovation related to 3D chip stacking and 400G SerDes to a massive supply chain and in-house substrate production, Broadcom is progressing in a way that no one can match, the five-star analyst noted.
Broadcom is also expected to benefit from the growing demand for Alphabet-owned Google’s ($GOOGL) tensor processing units, or TPUs, given its partnership with Google in developing these chips. Rasgon highlighted Kawwas’ commentary about TPU v7 (ironwood) shipments rising from hundreds of thousands of units in 2025 to “many many millions” in 2026. He added that TPU v8 shipments are expected to touch hundreds of thousands of units per month in a few months, and millions by the end of this year. Also, Rasgon noted that the $73 billion order figure given at AVGO’s earnings release is substantially higher today.
Rasgon ranks No. 120 among more than 12,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 68% of the time, delivering an average return of 30.7%. See Broadcom Statistics on TipRanks.
Airbnb
Travel stock Airbnb (ABNB) is next on the list. In his research note on the outlook for the U.S. internet space, Mizuho analyst Lloyd Walmsley named Airbnb as one of the top ideas for 2026. The analyst reaffirmed a buy rating on ABNB stock with a price target of $156. TipRanks’ AI Analyst is also bullish on Airbnb stock with a price target of $153.
Walmsley expects room nights (a key metric in the hospitality industry) growth to reaccelerate, driven by Airbnb’s strategy to add hotels to its supply; book now, pay later expansion; and easier comparisons in the domestic market.
“We see Airbnb’s forthcoming AI product as a call option and see better prospects here than with other OTAs [online travel agents] given the product-focused leadership,” said Walmsley.
The five-star analyst contends that investors are underappreciating Airbnb’s prospects and its potential to reaccelerate room nights growth. Walmsley believes that the company’s strength will become more evident this year when it rolls out its hotel strategy in three test markets and expands into more cities, possibly in late 2026. The analyst also expects Airbnb’s decision to add hotel inventory to broaden the company’s addressable market beyond traditional short-term rentals.
Walmsley expects the hotel expansion, along with the book now, pay later conversion benefits, to reaccelerate growth in the second half of 2026 and lift ABNB stock’s valuation multiple.
Walmsley ranks No. 158 among more than 12,000 analysts tracked by TipRanks. His ratings have been successful 63% of the time, delivering an average return of 26.1%. See Airbnb Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks.
Meta Platforms
Walmsley also named social media giant Meta Platforms (META) as one of his top ideas in the internet space for 2026. The top-rated analyst reiterated a buy rating on META stock with a price target of $815. TipRanks’ AI Analyst has an “outperform” rating on META stock with a price target of $753.
Walmsley expects META stock to rise from current levels, given that Wall Street’s estimates have already priced in the company’s high costs and capital spending. He expects upside in revenue and the company’s progress on the AI front to reduce investors’ fears about elevated spending.
“We believe Meta shares work on positive revisions and multiple expansion as the company better demonstrates returns on its massive AI investment,” Walmsley said.
The analyst highlighted that his industry contacts indicated better advertising ROIs, or return on investment, on the platform. Moreover, Walmsley is optimistic about Meta Business AI and the monetization of WhatsApp. Also, he sees strength in AI/ML, or machine learning, engagement and ad targeting benefits to bolster revenue growth in 2026.
Walmsley expects Meta Platforms to roll out improved quality for large language model and product capability, which he believes will quell investors’ concerns about the company’s high investments. The analyst is also encouraged by the company’s cost management efforts and focus on optimizing Reality Labs expenses.
This post was originally published on CNBC Markets
