Analysts are much more bullish about these AI stocks than they are about Palantir. Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been massive winners in recent years. However, few have been hotter than Palantir Technologies (PLTR +2.31%). The AI software provider's shares have skyrocketed more than 23x over the last three years. Palantir's momentum may continue this year. The consensus 12-month price t...
Analysts are much more bullish about these AI stocks than they are about Palantir. Artificial intelligence (AI) stocks have been massive winners in recent years. However, few have been hotter than Palantir Technologies (PLTR +2.31%). The AI software provider's shares have skyrocketed more than 23x over the last three years. Palantir's momentum may continue this year. The consensus 12-month price target for the stock reflects a potential upside of around 14%. But analysts don't think it will be the best AI stock to own going forward. Here are three AI stocks that will trounce Palantir in 2026, according to Wall Street. 1. Broadcom Broadcom (AVGO 1.67%) has been one of the best-performing AI stocks not named Palantir over the last 12 months. Demand for its AI semiconductors has been robust, helping drive the company's overall revenue 28% higher year over year in the fourth quarter of 2025. Wall Street expects Broadcom to go even higher in 2026. The average price target for the stock is roughly 38% higher than the current share price. One especially bullish analyst predicts that Broadcom's stock could soar by nearly 62% over the next 12 months. Expand NASDAQ : AVGO Broadcom Today's Change ( -1.67 %) $ -5.44 Current Price $ 320.05 Key Data Points Market Cap $1.5T Day's Range $ 314.11 - $ 321.99 52wk Range $ 138.10 - $ 414.61 Volume 32K Avg Vol 30M Gross Margin 64.71 % Dividend Yield 0.76 % The enthusiasm for Broadcom on Wall Street is broad. Of the 50 analysts surveyed by S&P Global (SPGI 1.15%) in January, all but two rated the stock as a "buy" or "strong buy." The two exceptions recommended holding Broadcom. Is this bullish exuberance justified? I think so. Broadcom's total AI-related order backlog topped $73 billion at the end of 2025. CEO Hock Tan said in the Q4 update, "We have never seen bookings of the nature than what we have seen over the past three months." Tan expects AI chip revenue to double in the first quarter of 2026. 2. Microsoft Microsoft (MSFT +3.28%)...
Oselote/iStock via Getty Images This is, in my opinion, the most interesting chart in all of finance. This shows the return from gold versus the total return of the S&P 500 since 1/1/2000. As you can see, gold’s return has exceeded that of stocks by almost 3 to 1; it isn’t even close. If you had bought gold at the turn of the century, at no point over the next 25 years would you have been better o...
Oselote/iStock via Getty Images This is, in my opinion, the most interesting chart in all of finance. This shows the return from gold versus the total return of the S&P 500 since 1/1/2000. As you can see, gold’s return has exceeded that of stocks by almost 3 to 1; it isn’t even close. If you had bought gold at the turn of the century, at no point over the next 25 years would you have been better off having bought the S&P 500 instead. There were periods of outperformance by stocks, so you could have done better if you were able to trade those inflection points, but for buy and hold investors, the 21st century has, so far, been the Golden Century. Is gold trying to tell us something, or is it just the latest object of speculation in a society increasingly addicted to gambling? Think about this for a minute… an inert metal with limited industrial uses has, over the last 25 years, produced a better total return than ownership of, supposedly, the best companies in the United States. Think of all the innovations provided by the leading US companies over the last 25 years. In 2000 we didn’t have: Smartphones – the first BlackBerry phone came out in 2002, and the iPhone followed in 2007 Widespread availability of Wi-Fi 3G, 4G or 5G cellular networks Social media – Facebook 2004 and YouTube 2005 CRISPR technology Human genome mapping project completed in 2003 mRNA vaccines Generative AI, large language models AlphaFold Blockchain and Bitcoin Reusable rockets – SpaceX Widespread use of EVs Self-driving auto technology USB flash drive Of course, corporate America has also provided us with some things that weren’t all that beneficial. Most of them, to my way of thinking, are just symptoms of the same malady affecting gold – inflation, a cheapening of the dollar. Subprime mortgages, liar loans, etc. Credit default swaps on those subprime mortgage securities The creation of “investment grade” securities from a bundle of junk mortgages courtesy of the ratings agencies Bernie Madof...
Key Points The break-even age is when the total benefits from claiming at one age equal those from claiming at another age. Social Security claiming decisions come down to whether you want smaller benefits for a longer time or larger benefits for a shorter time. There is no "right" or "wrong" age to claim Social Security. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › In the...
Key Points The break-even age is when the total benefits from claiming at one age equal those from claiming at another age. Social Security claiming decisions come down to whether you want smaller benefits for a longer time or larger benefits for a shorter time. There is no "right" or "wrong" age to claim Social Security. The $23,760 Social Security bonus most retirees completely overlook › In the years leading up to retirement, one of the bigger decisions you have to consider is when to claim Social Security benefits. When you claim Social Security will permanently affect how much you receive monthly, so it's a decision you shouldn't make on a whim. There's no "right" or "wrong" age to claim Social Security; just the age that makes sense for your personal situation. However, there are benchmarks you can use to help make your decision. One of those is the break-even age. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks » What is your break-even age? In Social Security, your break-even age is when the total benefits from claiming at one age equal those from claiming at another age. It's not an end-all, be-all, but it can help you decide whether smaller payments over a longer period or larger payments over a shorter period is the better route for you. The good news is that break-even ages are the same no matter the amount of your projected benefit. For example, the break-even age between 62 and 67 is 78.7; between 62 and 70, it's 80.4; and between 67 and 70, it's 82.5. Any time before the break-even age, your total benefits from claiming at the earlier age are higher. After the break-even age, total benefits from claiming at the later age are higher. I used those three specific ages because 62 is the earliest you can claim benefits, 67 is the full retirement age for anyone born in 1960 or later, and 70 is the latest you can delay benefits and still re...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images The Charles Schwab Corporation ( SCHW ) met consensus expectations for its bottom line in the fourth quarter, but missed in terms of revenues. The company's strong earnings were driven by robust core net new asset migration trends as well as robust equity market performance throughout the quarter. According to Seeking Alpha, Charles Schwab met adjusted earning...
Torsten Asmus/iStock via Getty Images The Charles Schwab Corporation ( SCHW ) met consensus expectations for its bottom line in the fourth quarter, but missed in terms of revenues. The company's strong earnings were driven by robust core net new asset migration trends as well as robust equity market performance throughout the quarter. According to Seeking Alpha, Charles Schwab met adjusted earnings expectations of $1.39 per-share last week, although the broker missed top-line expectations by $56.1M. I like that Charles Schwab continued to grow its profit margins, attracted more client capital, and focused on returning more cash to shareholders, with total capital returns amounting to $11.8B in FY 2025. Shares have upside potential in a rising market, especially if high interest rates continue to benefit the firm's net interest revenue growth. Shares are attractively valued, in my opinion, and have about. Data by YCharts Previous rating I rated Charles Schwab a strong buy previously— High Platform Profitability —because I liked the consistently high margins that the brokerage published. Additionally, Charles Schwab was attractively valued last time I covered the shares, which made the decision to continue a strong buy an easy one. I continue to see Charles Schwab as a beneficiary of a continual stock market rally in 2026, which is set to benefit trading activity. This could easily happen, in my opinion, considering that AI-driven Capex spending trends in the important tech market are fully intact, which could drive the stock market to new highs this year. Charles Schwab has continual platform momentum The brokerage benefited from strong equity market performance in the fourth quarter, which lifted the stock market to new all-time highs in Q4, resulting in Charles Schwab publishing 19% year-over-year revenue growth. Net interest revenue increased 25% year-over-year to $3.2B for the brokerage mainly because of higher interest rates on client loans and margin balances, ...