In this article, we will take a look at the 10 most widely held stocks by hedge funds.
Two 25 Point Cuts May be the Most Likely Outcome
The last trading day of September is upon us and so are many questions about the market. On September 30, Dana D’Auria, Envestnet Solutions co-CIO and group president, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance to discuss the financial market.
D’Auria regards employment data to be a major concern at the moment. Since inflation rates are subsiding, employment data is something investors should be on the lookout for, along with other data points including GDP and consumer confidence. She suggests that to ensure a soft landing, the Fed must initiate larger rate cuts, and that recessionary conditions are out of the picture.
September is notoriously volatile along with October, and, with elections in another 35 days, the conditions may be slightly different or even more turbulent. According to D’Auria, the 50 basis point cut is a catch-up for July, and expecting a 50 basis point cut in November is borderline questionable.
Overall, she believes that the market has been overshooting and we may have to settle for two 25 basis point cuts before the end of 2024. She reiterates that the job market is crucial and investors must get out of their comfort zone to invest in non-cash opportunities. Investors concerned about low-risk options may consider equities in the defensive sectors that are innately low volatile.
The Market is Broadening
Wall Street is heading to close September and Q3 on a high note and stocks have experienced their best September in over a decade. On September 30, Kevin Gordon, harles Schwab’s Director and Senior Investment Strategist, appeared in an interview on Yahoo Finance to discuss his market thesis.
Gordon believes that stocks in the utilities and defensive sectors have caught up to tech stocks amid the AI boom, compared to their financials at the end of FY 2023. However, he does acknowledge that sectors like industrials, financials, and materials are performing relatively well, calling it a case of market broadening.
In terms of market breadth, most sectors are experiencing an upward trajectory. Almost 81% of the S&P 500 members are experiencing an uptrend, despite the quality bias investors may have towards certain stocks. According to Gordon, large-cap quality stocks will continue to perform well despite the volatility and the Fed’s decisions. Speaking of smaller-cap stocks, he believes that some stocks may struggle a bit especially when it comes to earnings growth.
Now, let’s take a look at the 10 most widely held stocks by hedge funds.
A portfolio manager studying various stocks and other securities on a tablet.
Our Methodology
To come up with the 10 most widely held stocks by hedge funds, we sifted through Insider Monkey’s database that tracks over 900 hedge funds, as of Q2 2024. We ranked the top 10 stocks that were the most widely held by hedge funds in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment.
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).
10 Most Widely Held Stocks by Hedge Funds
10. Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 142
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) is a multinational payment services corporation in the United States. It facilitates electronic funds transfers through branded debit cards and credit cards. The company provides financial services to large companies, small to medium-sized enterprises, banks, credit unions, and the public sector.
In the second quarter of 2024, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) grew its revenue by 13% and net income by 24% year-over-year. During the same quarter, the company managed $2.4 trillion in payment volume, up by 50% from five years ago. The company is also venturing into value-added services like data analytics, fraud prevention, and cybersecurity solutions, which posted an 18% increase in sales in the previous quarter.
Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) aims to bring 1 billion people into the digital economy by 2025. Earlier in August, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) launched an Open Banking program to facilitate lending via digital verification of income and employment. During the same month, Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) launched its payment passkey service in India to improve security and payment speed. Recently, the company ventured into artificial intelligence by launching a system to help banks protect consumers from scams and fraud in real time. In addition to that, the company also acquired Recorded Future, a cybersecurity company, to enhance its position on digital payments.
While the macroeconomic environment is uncertain, the company does hold a strong position in the industry and has strategic initiatives locked in solidifying its future growth potential. Analysts are bullish on MA and their 12-month median price target of $530 points to a 7% upside from current levels. According to the Insider Monkey database, 142 hedge funds held stakes in Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in the second quarter, with positions worth $15.34 billion.
L1 Capital’s L1 Capital International Fund stated the following regarding Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“The share prices of Mastercard Incorporated (NYSE:MA) and Visa, both long term Fund investments, have both drifted down over recent months. There have been no dramatic developments, but there has been a general slight softening in the rate of growth of consumer spending in the U.S. and globally, a court decision rejecting Mastercard and Visa’s proposed settlement of a long-lasting dispute with U.S. merchants as well as other modest adverse regulatory developments. We continue to view Mastercard and Visa as two of the highest quality businesses in the world, and both are well placed to continue to deliver attractive, risk adjusted returns to shareholders over time.”
9. Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 145
Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) is one of the widely held stocks by hedge funds. The ride-hailing company is expected to become a completely electric and zero-emission platform by 2040.
In Q2 2024, Uber (NYSE:UBER) grew its gross bookings by 21% year-over-year and reported a 14% increase in audience. Last year the company partnered with Waymo, to bring autonomous driving technology to UBER. While Uber’s (NYSE:UBER) management thinks autonomous vehicle (AV) technology holds promise, they believe the transition would be rather gradual and human drivers will co-exist with autonomous vehicles for a long time. To strengthen its position on autonomous driving, the company recently extended its partnership with Waymo to offer ride-hailing services to Atlanta and Austin by early 2025.
Despite the uncertainty in the autonomous driving industry, Uber is expected to benefit tremendously from the AI wave. Analysts are bullish on the stock, and their 1-year median price target of $90 points to a 20% upside from current levels. According to the Insider Monkey database, at the close of Q2 2024, 145 hedge funds were bullish on Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER), with total stakes amounting to $8.7 billion.
RiverPark Advisors stated the following regarding Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) in its first quarter 2024 investor letter:
“Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER): UBER was a top contributor in the quarter following better than expected 4Q23 earnings and 1Q24 guidance. Gross bookings of $37.6 billion were up 22% year over year. Mobility gross bookings of $19.3 billion grew 29% over last year driven by a combination of product innovation and driver availability. Delivery gross bookings of $17 billion were up 19% from last year and continued to be strong throughout the quarter. 4Q Adjusted EBITDA of $1.3 billion, up $618 million year over year, was better than management’s guidance of $1.2 billion, and the company generated $768 million of free cash flow, up from a cash loss of $303 million last year. Management guided to continuing growth in 1Q Gross Bookings (20% growth) and Adjusted EBITDA (of $1.3 billion). The company hosted a well-received analyst day in February during which it guided to three year compounded annual growth rates for gross bookings of mid-to-high single digits and EBITDA of 30-40%, both above investor expectations. The company also guided to free cash flow conversion of 90% of EBITDA.
UBER remains the undisputed global leader in ride sharing, with a greater than 50% share in every major region in which it operates. The company is also a leader in food delivery, where it is number one or two in the more than 25 countries in which it operates. Moreover, after a history of losses, the company is now profitable, delivering expanding margins and substantial free cash flow. We view UBER as more than a ride sharing and food delivery service; we also see it as a global mobility platform with 142 million users (by comparison, Amazon Prime has 200 million members) and the ability to penetrate new markets of on-demand services, such as package and grocery delivery, travel, and hourly worker staffing. Given its $5.4 billion of unrestricted cash and $4.8 billion of investments, the company today has an enterprise value of $165 billion, indicating that UBER trades at 21x our estimates of next year’s free cash flow.”
8. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 156
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) ranks eighth on our list of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. TSMC is a semiconductor manufacturing and design company. The leading fabrication entity makes chips for tech giants including Nvidia and AMD.
In the second quarter of 2024, the company’s revenue increased by 13.6% sequentially, led by growing demand for its nanometer technologies. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) expects revenue from AI chips to increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 50% by 2027. For the year ended 2024, TSMC projects a 20% growth in revenue, again driven by the demand for chips used in artificial intelligence.
TMSC expects its 2024 capital expenditure budget to lie between $30 billion and $32 billion. Of this, 70% to 80% of the budget will be allocated to advanced process technologies, nearly 20% will be directed to specialty technologies, and 10% will be spent on advanced packaging, testing, and mass-making. In addition to that, TMSC formed a joint venture, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC), with Robert Bosch GmbH, Infineon Technologies AG, and NXP Semiconductors N.V. to launch a semiconductor fab in Dresden, Germany. This fab will be the EU’s first Fin-FET capable pure-play foundry.
Despite macro headwinds and geopolitical turmoil in the country, analysts are bullish on the stock, and their 1-year median price target of $209 points to a 20% upside from current levels. Overall, TSM was held by 156 hedge funds at the close of Q2 2024 with total stakes amounting to $21.28 billion.
Diamond Hill Capital stated the following regarding Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“On an individual holdings’ basis, top contributors to return in Q2 included our long positions in Alphabet, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (NYSE:TSM) and Microsoft. Semiconductor manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor’s (TSMC) fundamentals remain solid as demand for its chips continues growing — particularly as the machine learning and cloud computing trends gain more traction.”
7. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 163
Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a multinational payment card service provider based in the United States that facilitates electronic fund transfers across the globe. The company also provides commercial patent solutions, sells cards, has virtual cards, and offers B2B payment options.
In the past quarter, Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) leveraged its proprietary services to expand its presence globally. Yape, a super app in Peru with more than 15 million users has now integrated Visa’s services to facilitate money transfers directly through mobile devices. Moreover, prominent digital wallets in Vietnam have enabled Visa cards for over 50 million users.
In the fiscal third quarter of 2024, the company logged $8.9 billion in revenue, up by 10% year-over-year. The company also grew its global payments volume by 7% and 5% in the US. Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) is a legendary company that knows the art of expansion. Only last week, the company acquired Featurespace, an AI payments protection technology developer. The acquisition will help Visa expand in the fraud detection and risk scoring segments.
Analysts are bullish on the stock, and why should they not be? The company currently has more than 4.5 billion cards in circulation in over 200 countries. In addition to that, In the past 12 months, Visa has facilitated 296.8 billion transactions with a total volume of $15.5 trillion.
Overall, 163 hedge funds held stakes in Visa (NYSE:V) in the second quarter, with positions worth $24.9 billion. According to the Insider Monkey database, TCI Fund Management is the largest shareholder of the company, as of June 30.
Aoris International Fund stated the following regarding Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Visa Inc. (NYSE:V) operates the world’s largest payments network, which facilitates the movement of money between merchants, financial institutions, consumers, businesses, and governments.
The company is best known for enabling consumers to make debit and credit card payments. In the year to September 2023, 4.3 billion Visa cardholders made 213 billion transactions on its network, to a total value of US$12.1 trillion.
Compared to cash and cheques, which are still widely used around the world, Visa’s network is a more convenient, secure, and ubiquitous way for consumers to pay. Visa has invested to reduce friction and fraud in the payments experience, to the benefit of both merchants and consumers…” (Click here to read the full text)
6. NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 179
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the most popular stocks at the moment, also referred to as the AI star. The GPU maker is known for its cloud solutions, chip systems, and growing role in producing artificial intelligence solutions.
The company logged $26.3 billion in data center revenue, up 16% from the previous quarter and 154% year-over-year. The revenue growth was driven by strong demand for Nvidia’s GPU Computing platform. Overall, NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) logged $30 billion in revenue during the FQ2 of 2025, up by 122% year-over-year, well above its outlook of only $28 billion.
NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is one of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. Such can be attributed to its rapid advancements in technology and strategic partnerships. The company’s networking platform for AI, Spectrum X, is projected to become a multi-billion dollar entity in a year. Moreover, the company just closed a deal with Salesforce allowing organizations to benefit from advanced AI and data capabilities. Two weeks ago, NVIDIA launched a new AI tool, Aerial, to optimize wireless networks that will meet the needs of the next generation on mobile, robots, autonomous vehicles, and 5G.
Analysts are bullish on NVDA and their 12-month median price target of $150 points to a 24% upside from current levels. At the close of Q2 2024, 179 investors were bullish on NVDA, with total stakes amounting to $53.7 billion.
Ithaka Group’s Ithaka US Growth Strategy stated the following regarding NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA) is the market leader in visual computing through the production of high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs). The company targets four large and growing markets: Gaming, Professional Visualization, Data Center, and Automotive. NVIDIA’s products have the potential to lead and disrupt some of the most exciting areas of computing, including: data center acceleration, artifi cial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and autonomous driving. The reason for the stock’s appreciation in the quarter was twofold: First, the stock benefi ted from tremendous excitement surrounding the further development of generative AI and the likelihood this would necessitate the purchase of a large number of Nvidia’s products far into the future; Second, Nvidia posted another strong beat[1]and-raise quarter, where the company upped its F2Q25 revenue guidance above Street estimates, showcasing its dominant position in the buildout of today’s accelerated computing infrastructure.”
5. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 184
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the company behind the iPhone, is one of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also offers services such as iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple Music, and Apple TV+.
In the fiscal third quarter of 2024, the company launched Apple Intelligence, a personal intelligence system backed by AI. Apple Intelligence is integrated into all new iPhone, iPad, and Mac models. The launch of iPhone 16 and iOS 18 is expected to drive strong financial results for the company for the rest of 2024.
In FQ3 2024, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) logged $85.8 billion in quarterly revenue, up by 5% year-over-year. Of this, the iPhone reported revenue worth $39.3 billion and Mac revenue was $7 billion, up by 2% from a year ago. Apple’s economic moat lies in its consistent financial performance. Over the past 10 years, the company has grown its revenues and net income by 8% and 10%, respectively.
Analysts are bullish on AAPL and their 12-month median price target of $250 points to a 10% upside from current levels. Overall, AAPL was held by 184 hedge funds in the second quarter of 2024, with total stakes worth $124.18 billion.
Columbia Contrarian Core Fund stated the following regarding Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) – Despite the stock falling after announcing earnings in late May, Apple regained ground toward the end of the quarter, fueled by the company’s long-awaited AI announcement at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WDC). At the conference, the company showcased some of its new AI features powered by Apple Intelligence that would be coming to Apple products and also announced a partnership with ChatGPT. Investors greatly welcomed the announcement of Apple’s AI strategy and the stock surged, passing Microsoft as the world’s most valuable company (although this hallmark wouldn’t last). Beta testing of these new features will be coming later this summer, but the initial promise and excitement looks to be a potential catalyst for an upgrade cycle, as the company looks to persuade users who have had the same smartphone for years to consider an upgrade.”
4. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 216
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) is one of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. The company owns a range of products, including Google Search, Google Maps, YouTube, Google Cloud, and Waymo.
The company is relentlessly working to improve the Gemini experience and is also actively involved in developing AI hardware, having launched its NVIDIA chip rival in May. While Google’s tensor processing units (TPU) only account for almost 20% of the market, its advancements promise higher market shares. In addition to that, its six-generation chips are 67% more energy efficient compared to the previous generation of processors. It is to be noted that the company intends to spend $50 billion by the end of 2024 to enhance its position in AI.
Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL) logged revenue worth $85 billion in the fiscal second quarter of 2024, driven by the growing momentum in cloud and search. Additionally, over 60% of generative AI startups and 90% of generative AI unicorns are customers of the Google Cloud. One can infer that the technology giant is well-positioned to exploit the next wave of artificial intelligence and innovation, making it a solid investment.
Analysts are bullish on GOOGL and their 12-month median price target of $204.5 points to a 24% upside from current levels. Overall, 216 investors held stakes worth $35.31 billion in Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOGL). According to the Insider Monkey database, Fisher Asset Management was the highest stakeholder with a position of $8.86 billion.
Patient Capital Management mentioned Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) was a top contributor in the second quarter, finally catching up to its peers in the Magnificent 7. The company gained 20.8% in the period following strong first quarter earnings, a new $70B repurchase program (3% of shares outstanding) and the initiation of a cash dividend ($0.20 per share; 0.42% yield). We continue to believe the market underappreciates Google’s exposure to AI with its Gemini model being integrated into search results, YouTube advertising and its cloud offering. We continue to think that the cloud players will be the AI winners in the long-term, with Google being well positioned to take advantage. While the company trades at 24x 2024 earnings, if you remove the money-losing and under-earning businesses, you realize that you are paying below a market multiple for the core Google business. We do not believe there are many other AI winners trading at such an attractive multiple.”
3. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 219
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META), commonly referred to as Meta and formerly known as Facebook, is a technology conglomerate behind the leading social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp. The company currently boasts a user base of 3.27 billion daily active users across all its social media platforms.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is making strides in artificial intelligence and augmented reality. During the second quarter, the company launched its AI Studio in the United States, a platform for people to create, share, and discover artificial intelligence models. In addition to that, on September 25, the company launched Orion, its first augmented reality glasses, the first most advanced pair of AR glasses ever made.
Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) has a strong position in the market, making it one of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. By 2026, the company expects to own the best recommendation technology on its social media platforms. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) is achieving this by expanding its collection of open models and tools for generative artificial intelligence.
Overall, Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) reported $39.1 billion in revenue, in the second quarter of 2024, up by 22% year-over-year. The company also generated $10.9 billion in free cash flow supporting its dividend payouts and stock repurchases. With strong expectations ahead of 2024, the company projects revenue to reach $38.5 billion in the third quarter of 2024.
Mar Vista Investment Partners’ Mar Vista Focus strategy stated the following regarding Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“During the quarter, we established new investments in Broadcom and Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). We previously divested from Meta during a period of stagnant advertising growth and the company’s initial, significant investment in the metaverse project. At that time, investors appeared complacent to the risks associated to an increasingly competitive landscape, and the Street’s robust financial expectations as the company transitioned towards monetizing short-format video (Reels). The subsequent decline in Meta’s stock price during 2022 reflected these concerns.
Since then, Meta has demonstrably shifted its strategic focus. The company has prioritized operational efficiency, implemented strategies to monetize Reels effectively, and initiated a robust artificial intelligence (AI) development program. We believe the focus on AI represents a more prudent capital allocation strategy compared to the earlier metaverse initiative. Meta AI holds significant potential to unlock substantial monetization opportunities and enhance user engagement, while maintaining tight controls on operating costs…” (Click here to read the full text)
2. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 279
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the biggest technology companies in the world that develops productivity and business suite applications, cloud products, and personal computing products.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) reported revenue worth $64.7 billion in FQ4 2024, up by 15% year-over-year. During the same quarter, Microsoft Cloud had $36.8 billion in quarterly revenue, up by 21%. Its productivity/business processes and intelligent cloud segment, on the other hand, logged revenue worth $20.3 billion and $28.5 billion respectively.
The company is a leading investor in artificial intelligence technology. In July, Microsoft and Lumen Technologies partnered to enhance and modernize Lumen’s workloads to Microsoft Azure. Earlier in August, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) partnered with Palantir Technologies, a data software company, to deploy its suite of products in Microsoft Azure.
The company’s partnerships do not end here. BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, Microsoft, and MGX recently made a $100 billion deal to enhance the functioning of data centers and AI. The company is also expanding its footprint by establishing engineering development centers in Abu Dhabi, UAE. In addition to that, on September 28, Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) partnered with KT Corporation to accelerate its presence in AI. The five-year partnership with help more than 650,000 businesses and 17 million consumers become a part of the AI wave.
Overall, Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) financial strength coupled with its strategic partnerships make it one of the most widely held stocks by hedge funds. In the second quarter, 279 hedge funds held positions in Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and their stakes amounted to $89.07 billion.
Fred Alger Management’s Alger Spectra Fund stated the following regarding Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is a beneficiary of corporate America’s transformative digitization. The company operates through three segments: Productivity and Business Processes (Office, LinkedIn, and Dynamics), Intelligent Cloud (Server Products and Cloud Services, Azure, and Enterprise Services), and More Personal Computing (Windows, Devices, Gaming, and Search). During the quarter, shares contributed to performance after the company reported strong fiscal third quarter results, underscoring its leadership position in the cloud and highlighted its role as a primary facilitator and beneficiary of AI adoption. Company revenue growth, operating margin, and earnings growth surpassed consensus expectations. The utility scale Azure cloud business grew 31% in constant currency of which 7% was AI related versus 3% two quarters ago. Further, management noted most of the AI revenue continues to stem from inference rather than training indicating high quality AI applications by Microsoft’s clients. Management also indicated that the significant cost-cutting programs in corporate America are done, suggesting that the cost optimization headwinds previously impacting Azure’s growth are over. Separately, management provided color on their new AI-productivity tool, Copilot, noting that approximately 60% of Fortune 500 companies are already using Copilot, and that the quarter witnessed a 50% increase in Copilot assistance integration within Teams. We continue to believe that Microsoft has the potential to hold a leading position in AI, given its innovative approach and demonstrated high unit volume growth opportunity.”
1. Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 308
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is a technology company that specializes in e-commerce, online retail, streaming, and data cloud services. Its e-commerce platform is functional in 20 countries and ships to over 100 countries. Its proprietary cloud service, Amazon Web Services, on the other hand, is used by millions of active customers and has over 130,000 AWS partners in 200 countries.
Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) is also prominent on the AI front. Over the past few months, the company has partnered with AI startups like Anthropic and signed deals with the US government to test new AI models. As for AI hardware, the company has produced several AI chips to reduce its dependence on other companies. Amazon is efficiently branching out to multiple industries, which explains why it is widely held by hedge funds.
Speaking of AI, AWS is now housing the next generation of Llama models from Meta, giving customers more choices to build, deploy, and scale generative AI applications. The new models are capable of visual reasoning, document processing, and multilingual translation. On September 19, Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN) launched Project Amelia, a selling assistant backed by generative AI. Sellers will immensely benefit from the tool, allowing them to receive answers and advice immediately, for better customer assistance and reach.
Analysts are bullish on AMZN and their 12-month median price target of $220 points to an 18% upside from current levels. Overall, AMZN was held by 308 hedge funds and Fisher Asset Management was the largest shareholder, according to the Insider Monkey database.
Diamond Hill Select Strategy stated the following regarding Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Among our top individual contributors in Q2 were Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Texas Instruments and Mr. Cooper Group. Internet retail and cloud infrastructure company Amazon is benefiting from strong profitability, particularly in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) business. Shares also received a boost amid growing optimism around the demand for AWS as Amazon customers’ investments in generative AI projects continue growing.”
Overall, AMZN ranks first among the 10 most widely held stocks by hedge funds. While we acknowledge the potential of cloud companies, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NVIDIA 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’.
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