15 Best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks To Buy According to Analysts

Published on March 13, 2023 at 11:14 am by Hamna Asim in Hedge Funds, News

In this article, we discuss 15 best artificial intelligence stocks to buy according to analysts. If you want to see more stocks in this selection, check out 5 Best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks To Buy According to Analysts.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an emerging technology that has wide-ranging applications across various industries and significant implications for society. It is transforming the global economy and national security. The AI industry is flourishing globally, with funding for AI doubling to $66.8 billion in 2021. A record number of 65 AI companies reached a valuation of $1 billion or more, marking a 442% increase from the previous year. This growth trend is expected to continue as more companies and governments worldwide adopt AI solutions each year. The global artificial intelligence market size was approximately $119.78 billion in 2022 and it is forecasted to reach $1,591.03 billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of 38.1% from 2022 to 2030. The North America artificial intelligence market was worth $51 billion in 2021.

Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) was originally considered to be the leader in the field of artificial intelligence. The company has gained a reputation for investing in long-term projects and researching futuristic technologies. Many of the advancements in AI chatbots were developed in Google’s research labs. However, OpenAI has emerged as an early pioneer in generative AI, which refers to software that can create its own text, images, or videos. OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022 and its rapid success has left Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) scrambling to catch up in this crucial area of technology. CEO Sundar Pichai has previously stated that AI will have a more significant impact on society than even fire or electricity.

In its ongoing competition with Google over search, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has integrated artificial intelligence technology, and is now using the latest AI advancements to keep pace with competitors in the corporate applications market, such as Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL), Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM), and SAP SE (NYSE:SAP). The company has launched a new AI assistant called Dynamics 365 Copilot, which is designed to help with tasks like sales, marketing, and customer service. The technology behind it comes from OpenAI, and it can create contextual chat and email responses to customer-service inquiries. The software can also assist marketers in identifying target customer groups and generating product descriptions for e-commerce.

Some of the best artificial intelligence stocks to buy according to analysts include Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW), and EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM).

Our Methodology

To determine the best artificial intelligence stocks, we narrowed down our selection to AI stocks that had the highest upside potential based on average analyst price targets. We have ranked our picks in ascending order of their average upside potential, as of March 11.

Photo by lucas law on Unsplash

Best Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks To Buy According to Analysts

15. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 259

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 17.49%

On February 22, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) introduced a preview version of its latest Bing and Edge apps for iPhone and Android devices, which include new features like voice search and access to their AI chatbot. They also announced Bing for Skype, which is powered by AI. This makes Microsoft one of the best AI stocks to think about.

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) on March 6 revealed its plan to incorporate ChatGPT technology into its developer software suite, Power Platform, as a part of its ongoing effort to increase its use. The company will be adding the technology to Power Virtual Agent and AI Builder. However, the features will only be accessible in the United States.

Wedbush analyst Daniel Ives raised the firm’s price target on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to $290 from $280 and kept an Outperform rating on the shares on February 24, following more positive recent cloud checks.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 259 hedge funds were bullish on Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), compared to 269 funds in the prior quarter. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust is the largest stakeholder of the company, with 39.2 million shares worth $9.4 billion.

Like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW), and EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is one of the best AI stocks to invest in.

Polen Global Growth Strategy made the following comment about Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“In the case of Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), the company is performing very well. Azure now represents nearly 25% of the total business and continues to compound at a higher rate. Although growth is moderating a bit recently (as it is for AWS and Google Cloud Platform as well), these three platforms collectively generated more than $140 billion in revenue during the last 12 months and are still growing at a healthy rate. Further, Microsoft Cloud, or commercial cloud (which includes Azure and other cloud services, Office 365 Commercial, the commercial portion of LinkedIn, Dynamics 365, and other cloud properties) continues to grow roughly 30% and is now about half the business. Mathematically, commercial cloud could decelerate to 20% growth with all other segments decelerating to zero growth and total company revenue growth would still be at least double digits. We believe Microsoft is positioned to compound underlying earnings per share at a mid teens rate over the next five years. At 22x earnings, we felt the valuation was attractive and that it should be a large position.”

14. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 74

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 17.51%

Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) was founded in 1978 and is headquartered in Boise, Idaho. It develops, manufactures, and sells memory and storage products worldwide. Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)’s technology is fueling the development of next-generation, faster, and more intelligent global infrastructures that enable mainstream artificial intelligence. Its high-capacity memory, fast storage, and multi-chip packages provide power to AI training and inference engines, whether they are embedded in mobile and edge devices or in the cloud.

On March 6, Srini Pajjuri, an analyst at Raymond James, resumed coverage of Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) and assigned the stock an Outperform rating and a price target of $70. The analyst stated that it is “encouraged” by the memory industry’s production and capex cuts, and anticipates a better demand/supply balance throughout the year. The analyst is also “optimistic” that the memory industry’s ongoing losses will result in improved supply discipline in the next cycle.

According to Insider Monkey’s Q4 data, 74 hedge funds were long Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), and Andreas Halvorsen’s Viking Global is the largest position holder in the company, with 8.35 million shares worth $417.7 million.

Here is what Claret Asset Management has to say about Micron Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:

“Inflation is still higher than interest rates… not an incentive to save for most people. Either inflation must come down or interest rates have to go up further. Or both. And probably both. Now that they are taking the punch bowl away and the party is over, what happens next? For whatever reason, the stock market seems to always precede the economic reality: Micron reached a high of $98.45 on January 5th, 2022 and is trading at $50.00 today.”

13. Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 70

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 18.34%

Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is a California-based company that engages in the provision of manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the semiconductor, display, and similar industries. It operates through three segments – Semiconductor Systems, Applied Global Services, and Display and Adjacent Markets. On February 16, Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) reported a FQ1 non-GAAP EPS of $2.03 and a revenue of $6.74 billion, outperforming Wall Street estimates by $0.11 and $80 million, respectively.

On March 1, KGI Securities analyst Derek Chang upgraded Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) to Outperform from Neutral with a $145 price target.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 70 hedge funds were long Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT), compared to 67 funds in the prior quarter. David Blood and Al Gore’s Generation Investment Management is the largest stakeholder of the company, with approximately 7 million shares worth $678 million.

Vulcan Value Partners made the following comment about Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Applied Materials, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT) is the world’s largest producer of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Throughout 2022, investors became increasingly concerned about a cyclical downturn in semiconductors and pending trade regulations that would restrict the sale of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Chinese customers. This uncertainty caused the stock to become oversold, in our opinion. The stock price recovered in the fourth quarter as investors were able to size the impact of export controls and, we believe, as investors increasingly understood the long-term, structural demand for semiconductors and the equipment that produces them.”

12. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 63

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 20.62%

Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a global professional services company headquartered in the United States and Ireland. They offer a range of services, including strategy, consulting, technology, and operation services, to clients worldwide. Their areas of expertise include data management, data democratization, and industrialized solutions such as turnkey analytics and artificial intelligence solutions, as well as metaverse and sustainability services. Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is one of the best AI stocks to consider investing in.

On January 30, Jeff Cantwell, an analyst at Wells Fargo, started coverage of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) with an Equal Weight rating and a price target of $289. Despite having a favorable opinion of Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN)’s platform and services, the firm believes that clients are becoming more cautious about technology spending and are waiting for stronger demand before making further investments. As the demand environment continues to change, Wells Fargo’s revenue forecast for 2024 is 2% below consensus, as they expect clients to prioritize cost containment measures.

According to Insider Monkey’s Q4 data, 63 hedge funds were bullish on Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN), compared to 58 funds in the last quarter. GuardCap Asset Management is the largest stakeholder of the company, with 1.4 million shares worth nearly $387 million.

ClearBridge Sustainability Leaders Strategy made the following comment about Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN) is a leading global professional services company that helps clients build their digital infrastructure and optimize their operations. We view Accenture as a resilient, high-quality business with consistent earnings and cash flow, a strong balance sheet and very attractive returns on capital. Secular drivers like cloud migration and digital transformation, as well as new, innovative technology deployments like data security, block chain, AI and machine learning position Accenture well for continued growth. It is also currently rolling out a suite of sustainability tools that offers a comprehensive view of a company’s goals, progress and performance across financial and ESG measures, so it is an enabler of ESG for its clients. We exited our position in software-as-a-service company Workday to fund the position, largely on better relative risk/reward, in our view.”

11. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 194

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 20.86%

Meta AI is a research laboratory focused on artificial intelligence and is owned by Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META). The lab’s primary objective is to enhance augmented and artificial reality technologies by creating different types of AI. In contrast to Facebook’s Applied Machine Learning (AML) team, which concentrates on implementing practical applications of its products, Meta AI is an academic research lab that aims to generate knowledge for the wider AI community. Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) is considered to be one of the top AI stocks to invest in.

On March 9, UBS reaffirmed its Buy rating on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) and stated that the stock is still the firm’s top pick in the Internet industry, as it offers both an estimate revision and multiple expansion opportunity. UBS believes recent data points have increased confidence in Meta’s bull case, which it estimates at $331 per share.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 194 hedge funds were bullish on Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META), compared to 177 funds in the prior quarter. Boykin Curry’s Eagle Capital Management is a significant position holder in the company.

Weitz Partners III Opportunity Fund made the following comment about Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Unfortunately, the performance story of the year is told by the Fund’s detractors. We’ve written at length in prior quarters about Meta Platforms, Inc. (NASDAQ:META)’s struggles to adapt both to changes in Apple’s iOS platform, as well as pivots to new formats like short-form video (Reels) and platform investments in the metaverse that have dragged shares lower all year.

Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and CarMax were all top detractors for the quarter and calendar year periods (FIS and Liberty Broadband, respectively, complete the quarterly and calendar-year detractor lists.) To varying degrees, each is managing through cyclical challenges during a period of substantial investor pessimism. Drawdowns of this magnitude are painful, and it may be prudent for management to moderate the pace of some investments, but we remain encouraged by their long-term focus. In the short run, cutting spending indiscriminately to “defend earnings” may lessen the pain of a drawdown, but it seldom grows a company’s business value — the ultimate prize. We added to both CarMax and Meta on weakness, and all four remain core holdings.”

10. ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 97

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 23.85%

ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) is a California-based enterprise cloud computing company that operates the Now platform for workflow automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, robotic process automation, process mining, performance analytics, data benchmarking, encryption, and collaboration. It is one of the best AI stocks to invest in according to analysts.

In the wake of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW)’s Q4 earnings beat, RBC Capital analyst Matthew Hedberg raised the firm’s price target on the company’s shares to $510 from $500, while retaining an Outperform rating on January 26. Despite a challenging software market, the company has performed exceptionally well, according to the analyst’s research note to investors. While the cRPO metric in constant currency was slightly underwhelming, the analyst believes it was mostly a timing issue. RBC Capital believes that ServiceNow’s unified platform enables it to consolidate customer spending, making it a top pick for the firm in 2023.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 97 hedge funds were long ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW), compared to 103 funds in the last quarter. Christopher Lyle’s SCGE Management is the largest position holder in the company.

Polen Global Growth Strategy made the following comment about ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW) is an $80 billion market cap business based in California. Its purpose is to make the world of work, work better for people. Getting a job done in an enterprise (what the company refers to as “workflow”) usually requires different people in various functions of an organization to work together. Often, they rely on different technology systems and inefficient manual processes to complete each step of the job before moving on to the next.

ServiceNow believes the most effective digital transformation initiative utilizes tools that can integrate workflows across siloed systems, departments, processes, and people. The company is solving what is arguably the biggest pain point in the biggest profit pool in the world (enterprises). Consider the explosion in data growth and all the software point solutions emerging constantly. ServiceNow wrangles all this into a fully integrated dashboard on a global scale with global customers in every industry. Nearly 100% of revenues are subscription based with a 99% renewal rate, and the company currently has no direct competition, according to our research. ServiceNow started with IT workflow, and today, ~40% of net new annual contract value is in non-IT workflows. Through constant innovation, the business has continued to expand its total addressable market, and we think it can grow free cash flow (FCF) at a 20%+ annualized rate for the next three to five years. At less than 30x FCF, we thought the valuation was attractive.”

9. SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 38

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 25.31%

SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) is a cybersecurity provider based in Mountain View, California, which was established in 2013. Its Singularity XDR Platform is powered by artificial intelligence and provides autonomous capabilities for threat prevention, detection, and response across endpoints and cloud workloads for businesses.

On March 6, Barclays analyst Saket Kalia maintained an Equal Weight rating on SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) and lowered the firm’s price target on the shares to $17 from $18 ahead of the company’s results on March 14.

According to Insider Monkey’s data, 38 hedge funds were bullish on SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) at the end of December 2022, compared to 103 funds in the prior quarter. Dan Loeb’s Third Point is the biggest position holder in the company, with 14.70 million shares worth $214.4 million.

Here is what ClearBridge Investments SMID Cap Growth Strategy has to say about SentinelOne, Inc. (NYSE:S) in its Q4 2021 investor letter:

“We added six new positions in the fourth quarter. We see next-generation cybersecurity provider SentinelOne, although early in its growth lifecycle, as capable of taking share from legacy players in the antivirus and broader cybersecurity industry.”

8. Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 45

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 29.66%

Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Irvine, California. It operates in the analytic process automation business in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, and internationally. The Alteryx Analytics Automation Platform facilitates the complete automation of analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and data science procedures, which expedite the process of digital transformation. It is one of the best artificial intelligence stocks to invest in.

On February 10, Needham analyst Mike Cikos increased the price target on Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) from $62 to $78 and maintained a Buy rating on the shares. This is in response to the company’s Q4 earnings beat, which was impressive due to its robust execution and guidance surpassing expectations, despite the challenging macroeconomic conditions, the analyst wrote in a research note.

According to Insider Monkey’s Q4 data, Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) was part of 45 hedge fund portfolios, compared to 40 funds in the earlier quarter. Brian Bares’ Bares Capital Management is the largest stakeholder of the company, with 2.5 million shares worth $127.8 million.

Here is what Brown Capital Management Small Company Fund said about Alteryx, Inc. (NYSE:AYX) in its Q3 2020 investor letter:

“Alteryx provides comprehensive self-service data-analytics software to data scientists and business analysts for finding and sharing data, preparing and blending it, performing a variety of analysis, sharing insights, and automation, without the need for coding. Alteryx’s software is unique in combining a comprehensive data analytics platform with ease of use, driving dramatic improvements in business productivity and outcomes. We believe Alteryx has a large market opportunity given its ability to help data scientists as well as business analysts who have limited technical capabilities. Alteryx serves a broad base of customers across all verticals and all sizes.

During the second quarter, Alteryx reported slower revenue growth relative to prior periods, and guided down full-year revenue below expectations. The revenue slowdown was partly driven by customers in certain areas that were heavily impacted by COVID-19, like small businesses and companies in the hospitality vertical, that slowed spending on new purchases and expansions. Additionally, the company noted that some customers are taking longer to make purchase decisions, extending sales cycles. These developments led to the underperformance during the third quarter. We believe the revenue slowdown is a short-term phenomenon, and continue to believe Alteryx has a large market opportunity and a long runway for multi-year growth.”

7. Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 40

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 32.83%

Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is a company that provides internet search services in China. On February 22, the company provided more details about its highly anticipated Ernie Bot, which is considered to be equivalent to ChatGPT. This bot will be available to the public through Baidu AI Cloud. The Ernie Bot is built upon Baidu’s comprehensive language model Ernie, which was first introduced in 2019.

On February 28, Shyam Patil, an analyst at Susquehanna, increased the firm’s price target on Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) from $150 to $175 and maintained a Positive rating on the shares. The analyst acknowledged that the advertising business is still being impacted by COVID-related disruptions but remains optimistic about the company’s execution. Susquehanna believes that although there is significant short-term uncertainty, Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) is well-positioned as a leading player in China’s search market, a key player in the feeds market, and the owner of one of the top video assets in the country. Additionally, the company is considered a market leader in AI applications, which reinforces our constructive long-term view of the stock, the analyst wrote in a research note.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 40 hedge funds were bullish on Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU), compared to 43 funds in the earlier quarter. John W. Rogers’ Ariel Investments is the biggest stakeholder of the company, with 2.85 million shares worth $326.3 million.

Ariel Investment made the following comment about Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) in its Q3 2022 investor letter:

“China’s internet search and online community leader Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) also weighed on relative results in the quarter. Continuing macro headwinds driven by China’s Zero-Covid policy are resulting in sluggish advertising trends. Looking ahead, the company remains committed to sustainable, profitable growth as management works to improve overall operational efficiency, executing on its strategic commitments around technological innovation and the transition to a green economy. We also continue to be enthusiastic about Baidu’s longer-term opportunity for revenue growth and margin expansion across internet search, cloud, autonomous driving, artificial intelligence and online video.”

6. Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 152

Average Upside Potential Based on Analyst Ratings: 36.01%

In February 2023, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) announced an AI-equipped service called Bard to compete with the famous ChatGPT bot. For over 20 years, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has been working on the development of artificial intelligence. Several of Google’s most widely used products, such as Lens and Translate, were constructed entirely using AI technologies, including machine learning and optical character recognition. It is one of the best AI stocks to consider.

According to Jefferies analyst Brent Thill, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) has a significant advantage in the field of large language AI models due to the quality of its data, which is derived from its widespread usage of Search, Chrome, and Android. Jefferies maintains a positive view on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s AI capabilities and does not anticipate any significant financial impact from AI for either Alphabet or Microsoft in the near future. The firm has reasserted its Buy rating and a $130 price target on Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s shares, stating that neither company is expected to jeopardize their current margin structures as both already have significant investments in AI to support experimentation.

According to Insider Monkey’s fourth quarter database, 152 hedge funds were long Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG), compared to 156 funds in the prior quarter. Chris Hohn’s TCI Fund Management is the biggest stakeholder of the company, with 54.5 million shares worth $4.8 billion.

In addition to Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN), Snowflake Inc. (NYSE:SNOW), and EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE:EPAM), elite hedge funds are piling into Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) for exposure to the AI market.

Weitz Partners III Opportunity Fund made the following comment about Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) in its Q4 2022 investor letter:

“Unfortunately, the performance story of the year is told by the Fund’s detractors. Now, weakening ad spending across all channels has added insult to injury, and concerns have spread to the other dominant digital ad player, Alphabet Inc. (NASDAQ:GOOG) — parent of Google and YouTube.

Meta, Alphabet, Amazon and CarMax were all top detractors for the quarter and calendar year periods (FIS and Liberty Broadband, respectively, complete the quarterly and calendar-year detractor lists.) To varying degrees, each is managing through cyclical challenges during a period of substantial investor pessimism. Drawdowns of this magnitude are painful, and it may be prudent for management to moderate the pace of some investments, but we remain encouraged by their long-term focus. In the short run, cutting spending indiscriminately to “defend earnings” may lessen the pain of a drawdown, but it seldom grows a company’s business value — the ultimate prize.”

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