We recently published a list of 10 Best Major Stocks to Invest In According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) stands against the other best major stocks to invest in according to analysts.

The Post-Fed Rate Cut Opportunities

The current economic landscape presents a mix of signals as market participants assess the necessity of additional interest rate cuts. Despite overall economic strength, the Fed has hinted at potential rate reductions due to weaknesses in specific sectors. Currency dynamics are also shifting, with the US dollar weakening against the euro, adding another layer of complexity to the market environment. Amidst this backdrop, major stock indices, including the Dow Jones, continue to hover near record highs.

As analysts and market participants navigate these developments, they must consider how these factors may influence investment strategies in the coming months. Recently, discussions have emerged regarding the implications of potential rate cuts and their effects on various sectors of the economy. Some experts argue that further cuts may be necessary to support smaller businesses and consumers who are still adjusting to previous interest rate hikes.

Stephanie Link, Chief Investment Strategist and Portfolio Manager at Hightower thinks that a soft landing for the economy despite market volatility is anticipated, which is a contrasting perspective amidst market volatility and uncertainty. While there are concerns regarding the performance of small-cap stocks and their ability to keep pace with larger assets, she thinks the economy may stabilize without entering a recession. We talked about this in more detail in our article on the 10 Best Young Stocks To Buy Now, here’s an excerpt from it:

“….She believes that the Fed is skillfully guiding the economy towards a soft landing, even amidst the expected market fluctuations before the elections.

Just 3 weeks ago, the S&P 500 had dropped by 4%. Still, it rebounded by 4% the following week. It rose another 1% last week, reaching new highs, and expressed optimism about buying opportunities during any market weakness, citing better-than-expected economic growth driven by recent data, including improved retail sales and manufacturing figures, as well as a decline in weekly jobless claims to a 4-month low. This positive economic backdrop supports an estimated growth rate of 2.9%, which is expected to benefit corporate earnings.

….Link noted a broadening market trend over the past couple of months, indicating that while tech has taken the lead, other sectors such as financials, industrials, materials, and discretionary stocks are also showing strength.”

John Stoltzfus from Oppenheimer Asset Management joined CBNC’s ‘Squawk on the Street’ on September 25 to discuss the difference the Fed’s recent rate cut makes. It was highlighted that the S&P 500 is experiencing a remarkable moment, having just achieved its 41st record close of the year. Oppenheimer’s Chief Investment Strategist has set a target of 5,900 for the index, attributing this optimistic outlook to the recent rate cuts by the Fed.

Stoltzfus explained that the significance of these cuts lies in their actual implementation after a long period of rate hikes and pauses. He described the rate cut as a down payment from the Fed to both Wall Street and Main Street, signaling that further cuts could be on the horizon if necessary. Since this announcement, the market has shown mixed reactions, with defensive stocks performing well at times while technology stocks have also seen gains.

When discussing consumer discretionary stocks, Stoltzfus expressed that this sector is one of their favorites despite its underperformance earlier in the year. He noted that there has been a noticeable improvement in performance over recent months as investors recognize consumer resilience. However, he emphasized that within consumer discretionary, investors should focus on select companies rather than expecting a broad rally across the sector. Retailers leveraging e-commerce effectively are likely to perform better during the upcoming holiday season.

The conversation also touched on concerns regarding discounts in various sectors, particularly electronics. Stoltzfus acknowledged that value has become a key focus for consumers, which has led to increased competition among retailers. This competition allows consumers more options but may also pressure profit margins for some retailers. Nonetheless, he pointed out that many businesses within consumer discretionary, beyond just retail, are likely to maintain healthy margins.

Stoltzfus’ discussion highlighted the positive impact of the Fed’s rate cuts on market sentiment and consumer behavior while recognizing challenges in specific sectors. The outlook remains optimistic as investors navigate through these transitions and prepare for potential opportunities in consumer discretionary stocks and other sectors.

Methodology

We used stock screeners to look for mega cap stocks. We then selected the top 10 stocks with the highest upside potential (more than 15%), that were also the most popular among elite hedge funds, as of Q2 2024. The stocks are ranked in ascending order of their 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: 21.48%

Market Cap as of September 26: $3026.02 billion

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 179

NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) is a multinational corporation and technology company that specializes in designing and manufacturing graphics processing units (GPUs). These GPUs are used in a wide range of applications, including gaming, professional visualization, artificial intelligence, and data centers.

Revenue in FQ2 2025 grew 122.4% year-over-year, driven by a 54% increase in data center revenue, where cloud service providers accounted for ~45% of data center revenue. Strong demand for NVIDIA Hopper, GPU computing, and networking platforms fueled this growth. For FQ3, the company expects total revenue to be $32.5 billion

Elon Musk’s xAI startup has launched Colossal, the world’s most powerful AI training system. It’s Powered by NVIDIA Corp.’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) H100 GPUs, with an upcoming shift to H200 GPUs. and eventually Blackwell chips.

It also has expansions in healthcare. Its Clara platform, an AI-powered suite of tools, is empowering healthcare providers and researchers to process vast datasets quickly and accurately for applications like diagnostics, drug discovery, and data analysis.

Just a few days back, NetApp launched a new GenAI data vision and end-to-end integrated solution powered by NVIDIA AI. Management estimated annual spending on data center infrastructure at $250 billion, with potential growth to $1-2 trillion over the next decade.

The demand for computing power to train large AI models is growing rapidly. By 2027, 3 frontier models with 50 trillion parameters each could require 20 million chips for training. Companies like NVIDIA Corp.’s (NASDAQ:NVDA) are leading in training and inference. Inference will be crucial for monetizing AI models. Such factors show how the company is poised to maintain its position in the industry.

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.”

Overall NVDA ranks 7th on our list of best major stocks to invest in 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.