Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Broadcom, Micron, Microsoft, Amazon, Dell & more

Wall Street analysts issued a range of calls, highlighting AI as a significant growth catalyst for tech firms like Microsoft, Nvidia, Broadcom, Dell, and Micron, while noting Apple's AI efforts as potentially defensive. Several financial institutions, including Truist and Citi, received upgrades based on perceived value and improving fundamentals, alongside identified turnaround opportunities for companies such as Haemonetics, Penn, and General Mills. Despite mixed sentiment for some tech giants like Alphabet, firms like KeyBanc initiated Cisco as overweight, underscoring its growth potential, reflecting a selective but generally optimistic outlook across diverse sectors.

Analysis

A wave of bullish analyst sentiment is centered on Artificial Intelligence, with UBS identifying Nvidia (NVDA), Broadcom (AVGO), and Micron (MU) as key beneficiaries of AI-driven compute and networking demand. This confidence is echoed by Morgan Stanley, which raised its price target on Microsoft (MSFT) to $530, citing conviction in Azure's AI-powered growth, and on Dell (DELL), where it anticipates the company can manage margins effectively in an AI server bull market. Benchmark significantly increased its price target on Tesla (TSLA) to $475 from $350, attributing the revision to the successful launch of its robotaxi business. In contrast, sentiment on other tech giants is more nuanced; UBS views Apple's (AAPL) potential acquisition of Perplexity AI as a defensive move, while Bank of America notes mixed investor sentiment for Alphabet (GOOGL) amid concerns over market share and monetization. Beyond tech, several upgrades point to perceived value and turnarounds. Citi upgraded Truist Financial (TFC) to Buy, citing significant value and improving fundamentals, while Penn Entertainment (PENN) was upgraded by Citizens, which sees a near-term inflection point after an 87% stock decline. A notable downgrade came from Wells Fargo, which moved The Trade Desk (TTD) to Equal Weight, citing the increasing likelihood of competitive pressure from Amazon by 2026.

Key Decisions for Investors

• Investors should consider overweighting exposure to core AI infrastructure beneficiaries like Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT), and Broadcom (AVGO), which are receiving strong analyst conviction and upward price target revisions.
• Be selective within large-cap tech, differentiating between AI leaders and companies like Apple (AAPL) where the AI strategy is viewed with skepticism, or The Trade Desk (TTD) which faces escalating competitive threats.
• Evaluate potential turnaround opportunities where analysts see inflection points, such as in financials with Truist Financial (TFC) and Citigroup (C), or in consumer-facing names like Penn Entertainment (PENN) and General Mills (GIS).
• Monitor upcoming catalysts highlighted by analysts, including Tesla's (TSLA) robotaxi developments and Amazon's (AMZN) expected reacceleration in AWS growth, as these could reset market expectations.
• Consider initiating positions in newly-rated companies with strong outlooks, such as Cisco (CSCO), which KeyBanc notes for its healthy order growth and attractive valuation amid a shift to software and subscriptions.