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12 Days of Investing: My Top 12 Stocks to Buy Before 2026

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12 Days of Investing: My Top 12 Stocks to Buy Before 2026

With 12 trading days left in 2025, Motley Fool publishes a year‑end buy list of 12 stocks that combine AI exposure, durable moats and select value/recovery opportunities for 2026: Apple (on track for an ~11% YTD gain) and Amazon (AWS ~ $132bn annual run‑rate) for AI/product and cloud leverage; Broadcom and Taiwan Semiconductor as AI chip/foundry beneficiaries amid heavy infrastructure spending; Vertex and CRISPR (Casgevy approval) as biotech catalysts; Coca‑Cola, Costco and Pool Corp for stable cash flows and dividends/membership economics; Intuitive Surgical for recurring consumable revenue; and Carnival and Target as beaten‑down, turnaround/value plays (Carnival ~11x forward, Target ~13x forward, Costco ~43x forward, Pool ~22x forward). The list is positioned for multi‑year upside into 2026, emphasizing secular AI tailwinds, patent/cost moats and specific near‑term catalysts, though individual stock selection depends on investors’ risk profiles and conviction in recovery or regulatory outcomes.

Analysis

Motley Fool published a 12-stock year-end buy list with 12 trading days left in 2025 that blends AI exposure, durable-moat cash generators and select value/recovery plays. Notable specifics: Apple is on track for an ~11% YTD gain, Amazon Web Services is cited at a $132 billion annual run-rate, and Broadcom and TSMC are highlighted as AI chip/foundry beneficiaries as cloud companies ramp infrastructure spending. Valuation signals point to selective opportunities: Costco trades at ~43x forward (down from >58x), Pool Corp at ~22x (down from >32x), Carnival at ~11x forward and Target at ~13x forward—implying potential bargains in travel and retail if operational turnarounds hold. These multiples frame a risk/reward tradeoff between premium secular growers and cyclicals recovering from stress. Healthcare and recurring-revenue names carry discrete catalysts: Vertex retains CF leadership while CRISPR Therapeutics won Casgevy approval and Vertex expects "significant growth," and Intuitive Surgical benefits from >$1 million installed systems plus recurring instrument sales. Key risks called out in the piece include regulatory/clinical uncertainty for gene-editing assets, legacy pandemic leverage for Carnival, and macro-driven consumer mix shifts that influence Target and Pool; sentiment signals are moderately positive.