On the markets, the euphoria about artificial intelligence is increasingly mixed with nervousness. However, analysts remain largely optimistic.
• Gigantic AI investments by large US tech companies are unsettling investors
• Nevertheless, many of the AI stocks remain attractive positions from the analysts’ perspective
• However, there are discrepancies in assessments regarding the risks and opportunities
As technological development advances rapidly, investors are becoming increasingly concerned about the immense amounts of capital that will have to be spent on building the necessary infrastructure. At the beginning of February, the Reuters news agency reported that major technology companies expect to spend around $600 billion in AI in 2026. This raises concerns for investors, but what do analysts say?
NVIDIA: The undisputed market leader
For many experts, NVIDIA remains the benchmark. The US company plays a key role in the global AI ecosystem because its graphics processing units (GPUs) are considered standard hardware for training and operating large AI models. The company’s high-performance chips are used in data centers worldwide and form the technical basis for applications such as generative AI, cloud services and autonomous systems. NVIDIA’s lead is not only based on pure hardware performance, but also through a widespread software ecosystem (CUDA) that interlinks hardware and software so closely that this ecosystem for developers has become the global industry standard.
The analysis house Jefferies therefore confirmed the rating to “Buy” on February 26, 2026 with a price target of $275. Analyst Blayne Curtis commented on the company’s reliability with the words: “Whether in the rain, sleet, snow – NVIDIA always delivers.”
According to TipRanks, the chip designer receives consistently strong ratings from analysts. Numerous positive analyst ratings (39 of a total of 41 ratings in the “Buy” category) result in a “Strong Buy” consensus rating (as of March 5, 2026).
Microsoft: Strength through its own hardware
For Microsoft, the analyst majority is also “Strong Buy” with positive targets, according to TipRanks data. Here, 33 of a total of 36 ratings are “Buy” (as of March 5, 2026).
Goldman Sachs reiterated its buy rating on Microsoft with a price target of $600 at the end of February 2026, according to Investing.com. The progress in the company’s own chip development is viewed as particularly positive. According to analyst Gabriela Borges, Microsoft has made significant progress in its internal silicon strategy with the “Maia 200” accelerator chip, which could reduce dependence on external suppliers and improve margins in its Azure cloud business.
Thumbs up for infrastructure providers Alphabet, Amazon and Meta
Analysts also see the prospects for the hyperscalers Alphabet, Amazon and Meta as positive. Although the high planned investments temporarily weighed on share prices as investors focus on profitability and return on investment, the hope among analysts appears to be that the tech giants can ultimately benefit from the industry’s hunger for infrastructure.
On TipRanks, 26 of the 32 ratings given for Alphabet are “Buy”. In addition, Amazon received 40 (of a total of 43) and Meta 39 (of a total of 44) buy recommendations (as of March 5, 2026).
IBM: share price collapse as an entry opportunity?
A controversial picture emerges at IBM. The stock suffered its biggest daily loss in over 25 years in February 2026, falling 13 percent after fears emerged that Anthropic’s Claude Code AI tool could threaten IBM’s core legacy systems business.
But Wedbush analyst Dan Ives sees this as an exaggerated market reaction, according to Investing.com. He classified the price slide as a “great buying opportunity” and maintained his “outperform” rating with a price target of $340. Ives argued that AI will accelerate the modernization of legacy systems rather than displacing IBM, as companies continue to need structured migration and system integration.
In this context, analysts at Morgan Stanley have reduced their price target for IBM from $304 to $247 and emphasized risks associated with new AI tools. These diverging assessments reflect uncertainty about how AI disruption will impact traditional IT business models. Against this background, IBM only receives 12 Buys out of a total of 18 listed recommendations at TipRanks (as of March 5, 2026).
Apple: Analysts remain cautious
In contrast to the hardware giants NVIDIA or Microsoft, Apple is met with skepticism by some analysts. The British investment bank Barclays, for example, confirmed its “Underweight” rating at the end of January 2026 with a price target of $239, which was well below the market level at the time. While competitors such as Microsoft and Google are considered to be more advanced in integrating AI into their core businesses, Apple’s positioning in this area is being questioned more critically by houses such as Barclays. Accordingly, according to TipRanks, Apple is only recommended for purchase in 15 out of a total of 25 recommendations (as of March 5, 2026).
AI stocks remain analyst favorites
Despite short-term volatility and massive spending expectations fueling investor fears about profitability, many of the big AI stocks remain attractive positions from analysts’ perspectives. Companies that create the physical basis for AI – such as NVIDIA or Microsoft with their own chip projects – are particularly popular with analysts. At the same time, the example of IBM shows how sensitively the market reacts to potential threats from new AI technologies. Investors should therefore consider investment cycles and the actual Monetization keep an eye on the high expenses.
Editorial team finanzen.net
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