In this article, we will take a detailed look at the Top 10 Trending Stocks Now.
The volatile tariff policies of the new US administration and a slowdown in AI-related enthusiasm took a toll on the market over the past few weeks. However, some analysts believe a rebound is due.
Fundstrat’s Tom Lee said in a latest program on CNBC that he believes the US stock market will begin to recover starting April 2. Here is how Lee explained the reasons behind his positive outlook:
“When markets fall this quickly from a 52-week high, just remember less than a month ago we were at all-time highs. That is a market pricing in a crisis. I’d say almost 50% pricing in a recession, and we’re assuming there’s no Fed put now. The Fed is in a position to cut rates that really should mitigate the downside. I do think two other things that investors have to keep in mind, because many people just want to get out until April 2nd, is number one, I do think there’s a very high probability that a tariff solution happens before the next three weeks happens. It’s simple to see because China, Europe, Canada, Mexico since April 18th—all of those countries have outperformed the US. I don’t think that markets are that blind to say if Canada and Mexico are about to have a recession, they should outperform the US. The second thing people should keep in mind is that when you have a global crisis brewing—and we highlighted like the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis—that was a 12-day crisis, but the markets bottomed seven days into the crisis, five days before that crisis ended, the market had already recovered two-thirds of the losses.”
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For this article, we picked 10 stocks notable Wall Street analysts were discussing recently. With each stock we have mentioned its latest hedge fund sentiment. 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 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here).
10. Otis Worldwide Corp (NYSE:OTIS)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 32
Otis Worldwide Corp (NYSE:OTIS) makes elevators and escalators. Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, explained in a latest program on CNBC why he’s bullish on the stock:
“This is another industrial, and the like up 10% year to date, 7% in the past month, bucking the market trend. RSI is 64. It’s above its 50, it’s above its 200, and it’s a 24 forward PE, 22 forward PE, so it’s not like you’re paying up for some sort of a momentum stock. I like this name, Otis. I think we’re going to get a breakout to all-time highs.”
9. Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 41
Michael Lee from Michael Lee Strategy said in a recent program on Schwab Network that he’s bullish on Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) despite the stock’s “astronomical” multiple.
“I’m pretty close to fully invested. My all-time favorite stock that I’ve ever seen, ever, is Palantir. The prospects for this company over the next three to five years are like nothing I’ve ever seen. Morgan Stanley thinks AI software spend this year is roughly 60 billion, and that goes to 400 billion in 2028. Palantir’s got a 7 to 9% market share of that. Now, if you extrapolate that out to 2028, that’s a 20 to 30 billion revenue number, which is a 4 to 5x from where they’re going to end up this year. And the way the operating leverage from their business works—with the way they use their engineers and the fact that they’ve been working on this technology for 20 years—it’s going to be a cash machine, a profit machine. As a SaaS company that’s going to continue to grow at unimaginable rates, it’s always going to have an astronomical multiple. I’m going to be adding it there because I’ve never seen a technology company ready to disrupt the world the way Palantir is.”
Palantir’s valuation is concerning for many. Its revenue growth is expected to slow over the next two years, with estimates suggesting a 22% YoY growth rate, potentially bringing revenues to around $4 billion by fiscal 2026. If Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) can improve margins by 100 basis points annually, it would be able to generate about $1.5 billion in adjusted operating income by FY26, with a present value of $1.3 billion when discounted at 8%. Applying an S&P 500-like growth multiple of 2.5 to 2.75 times earnings, Palantir Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:PLTR) would have a P/E of 46, translating to a price target of $27, significantly down from its current price.
Baron Asset Fund stated the following regarding Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“Two software stocks that the Fund did not own, Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) and AppLovin Corporation, each gained more than 100% and accounted for 52% of the Benchmark’s gain during the quarter. At year end 2024, Palantir was valued at approximately 200 times its expected 2024 earnings, while AppLovin was valued at 80 times. The market cap of each exceeded $100 billion, and the two stocks represented nearly 8% of the Index. Neither company met our criteria for investment. The total impact on relative performance from Palantir and AppLovin was about 7 times higher than we have seen historically for two securities that are unique to the Benchmark, showing just how unparalleled the event was and something that we believe is unlikely to be repeated.”
8. Rtx Corp (NYSE:RTX)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 72
Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, said in a latest program on CNBC that he’s bullish on Rtx Corp (NYSE:RTX).
“RTX—this is like the merger between United Technologies and Raytheon. Now they can both supply airplane parts to commercial. RTX has seen double-digit revenue growth in three of the last five quarters. If you think that Europe and America have to continue to spend, and Trump’s going to do this thing with the ships, then this is where money is going to be made. It’s an unfortunate part of life, but defense spending is going to be more important, not less important, as time goes on. The stock’s at a 19 forward PE, expecting 7% earnings per share growth and 12% next year. They are accumulating the stock. It’s got an RSI of 50, not yet overbought, 3% above the 50-day, and 8% above the 200-day. Yes, it’s industrial, but it looks great.”
Longleaf Partners Fund stated the following regarding RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“RTX Corporation (NYSE:RTX) – Aerospace and defense company RTX was a top contributor for the year. Our appraisal value has grown nicely since we first purchased the company just over a year ago. While the issues for Pratt & Whitney’s (P&W) Geared Turbofan engine are still not yet fully fixed, they have gotten better and given us another reminder that the point of maximum pessimism is only obvious in retrospect. We continue to have a conservative valuation on P&W so view this as a source of future value upside. The Raytheon segment has also performed better as the year has gone on, with recent signs of margin improvement. Strong industry tailwinds, prudent capital allocation and a solid balance sheet provide a foundation for sustained growth and eventual full value recognition.”
7. Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 75
Keith Fitz-Gerald from Fitz-Gerald Group said in a recent program on CNBC that he is bullish on Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST).
“I think we’re going to see a good jump in comparable sales, and I think we’re going to see a very resilient membership—particularly now when people’s wallets are stretched and fear is running high. So, I’m looking forward to this report. It’s a stock that I cannot imagine not owning.”
Costco Wholesale Corp (NASDAQ:COST) latest quarterly report was mixed, with revenue beating estimates but earnings falling short of market expectations. The company’s comparable sales were up 8.3% in the US. Excluding gas prices and F/X swings, comparable sales were up 8.6% in the US, compared with a 6.5% growth estimate by the Street. Membership fee income was $1.19 billion vs $1.22 billion consensus and $1.11 billion a year ago.
Aoris Investment Management stated the following regarding Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“Firstly, I think we exercised good valuation discipline in our sales of Costco Wholesale Corporation (NASDAQ:COST) and Cintas. The share prices of these two companies had increased by more than 60% and 40% respectively in the year prior to our sale. It can be difficult as investors to remain objective and not ‘fall in love’ with an investment when it is performing well. A higher share price doesn’t make a business more valuable!
We sold both Costco and Cintas simply for reasons of valuation. These are exceptional businesses that we’d love to own again if valuation permits. Their sales allowed us to recycle portfolio capital into more attractively valued businesses.”
6. Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 76
Near the end of December last year, Josh Brown, CEO of Ritholtz Wealth Management, said during a program on CNBC that he was expecting a turnaround in Starbucks Corp (NASDAQ:SBUX) stock price amid a variety of factors. Here is how he made the bull case for the coffee giant at that time:
“This stock being down three years in a row is a pretty rare thing. You don’t really see that very often, and quite frankly, it’s understandable why. But it’s also understandable why things should be changing very quickly. They’re going to report earnings on January 28th, so you don’t have to wait a long time to see if the turnaround can be trusted. They’re going to do 9 billion in revenue, which would be down 1% year-over-year, about 1.1 billion in EBIT, which would be down 23% year-over-year. So analyst’s expectations are extremely low. The stock is effectively trading at its 10-year median valuation on all the important measures. And they just hired arguably the best living QSR industry CEO in Brian Niccol, who’s going to turn this thing around. So I like the risk-reward here, and if it gets into the low to mid-80s, I’m going to add an irresponsible amount of stock to my own portfolio. Because anytime Starbucks has been down, it’s never been out. It’s always been an opportunity, and I don’t think that’s changed this time.”
SBUX shares are up 7% so far this year.
The Street is turning bullish on SBUX amid its new CEO Brian Niccol. Why? He has a solid history of turning around businesses. Bill Ackman brought Niccol to Chipotle Mexican Grill from Yum! Brands to turn the company around. Ackman sold his stake in Chipotle in the second quarter of 2024, just before Niccol transitioned to Starbucks. During Niccol’s tenure, Chipotle shares rose 700%.
Invesco Growth and Income Fund stated the following regarding Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in its Q3 2024 investor letter:
“Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX): The coffee retailer has struggled with China’s economic softness, declining sales and weaker US store traffic that have hampered revenues and profit margins. However, we believe the company has several positive, long-term catalysts, including strong growth in store count, better labor relations, improving productivity from labor, technology and innovation, and easier future earnings comparisons. We believed a management change was imminent, and shortly after we purchased the stock, Starbucks named a new CEO, which was seemingly greeted enthusiastically by investors.”
5. Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA)
Number of Hedge Funds Investors: 99
Gautam Mukunda from Yale School of Management said in a latest program on CNBC that Tesla Inc’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) dependence on China could be used by the country as “leverage.”
“Given the relations between the Trump Administration and Canada, it’s difficult to imagine anyone in Canada buying a Tesla in the foreseeable future. However, there are two bigger threats that are likely to be real, and if I were on the board, I’d be keeping my eye on them. First, Tesla still makes a lot of money in China, and the Chinese government essentially has the ability to use that to put leverage on the second most powerful person in the United States. The odds that they will not use that leverage are close to 0%, which makes it a real threat to a significant portion of Tesla’s revenues. The second threat is that Tesla is the publicly held company most dependent on the image of its CEO as a genius. When you’re doing the sort of things that Musk is doing, like waving chainsaws around on stage, you might start to threaten that image.”
Analysts are looking beyond Elon Musk’s big claims and digesting the harsh reality facing the company. Tesla’s sales are falling all over the world despite the broader industry growth. For example, in California, the largest U.S. market for electric vehicle adoption and sales, Tesla sales fell about 12% year over year in 2024, causing its market share to drop from 60.1% in 2023 to 52.5% in 2024. Was it because Californians are buying fewer EVs? No. Californians purchased more than 2 million electric cars during the year, almost double when compared to the past two years.
Things aren’t looking good for Tesla in Europe, too. For example, in Germany, Tesla delivered just 1,429 new cars in February, down 76% from the same month last year. In contrast, battery-electric vehicle (BEV) registrations surged 30.8% during the month.
Tesla Inc’s (NASDAQ:TSLA) product lineup is showing signs of stagnation, with over 95% of sales still coming from the Model 3 and Model Y. Meanwhile, competitors are rolling out more advanced models. According to Reuters, Tesla’s market share in Europe is slipping as legacy automakers like BMW post stronger sales. Chinese competitor BYD is also gaining ground in Europe, despite talk of tariffs.
Polen Focus Growth Strategy stated the following regarding Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) in its Q4 2024 investor letter:
“The largest relative detractors in the quarter were Tesla, Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) (not owned), Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Broadcom (not owned). We’ve spoken at length about our rationale for not owning Tesla. The stock enjoyed a 54% return during the quarter, with effectively all of the share price performance strength coming in the post-election period, as the market expressed a positive view on Elon Musk’s prominent role in the incoming Trump administration and its potential implications for Tesla. While we agree this development should be a net positive for Tesla and recognize the company’s interesting future prospects for autonomous driving and humanoid robots, its current valuation demands that shareholders pay primarily for potential innovations that have yet to materialize, with uncertain risks and timelines, presenting a different type of risk profile than we are comfortable with. Today, Tesla is an automobile manufacturer limited to the higher-income segment and is increasingly challenged to sell vehicles when interest rates are not zero. As such, we continue to question the company’s long-term growth profile, its ability to scale a large robotaxi service (which seems to be the source of euphoria in Tesla shares), and its corporate governance.”
