Hedge fund veteran Dan Ives is revealing his top five tech stock picks for 2026.
In a new CNBC Squawk Box interview, Ives says that artificial intelligence (AI) will likely cause the following five tech companies to outperform next year: Tesla (TSLA), Microsoft (MSFT), Palantir (PLTR), CrowdStrike (CRWD) and Apple (AAPL).
“It’s about the derivatives of the AI revolution playing out. That’s our whole thesis going into 2026. For every dollar spent on a NVIDIA chip, there’s an eight to 10 multiplier across the rest of tech. And that’s why I think those five are the ones specifically going into early part of ’26 that I think are going to boom. That’s why we pound the table on those five names.”
Ives says that Microsoft, which closed at $487 on Tuesday, may soon soar into the $500 range.
“When you look at enterprise, as you see the movements in the cloud and AI, [Microsoft’s] really owning that race. I think this is a stock [with a] $100 upside.”
He also says that Apple, which is trading for around $273 at time of writing, could see AI innovation drive its price into the $300 range.
“[Apple’s] been nowhere in AI. But now, as we go into ’26, we expect a major Google partnership in terms of the spring. Now, the consumer AI revolution goes through [Apple’s headquarters in] Cupertino, and I think that is significant. We talk about a $75 incremental in the stock is the AI multiple. That starts to increase for Apple. That’s why I view that as just a glaring name that sticks out.”
Lastly, Ives says that Tesla, which closed the market Tuesday at $454 per share, will likely surge due to advancements with its autonomous vehicles and robotics.
“The whole story is the autonomous chapters now coming to Tesla, and I think it’s going be the most important year in its history for [Tesla CEO Elon] Musk and Tesla… We think autonomous is worth a trillion dollars alone to the Tesla story… I think Tesla’s front and center in terms of physical AI. That’s why we love that name.”
CrowdStrike closed on Tuesday at $475, up more than 39% year to date. Meanwhile, Palantir was trading at $180 at market close, up more than 139% year to date.
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