When considering which stocks to buy today, many investors are overlooking compelling opportunities amid market uncertainty. Chipmaker Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has experienced a softer opening to 2026, with shares remaining essentially flat as of early February, while the broader S&P 500 has advanced roughly 1.6% year-to-date. This underperformance in a stock typically associated with technology leadership raises an important question: Is this weakness masking genuine value for investors seeking exposure to artificial intelligence?
At a $4.5 trillion market capitalization, Nvidia remains the world’s most valuable company. Some market participants have grown cautious about valuations at this magnitude. However, the investment thesis may hinge less on today’s stock price than on your conviction about how much runway remains for artificial intelligence investment and adoption in the years ahead.
The Long-Term AI Investment Thesis Remains Intact
A critical factor that investors considering stocks to buy today should understand is that artificial intelligence deployment is still in its nascent stages. Yes, numerous companies are reassessing their AI initiatives, and some projects have underwhelmed. This period of recalibration—what research analysts describe as a “trough of disillusionment”—might seem discouraging on the surface. Yet it tells a more optimistic story when examined through the lens of spending trajectories.
According to research firm Gartner’s latest projections, global artificial intelligence spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, representing 44% year-over-year growth compared to 2025 levels. Looking further ahead, 2027 spending is forecast to climb to $3.3 trillion, marking an additional 32% expansion. Notably, these robust growth figures are being projected even as corporate executives are questioning the returns on their AI investments. If such substantial spending growth is occurring amid skepticism, it suggests formidable tailwinds remain ahead for companies like Nvidia that are central to enabling AI infrastructure buildouts.
Beyond forward-looking projections, Nvidia’s current financial performance provides compelling evidence for investors evaluating stocks to buy today. While the company’s expansion rate has moderated from the explosive double and triple-digit growth of the initial AI boom phases, its recent results remain exceptional by any reasonable standard.
In its most recent quarterly earnings report from November 2025, Nvidia delivered a 62% revenue growth rate, with total sales reaching $57 billion for the quarter ended October 26, 2025. Even more impressively, net income expanded at a 65% rate, totaling $31.9 billion—a figure that underscores the company’s operational leverage and pricing power.
Perhaps most relevant for value-focused investors, Nvidia currently trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple below 25x, based on consensus analyst estimates. For a company commanding such dominant competitive positioning and delivering this caliber of profit growth, such a valuation multiple hardly qualifies as expensive. This metric becomes even more attractive when contextualizing it against the company’s historical growth trajectory and industry leadership status.
Assessing the Investment Case for AI-Exposed Stocks Today
The central question for anyone researching which stocks to buy today is whether the upside potential justifies current entry points. In Nvidia’s case, the intersection of several factors creates a noteworthy opportunity: an AI investment landscape that remains in early innings, forecasted spending growth that could exceed $3 trillion annually within two years, and a dominant market participant trading at a multiple that doesn’t fully reflect this opportunity set.
The market’s recent hesitation appears rooted more in valuation psychology and sector rotation than in any fundamental deterioration of Nvidia’s competitive moat or the underlying demand drivers. Should Gartner’s projections materialize as expected, today’s stock price could retrospectively appear quite reasonable—potentially overlooked by investors focused on near-term consolidation rather than multi-year growth potential.
For investors actively considering which stocks to buy today, Nvidia merits serious consideration as part of a diversified artificial intelligence-focused portfolio allocation.
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Which Stocks to Buy Today? Nvidia May Offer Better Value Than Recent Weakness Suggests
When considering which stocks to buy today, many investors are overlooking compelling opportunities amid market uncertainty. Chipmaker Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) has experienced a softer opening to 2026, with shares remaining essentially flat as of early February, while the broader S&P 500 has advanced roughly 1.6% year-to-date. This underperformance in a stock typically associated with technology leadership raises an important question: Is this weakness masking genuine value for investors seeking exposure to artificial intelligence?
At a $4.5 trillion market capitalization, Nvidia remains the world’s most valuable company. Some market participants have grown cautious about valuations at this magnitude. However, the investment thesis may hinge less on today’s stock price than on your conviction about how much runway remains for artificial intelligence investment and adoption in the years ahead.
The Long-Term AI Investment Thesis Remains Intact
A critical factor that investors considering stocks to buy today should understand is that artificial intelligence deployment is still in its nascent stages. Yes, numerous companies are reassessing their AI initiatives, and some projects have underwhelmed. This period of recalibration—what research analysts describe as a “trough of disillusionment”—might seem discouraging on the surface. Yet it tells a more optimistic story when examined through the lens of spending trajectories.
According to research firm Gartner’s latest projections, global artificial intelligence spending is expected to reach $2.5 trillion in 2026, representing 44% year-over-year growth compared to 2025 levels. Looking further ahead, 2027 spending is forecast to climb to $3.3 trillion, marking an additional 32% expansion. Notably, these robust growth figures are being projected even as corporate executives are questioning the returns on their AI investments. If such substantial spending growth is occurring amid skepticism, it suggests formidable tailwinds remain ahead for companies like Nvidia that are central to enabling AI infrastructure buildouts.
Nvidia’s Operating Momentum Demonstrates Financial Strength
Beyond forward-looking projections, Nvidia’s current financial performance provides compelling evidence for investors evaluating stocks to buy today. While the company’s expansion rate has moderated from the explosive double and triple-digit growth of the initial AI boom phases, its recent results remain exceptional by any reasonable standard.
In its most recent quarterly earnings report from November 2025, Nvidia delivered a 62% revenue growth rate, with total sales reaching $57 billion for the quarter ended October 26, 2025. Even more impressively, net income expanded at a 65% rate, totaling $31.9 billion—a figure that underscores the company’s operational leverage and pricing power.
Perhaps most relevant for value-focused investors, Nvidia currently trades at a forward price-to-earnings multiple below 25x, based on consensus analyst estimates. For a company commanding such dominant competitive positioning and delivering this caliber of profit growth, such a valuation multiple hardly qualifies as expensive. This metric becomes even more attractive when contextualizing it against the company’s historical growth trajectory and industry leadership status.
Assessing the Investment Case for AI-Exposed Stocks Today
The central question for anyone researching which stocks to buy today is whether the upside potential justifies current entry points. In Nvidia’s case, the intersection of several factors creates a noteworthy opportunity: an AI investment landscape that remains in early innings, forecasted spending growth that could exceed $3 trillion annually within two years, and a dominant market participant trading at a multiple that doesn’t fully reflect this opportunity set.
The market’s recent hesitation appears rooted more in valuation psychology and sector rotation than in any fundamental deterioration of Nvidia’s competitive moat or the underlying demand drivers. Should Gartner’s projections materialize as expected, today’s stock price could retrospectively appear quite reasonable—potentially overlooked by investors focused on near-term consolidation rather than multi-year growth potential.
For investors actively considering which stocks to buy today, Nvidia merits serious consideration as part of a diversified artificial intelligence-focused portfolio allocation.