Summary:
With 2026 right around the corner, two of our 24/7 Wall St. Analysts, Eric Bleeker and Austin Smith, thought it would be an appropriate time to discuss which of three AI heavyweights they liked best as we head into the New Year.
The hosts of The AI Investor Podcast, Bleeker and Smith broke down which stock among Alphabet, Microsoft, and Nvidia might emerge as the biggest winner in 2026, with Nvidia setting itself apart from the pack for several reasons. Among them was the fact that Nvidia’s story centers on its Blackwell architecture, which is seeing overwhelming demand and remains supply constrained as data centers continue to be built across the globe. That paired with its strong leadership help make it a stock many wish they owned or owned more of.
Said Bleeker of the company’s growth over recent years, “It’s remarkable what NVIDIA has done, with huge gains in 2023 and 2024 and another roughly 35% year in 2025. At this scale, even 20% to 30% returns in 2026 would be outstanding. Despite all the bubble talk around AI, what I’ve seen on the ground – new data centers being built – suggests we’re still at the very beginning of this cycle. NVIDIA’s roadmap gives them strong leadership for years to come, and when doubts creep in, that’s often when investors should be looking to add shares.”
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Transcript:
Austin:
Eric, we’re looking ahead to 2026. I want to know the best AI stock to buy right now. Three of the most popular broad picks are Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) | GOOGL Price Prediction, also known as Google, Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), and NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA). Let’s talk about what’s going on with each company, and of these three, which one is your top pick for 2026.
Let’s start at the top. Alphabet is the story of the empire striking back in 2025. Great products, a fantastic release with Gemini 3, and they’ve gone from being seen as a laggard to a leader. Their progress in video and spatial AI generation has really put wind in their sails. There’s also excitement around reports that Alphabet is selling its TPU chips to other big AI companies like Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META), giving buyers an alternative to NVIDIA’s Blackwell chips. That’s what’s made Alphabet an exciting stock to watch over the last few months. Let’s see if they can continue it. Talk to me about Microsoft and NVIDIA – what’s the story with them lately?
Eric Bleeker:
With Microsoft, the big driver is cloud computing momentum. The single most important metric to watch heading into 2026 is Azure growth rates. We’ve seen those rates decelerate, but they could reaccelerate toward 50% growth. If a company the size of Microsoft is growing at anything close to that rate, it’s likely to be a winning stock.
Turning to NVIDIA, the big story is the Blackwell cycle. NVIDIA released its new Blackwell architecture, and demand has been extraordinary. Customers are lining up, supply is constrained, and the company is already thinking about next-generation architectures into 2026. That’s where investor focus is shifting now.
For NVIDIA, the key question is valuation. The company could earn as much as $8 per share in EPS next year. If the stock were closer to $150, that would be under 20 times earnings, which is outstanding for a company growing at these rates. Above $200, it becomes less compelling. At around $180 today, I’d still rate NVIDIA a buy.
Austin:
So is NVIDIA your top pick?
Eric Bleeker:
All three are advantaged, and I actually own all of them. But given recent negativity and the fact that Alphabet is up around 70% this year with a lot of optimism priced in, I would likely take NVIDIA.
Austin:
I agree. I own Alphabet and it’s one of my larger positions. I’m happy with the turnaround, but the consensus now is that they’re back, strong, and leaner than ever, which probably limits upside from here. I don’t own NVIDIA, and I’ve regretted it for years like many investors. NVIDIA is the one I’d pick today.
Eric Bleeker:
It’s remarkable what NVIDIA has done, with huge gains in 2023 and 2024 and another roughly 35% year in 2025. At this scale, even 20% to 30% returns in 2026 would be outstanding. Despite all the bubble talk around AI, what I’ve seen on the ground – new data centers being built – suggests we’re still at the very beginning of this cycle. NVIDIA’s roadmap gives them strong leadership for years to come, and when doubts creep in, that’s often when investors should be looking to add shares.
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