<div id="readability-page-1"><div><p>It's in our nature to want more: More money. More friends. More muscle. More food. A more luxurious car. And, of course, more gains by way of the stock market.</p><p>How can I tell after a year in which the S&amp;P 500's (^GSPC) total return was 17.88%, bringing the index's three-year total return to 86.11%? Because I am always getting asked by people for stock ideas, especially after years of the market basically moving up and to the right.</p><p>As a rule, I don't give out stock ideas, as that is no longer my career (I was an analyst for a decade). So I come to you at the start of 2026 with a tidy list of stock ideas provided by my contacts.</p><p>I caution that I am not endorsing the picks of these money management pros. This is not me saying to dump your life savings into these stocks or even buy a single share.</p><p>Do your homework on each one. In doing so, you may find you like other stocks in the industry better.</p><figure><div><div><p><span><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9pTuvPLMSiIKCdixR_058w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2026-01/e7081b60-e819-11f0-9ef6-df2760d22359?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="960" height="640" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9pTuvPLMSiIKCdixR_058w--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2026-01/e7081b60-e819-11f0-9ef6-df2760d22359"/></span></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>A trader works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after the opening bell in New York on Jan. 2, 2026. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)</figcaption><p></p></figure><h2 id="wedbush-tech-analyst-dan-ives-nvidia-nvda">Wedbush tech analyst Dan Ives: Nvidia (NVDA)</h2><p>&#34;One chip company in the world is fueling the AI revolution, and that's Nvidia. And I think as it plays out, the [earnings] numbers are significantly underestimated. I think 15% to 20% at a minimum [earnings growth] going into 2026. You put that together, and I think we're looking at a $250 stock in a base case to end 2026.&#34;</p><h2 id="laffer-tengler-investments-ceo-nancy-tengler-palantir-pltr">Laffer Tengler Investments CEO Nancy Tengler: Palantir (PLTR)</h2><p>&#34;We love Palantir. From a defense standpoint, they are the leader in AI and data, with Defense Department approval and usage. And then beyond that, corporate adoption and sovereign adoption. So we think the name continues [to go higher]. It's one of those names, you can't justify it from a valuation standpoint. But the narrative is quite compelling. And that can drive stocks for a very long time, like it did Amazon for the first 20 years of Amazon's post-IPO life.&#34;</p><p>&#34;I think Broadcom is a little misunderstood. We were big buyers of it during COVID actually when it was giving you over a 3% dividend yield. So you know we like dividends. So what I like about it is the VMware side of the business and the programable side. These are very specialized chips. So not competing as much with Nvidia, and I think they're creating their own market. And I think their growth rate and the ownership has been tremendous.</p><p>&#34;We've been trimming this position because it grew to so much in our accounts. I mean, we had up to 7% of our portfolio in Broadcom. We didn't want that much. We still like it, but we're not expecting the 5,060% return. We'd be very happy with Broadcom [returning] about 10%.&#34;</p><figure><div><div><p><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JHx0p_cWLo9zq0nQX2Tolg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM3Nw--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-07/17752130-4b4a-11ef-bff9-fd72468bde0c?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="700" height="275" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/JHx0p_cWLo9zq0nQX2Tolg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTM3Nw--/https://s.yimg.com/os/creatr-uploaded-images/2024-07/17752130-4b4a-11ef-bff9-fd72468bde0c"/></p></div></div><p></p><figcaption>StockStory aims to help individual investors beat the market.</figcaption><p></p></figure><h2 id="winthrop-capital-cio-adam-coons-alphabet-goog-googl">Winthrop Capital CIO Adam Coons: Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL)</h2><p>&#34;I definitely wouldn't just bet on Nvidia. I think you do need to do your homework if you want to buy specific names. I think probably the general investor is probably better finding some sort of basket to kind of play the overall [AI] space. But we're very early innings in this, and obviously Nvidia is the winner right now. But to say, you know, in five years that we look back that they're going to be the dominant player still is very, very unlikely.</p><p>&#34;We kind of like to barbell this with something like the big hyperscaler in an Alphabet, because that's really the type of name that you could probably have a little bit more comfort in, because the AI story is just benefiting an already existing business model that was doing well.&#34;</p><h2 id="emj-capital-founder-eric-jackson-nextdoor-nxdr">EMJ Capital founder Eric Jackson: Nextdoor (NXDR)</h2><p>&#34;Nextdoor is sort of seen as like a local news provider. And local is a concept that's failed many, many times. There have been many people that tried local and yet, with AI, there's 100 million verified users on Nextdoor. And so it's not just a Yelp, you know, banner ad-type business anymore. AI makes it possible to know that you were searching for a plumber last week. Those are lead-gen services powered by AI, built on top of the ontology of local neighborhoods. That makes services possible that just weren't possible anymore and makes Nextdoor a much more powerful service.&#34;</p><p>Editor's Note: Nextdoor co-founder and returning CEO Nirav Tolia recently sat down with Yahoo Finance on the Opening Bid Unfiltered podcast. Listen below for more context behind his turnaround plan.</p><p><em>Brian Sozzi</em><em> is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor and a member of Yahoo Finance's editorial leadership team. Follow Sozzi on X </em><em>@BrianSozzi</em><em>, </em><em>Instagram</em><em>, and </em><em>LinkedIn</em><em>. Tips on stories? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com.</em></p><p><strong>Click here for in-depth analysis of the latest stock market news and events moving stock prices</strong></p><p><strong>Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance</strong></p></div></div>

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<p>The article discusses five tech stocks that could potentially yield gains in 2026. Analysts suggest Nvidia (NVDA) for its role in the AI revolution, Palantir (PLTR) for its defense and corporate adoption, Broadcom for its specialized chips and dividends, Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) for its strong business model benefiting from AI, and Nextdoor (NXDR) for its innovative local services powered by AI. Investors are advised to conduct their own research before making any investment decisions.</p>

- The article discusses stock ideas for 2026, highlighting performances like the S&P 500's 17.88% total return last year and 86.11% over three years.  
- Various analysts suggest potential stocks including Nvidia, Palantir, Broadcom, Alphabet, and Nextdoor, while emphasizing the importance of individual research.  
- The author stresses that the recommendations do not signify endorsement and encourage investors to exercise caution when considering these picks.

5 tech stocks that could bring gains to your portfolio in the new year