Stocks to watch now
Analysts are calling a buyer’s market in names like Home Depot ($HD), Intuit ($INTU), Berkshire ($BRK.B) and Microsoft ($MSFT) this cycle — these are being pitched as defensive core buys (x.com). The same threads recommend keeping an eye on Marvel/AI‑chip play $MRVL, generator/industrial $CAT and data‑centre landlord $EQIX as trade opportunities tied to AI and infrastructure demand (x.com).
The Home Depot reported fourth‑quarter sales of $38.2 billion, with comparable‑store sales up 0.4% and fourth‑quarter adjusted diluted EPS of $2.72 versus $3.13 a year earlier. (ir.homedepot.com) Management raised the quarterly dividend by 1.3% and guided fiscal 2026 total‑sales growth of roughly 2.5–4.5%; Morningstar projects about $171 billion in revenue for 2026. (ir.homedepot.com) Intuit reported Q2 FY2026 revenue of $4.65 billion and GAAP EPS of $4.15, beating estimates and prompting the company to raise its FY2026 EPS guidance ranges. (marketbeat.com) Argus upgraded INTU to Strong Buy in March and the analyst consensus price targets sit in the mid‑to‑high‑$600s range, while a recent federal court ruling allowing expanded TurboTax advertising removed a regulatory overhang for the firm. (marketbeat.com) Berkshire Hathaway’s operating earnings jumped 34% year‑over‑year to $13.485 billion in Q3 2025, reflecting a sharp rise in insurance underwriting income. (cnbc.com) The conglomerate’s cash balance reached roughly $381.7 billion in Q3 2025, and in Q4 2025 operating earnings fell to about $10.2 billion as insurance results weakened. (insurancejournal.com) Microsoft posted Q2 FY2026 revenue of $81.3 billion with Intelligent Cloud/Azure growth near 39%, driven by AI services demand. (microsoft.com) Capital expenditures surged (about $37.5 billion in the quarter, with FY2026 capex guidance implied near $146 billion) even as the stock has slid roughly 20–30% from its recent highs. (finance.yahoo.com) Analyst coverage of Marvell shows a Strong Buy consensus with an average price target around $116 from roughly 32 analysts, and the stock traded higher on heavy volume amid AI‑infrastructure headlines. (stockanalysis.com) Marvell CEO Matthew Murphy sold 30,000 shares on March 26, 2026, a disclosed insider transaction that coincided with elevated trading activity. (insidertrades.com) Caterpillar is increasingly positioning its power‑generation and energy systems as inputs to data‑centre projects and decentralized energy, a strategic shift S&P Global said could be a meaningful tailwind. (spglobal.com) Analyst sentiment on Caterpillar remains mixed, with a consensus price target reported near $785 as some firms re‑rate the stock for power‑generation exposure. (uk.finance.yahoo.com) Equinix told investors it plans to add more than 24,000 cabinets in the Americas by 2027 and reported record 2025 bookings alongside guidance for double‑digit revenue growth in 2026 tied to AI‑driven colocation demand. (spglobal.com)
