Evercore ISI Names Amazon and Expedia as Top Long Picks for 2026
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Dec 30 2025
0mins
Should l Buy AMZN?
Source: CNBC
- Optimistic Outlook for Amazon: Evercore ISI has named Amazon as its top large-cap pick for 2026, with analysts noting a positive shift in the AI narrative for Amazon Web Services and projecting significant free cash flow growth over the next two years, despite the stock's nearly 6% rise this year, lagging behind the Nasdaq's 21% gain.
- Valuation Potential for Expedia: Analysts highlight Expedia's lower earnings multiple compared to competitors, suggesting that its turnaround under new management is not fully reflected in its valuation; even though the stock surged over 54% in 2025, the average price target indicates a potential decline of more than 5%.
- Long-Term Opportunity in Zillow: Evercore ISI favors Zillow as a long-term investment in the SMID space, as the stock's approximately 25% pullback since September positions it well for recovery, with analysts expecting a rebound of over 25% after a more than 5% drop in 2025.
- Market Expectation Analysis: According to LSEG, analysts maintain buy ratings for both Amazon and Zillow, reflecting a growing optimism in the market regarding the future performance of these tech stocks, indicating a gradual recovery of investor confidence.
Trade with 70% Backtested Accuracy
Stop guessing "Should I Buy AMZN?" and start using high-conviction signals backed by rigorous historical data.
Sign up today to access powerful investing tools and make smarter, data-driven decisions.
Analyst Views on AMZN
Wall Street analysts forecast AMZN stock price to rise
44 Analyst Rating
41 Buy
3 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 264.860
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
Current: 264.860
Low
175.00
Averages
280.01
High
325.00
About AMZN
Amazon.com, Inc. provides a range of products and services to customers. The products offered through its stores include merchandise and content it has purchased for resale and products offered by third-party sellers. The Company’s segments include North America, International and Amazon Web Services (AWS). It serves consumers through its online and physical stores and focuses on selection, price, and convenience. Customers access its offerings through its websites, mobile apps, Alexa, devices, streaming, and physically visiting its stores. It also manufactures and sells electronic devices, including Kindle, Fire tablet, Fire TV, Echo, Ring, Blink, and eero, and develops and produces media content. It serves developers and enterprises of all sizes, including start-ups, government agencies, and academic institutions, through AWS, which offers a set of on-demand technology services, including compute, storage, database, analytics, and machine learning, and other services.
About the author

Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
- Cloud Business Growth: Amazon's AWS reported a 28% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 2026, reaching $37.6 billion, showcasing its leadership in the cloud market and strong profitability, which has driven the stock price surge.
- Surge in Custom Chip Revenue: Amazon's custom chips (Trainium and Graviton) generated $20 billion in annualized revenue last quarter, growing at a triple-digit rate, and are expected to become a significant revenue source, potentially surpassing its e-commerce business in the coming years.
- Capital Expenditure Plans: Amazon anticipates capital expenditures to reach $200 billion in 2026, up from $131 billion in 2025, which may impact short-term free cash flow but is expected to yield substantial long-term returns.
- Strong Earnings Outlook: Amazon's net income grew by 31% in 2025, with analysts projecting a 21% annualized growth rate for earnings per share in the coming years, indicating significant potential for stock price doubling if AWS continues its rapid growth.
See More
- Increased Investment: Appaloosa Management increased its stake in Amazon by 7.9% in Q1, adding 2.14 million shares, which raised its portfolio allocation from 7.3% to 15.2%, demonstrating strong confidence in Amazon's future growth prospects.
- Holding Value: Appaloosa now owns 4.3 million shares of Amazon, valued at approximately $900 million, making it the largest position in the fund, significantly ahead of Micron Technology and Alphabet, reflecting Tepper's prioritization of Amazon.
- Market Timing: Tepper's purchase came when Amazon's stock dipped below $200 in February, indicating a strategic buy during the tech sell-off, and since then, the stock has rebounded 35% to $268, showcasing effective timing.
- Performance Outlook: Amazon's Q1 results exceeded expectations, with Q2 sales growth projected at 16%-19% and operating income growth at a midpoint of 15%, alongside a 28% increase in cloud revenue, highlighting robust market demand and investment potential.
See More
- Significant Acquisition: ARK Investment Management purchased 149,176 shares of Cerebras Systems for approximately $46.4 million through its ARK Innovation and ARK Next Generation Internet ETFs last week, indicating strong confidence in the company's growth potential.
- Impressive IPO Performance: Cerebras priced its IPO at $185 per share, opened at $350, and closed its first day at $311.07, achieving a 68% gain, reflecting the market's high regard for its technology.
- Customer Base Expansion: Cerebras signed a multi-year compute agreement with OpenAI valued at over $20 billion, which is expected to significantly boost its revenue streams, although it faces risks from high customer concentration, with 86% of its 2025 revenue coming from two clients.
- Notable Technological Advantage: The Wafer-Scale Engine 3 chip from Cerebras features 4 trillion transistors and 900,000 AI cores, delivering AI inference speeds up to 15 times faster than leading GPU systems, yet with a market cap exceeding $63 billion, investors must carefully assess the risks associated with its high valuation.
See More
- IPO Fundraising Scale: Cerebras Systems went public on May 14, raising over $6 billion, marking the largest tech IPO of 2026, which reflects strong market demand for its innovative technology.
- Customer Partnership Agreement: Cerebras signed a multi-year compute agreement with OpenAI valued at over $20 billion, under which it will deploy 750 megawatts of compute capacity through 2028, further solidifying its market position in AI.
- Financial Performance Improvement: In 2025, Cerebras reported a 76% year-over-year revenue increase to $510 million, with a net profit of $238 million, indicating significant improvements in profitability and market demand.
- Market Valuation Risks: Despite promising technology prospects, Cerebras' market capitalization exceeds $63 billion with a price-to-earnings ratio nearing 700, prompting investors to carefully assess the potential risks associated with such high valuations.
See More
- Coverage Initiation: Guggenheim has initiated coverage of X-Energy with a 'Buy' rating and a $57 price target, indicating an upside of approximately 112.85% from its last closing price, reflecting the analyst's recognition of the company's leadership in next-generation nuclear technology.
- Market Attention: Despite X-Energy's stock price declining over 8% since its IPO, Wall Street's interest remains high, with at least eight analysts covering the company and price targets ranging from $28 to $41, demonstrating confidence in its long-term potential.
- Capital Efficiency: Guggenheim highlighted X-Energy's industry-leading contracted backlog and proprietary TRISO-X fuel technology, which is meltdown-proof, along with a capital-efficient licensing model that generates revenue without owning or operating facilities, enhancing the attractiveness of its business model.
- Amazon Support: Amazon owns about 20% of X-Energy and has invested $500 million to support the advancement of over 5 GW of new nuclear capacity in the U.S. by 2039, providing a solid foundation for X-Energy's future growth through strong capital backing.
See More
- Market Spending Overview: Amazon and Microsoft are the two largest spenders in the data center market, reflecting their ongoing investment intentions in cloud computing infrastructure aimed at enhancing their competitive positions.
- Stock Performance: As of May 17, 2026, Amazon's stock price was 2.08% and Microsoft's was 1.45%, indicating their relative performance in the market, which may influence investor expectations for future growth.
- Industry Trends: With the continuous growth in cloud computing demand, the spending by Amazon and Microsoft is expected to drive the overall development of the data center industry, further solidifying their leadership in the global market.
- Investment Strategy: The substantial investments by both companies in data centers not only enhance their technological infrastructure but also provide a solid foundation for future business expansion and innovation, signaling ongoing market growth potential.
See More











