Dan Ives has named NVIDIA, Microsoft, Palantir, Apple, and CrowdStrike as his five leading technology stock picks heading into 2027. The Yorkville Ives partner expects a USD 4 trillion artificial intelligence spending wave to drive further growth across technology markets.
His selections follow sharp differences in stock performance during 2026, with CrowdStrike leading gains while Microsoft and Palantir trail. Ives believes investors still underestimate the scale of AI investment and its potential impact on corporate spending.
The analyst recently initiated coverage of nearly 50 technology companies. In a post on X, he identified the five companies as his preferred technology investments for the coming year.
Ives described the AI expansion as entering its third inning of a nine-inning game. He cited existing financial commitments as evidence that substantial investment remains ahead.
Among his five selections, Palantir offers the largest potential upside based on its stated price target. Ives assigned the company a USD 250 target, approximately 29% above Wednesday's closing price of USD 194.12.
Palantir shares have gained 9.21% since the beginning of 2026. Meanwhile, NVIDIA carries a USD 300 target, representing roughly 26% upside from its Wednesday close of USD 237.47.
NVIDIA shares have advanced 27.33% this year. Ives expects demand for the company's AI chips to expand beyond major cloud providers into sovereign AI programs and business operations.
Microsoft also remains among his preferred investments. Its USD 615 target suggests approximately 16% upside from Wednesday's USD 529.76 close, following a 9.54% year-to-date gain.
Ives pointed to Microsoft's USD 678 billion in commercial remaining performance obligations. This figure represents contracted revenue that the company has yet to recognize. Excluding OpenAI, the metric grew 25%.
Apple completes the five-stock selection after gaining 23.84% this year. Ives previously outlined a USD 400 price target for the company.
CrowdStrike has delivered the strongest 2026 performance among Ives' five selections. Its shares have climbed 126.50% year-to-date, despite falling 4.81% on Wednesday to USD 265.44.
Ives assigned CrowdStrike a USD 335 price target, indicating approximately 26% potential upside. His outlook centers on growing cybersecurity risks associated with autonomous AI agents.
These systems can perform tasks without constant human input. As companies expand their use, Ives expects security requirements to increase alongside the number of potential cyberattack targets.
He projects cybersecurity spending could rise from approximately 5% of corporate IT budgets toward 10% over three years.
Ives also identified Anthropic and OpenAI as emerging cybersecurity competitors. While their expansion creates challenges for established providers, he believes their activity could increase demand across the industry.
His earlier cybersecurity selections included CrowdStrike and Palo Alto Networks. The two stocks have gained 138% and 128%, respectively, over the period referenced in his December 2025 outlook.
Beyond his five leading picks, Ives issued targets for smaller technology companies. His USD 24 target for cloud equipment provider Boost Run implies roughly 75% upside from Wednesday's USD 13.75 close.
Serve Robotics, which operates sidewalk delivery robots, received a USD 8 target. That represents approximately 72% upside from its USD 4.66 closing price.
Several companies within his broader coverage maintain business relationships with NVIDIA, including Salesforce, Check Point, and CrowdStrike. Ives identified NVIDIA's combined computing, networking, and software offerings as an advantage.
He expects customers to adopt more NVIDIA technology within connected AI systems rather than assemble separate components.
Meanwhile, Temasek's investment chief warned Wednesday that an unwinding of AI-related trades represents the largest threat to global financial markets.
Dan Ives expects AI investment to support further growth across technology and cybersecurity markets. Palantir offers the largest indicated upside among his five leading picks, while CrowdStrike leads year-to-date performance. NVIDIA remains central to his broader outlook, although concerns about a potential AI market reversal present a competing risk.