The 5 Best-Performing AI Stocks in June 2026
Some public companies have links to artificial intelligence. Here's what the experts say about AI stocks and a list of the best-performing AI stocks right now.
Many, or all, of the products featured on this page are from our advertising partners who compensate us when you take certain actions on our website or click to take an action on their website. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.
The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.
Updated · 6 min read
Written by
Lead Writer 
Reviewed by
Certified Financial Planner® 
Edited by
Managing Editor 
AI stocks — and the AI industry — saw tremendous growth over the last year. That's left many investors wondering which AI companies to invest in to get some direct exposure to this rapid rise and blooming industry.
A few large companies have hogged much of the AI spotlight in recent years due to their massive spikes in value, and their valuations and performance have remained high even in the face of tariffs and broad market volatility. They continue to be represented in our list of the best AI stocks below, but there are many smaller, more obscure AI-related companies that have had substantial returns over the last year, too.
5 best AI stocks by performance
Here are the five best-performing AI stocks in the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index and the Indxx Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Index, ordered by one-year returns.
» Want to start investing? You'll need a brokerage account first. Here's how to open one.
1. Micron Technology Inc (MU)
Micron Technology Inc (MU) delivered the best one-year performance among AI stocks, climbing 703.29%. The stock holds an analyst recommendation of "strong buy" with a target price of $850.66. During our screen, MU was priced at $916.88, resulting in a P/E ratio of 43.29.
Micron Technology is a computer hardware manufacturer which is notable for being the only U.S.-based manufacturer of memory devices such as random-access memory boards. It also produces data storage devices, such as solid-state drives. Recently, the company has developed a number of memory devices, such as the HBM3E line, that are specially designed for industrial AI applications.
2. Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX)
Seagate is a computer hardware and data storage company. Founded in 1978, it was a pioneer in the development of hard drives for personal computers and gaming consoles. Seagate is still in the consumer hard drive business, but now also makes much of its revenue from enterprise data storage systems and cloud-based storage systems, which are valuable for AI applications and training.
- Market cap: $186.67B
- Analyst rating: "buy"
- Current price at time of screen: $832.50
- Analyst target price: $876.55
- One-year performance: 550.44%
3. Hut 8 Corp (HUT)
Hut 8 owns energy, digital infrastructure and computing businesses, including Bitcoin mining operations. Hut 8 also manages four natural gas power plants, hosts and operates servers at data centers, supports cloud deployments and digital storage solutions and runs a cloud infrastructure platform for AI.
- Market cap: $12.46B
- Analyst rating: "strong buy"
- Current price at time of screen: $110.67
- Analyst target price: $129.50
- One-year performance: 497.22%
4. Intel Corp (INTC)
Intel, originally founded in 1968, is a technology company specializing in computer processors, AI engines and software solutions for a variety of industries, including automotive, education, energy and financial services.
- Market cap: $539.62B
- Analyst rating: "hold"
- Current price at time of screen: $107.36
- Analyst target price: $98.17
- One-year performance: 386.25%
5. Marvell Technology Inc (MRVL)
- Market cap: $227.39B
- Analyst rating: "strong buy"
- Current price at time of screen: $259.93
- Analyst target price: $236.29
- One-year performance: 277.59%
Source: Finviz. Stock data is current as of Jun. 10, 2026 and is intended for informational purposes only.
| Brokerage firms | |
|---|---|
| | |
| | |
What are AI stocks?
AI stocks are shares of companies that work in the artificial intelligence space or heavily utilize AI in their business operations. There are many applications for AI, and thus a large variety of AI stocks: Some AI companies create voice recognition software. Others create pilotless aircraft. Others just make the computer chips or data centers that AI software runs on.
AI stocks tend to fall into one of two categories: blue-chip technology companies that have invested in or partnered with AI developers, and small, experimental companies that are completely focused on AI development.
Shares of small AI developers might seem like the most “direct” investments in AI, but Michael Brenner, a research analyst who covers AI for FBB Capital Partners, says they’re not necessarily the best AI investments.
“Large language models require a tremendous amount of data and a huge amount of capital to put together,” Brenner says.
Brenner notes that small companies may develop innovative new models on their own, but eventually they will have to partner with a bigger company that has more infrastructure in order to run those models at a commercial scale.
“So far, we’re sticking with more of the mega-cap tech companies,” Brenner says, referring to FBB Capital Partners’ AI portfolio.
How to invest in AI stocks
If you're very new to stock trading and want to invest in AI stocks, the first step is to open and fund a brokerage account.
From there you'll need to decide what kind of AI stock exposure you want, and which AI companies you want to invest in. Individual AI stocks can potentially offer high returns, but require taking on a lot of risk and research work. Most brokerage firms will offer stock screeners to help you find stocks that meet your needs and investment goals, but you'll still want to dig into the fundamentals of the company. Some AI companies are fairly new, making this task particularly tricky — and investing in them potentially more risky.
For those reasons, some investors — particularly long-term investors who aren't interested in active stock trading — invest in AI stocks via pooled exchange-traded funds that focus on AI.
NerdWallet Guide
Learn how to buy stocksKeep in mind that plain old index funds — in particular, those that track the S&P 500, Russell 1000 or Nasdaq 100 indexes — already have a great deal of exposure to big tech stocks like Nvidia (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOG) that are increasingly focused on AI.
So a typical portfolio of index funds already has some big AI stocks baked in, which is worth keeping in mind if you're thinking about adding individual AI stocks on top of that.
How to find AI ETFs
Exchange-traded funds invest in a basket of companies — in this case, companies that are involved in AI development and implementation. ETFs typically track a market index that aligns with their investment objectives and scope.
There are several AI stock indexes — like the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index, which we use to build our list above, and the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Index — that are tracked by ETFs.
You can also find AI ETFs in an ETF screener by searching for “artificial intelligence,” “machine learning” or “AI,” but make sure to thoroughly research any ETF you find this way.
Some ETFs that have “AI” in their name invest in AI-linked companies. But others are diversified ETFs that use AI-powered trading, and are not necessarily invested in AI stocks.
» We've done the work for you: Check our list of the best AI ETFs
It's worth repeating here that most index funds already have big allocations to AI stocks, so adding a focused AI ETF on top of a typical index fund portfolio may give you a very AI-focused portfolio.
Could we be in an AI bubble?
Many economists have warned that investors could be overvaluing AI, and many recent periods of stock market volatility (including the tech-stock-focused downturn of June 2026) have been linked to wavering confidence in AI among investors.
Late last year, the Nerdy Investor newsletter asked more than a dozen economics professors at universities across the country whether we were in an AI bubble. You can check out that newsletter issue to see the complete breakdown of their responses and reasoning, but here's the gist of it: Most of them said that we are in an AI bubble, with many citing parallels between the current AI boom and the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.
However, it's important to note that there's a compelling piece of evidence against the AI bubble theory: The numbers don't support it.
The term "bubble" implies that stocks are being overvalued relative to their actual financial results, such as earnings and revenue. But most of the big AI-focused tech companies are extremely profitable, and are trading at fairly mild valuations relative to their earnings. Take Nvidia (NVDA), Microsoft (MSFT) and Alphabet (GOOG), for example — none of them have a price-to-earnings ratio higher than 35 at the time of last update, and all three have seen substantial earnings growth over the last year.
So while the valuations of many big AI stocks can feel dizzying, and while the rhetoric around AI can feel suspiciously upbeat, there isn't always a clear argument that those big AI stocks are being overvalued. Avoiding AI stocks could keep you safe in the event that there is an AI bubble and that bubble bursts, but it could also mean missing out on substantial stock price growth that is backed by real earnings and revenue growth.
Are OpenAI and Anthropic on the stock market?
Not yet, but they're working on it. Both companies confidentially filed S-1 forms (investment prospectuses) with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June 2026, indicating that they're planning to go public, and some reports have suggested that both could start trading by the end of the year.
We have little detail about how an OpenAI or Anthropic IPO might work as of yet, but both companies were valued near $1 trillion after their most recent respective rounds of fundraising. If retail investors are allowed to participate directly in these IPOs, they'll probably need to do so through one of the brokers that offer IPO access.
In the meantime, high-net-worth investors may be able to get pre-IPO equity in these companies through accredited investor marketplaces. There may also be various ways to indirectly invest in OpenAI or Anthropic, such as investing in funds that have exposure to them, or buying shares of publicly-traded companies that partner with them.
» More on investing in OpenAI: Can you buy OpenAI stock?
Should you invest in AI stocks?
Investors should think carefully before buying individual stocks or narrowly focused ETFs, given that AI-focused tech companies already dominate the major stock market indexes. If you have a portfolio that is largely made up of index funds — something that many financial advisors recommend — you're already invested pretty heavily in AI stocks.
From a risk management perspective, adding individual AI stocks or ETFs on top of that might mean putting too many of your eggs in one basket.
Make sense of the markets with The Nerdy Investor
A weekly wrap on what's moving markets, plus two monthly deep-dives on how to improve your investing, straight to your inbox.
But some investors may be looking to invest aggressively, and may be comfortable with the risks of a portfolio that is heavily concentrated in a single industry. Many AI stocks have beaten the market in recent years, and if that trend continues, AI-heavy investors could come out ahead of more cautious investors in the years ahead.
More like this
Related articles
