If you have an extra $1,000 sitting in a savings or checking account, one of the best ways to earn a return on that money is to invest in the stock market.
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For new investors, buying a low-cost, diversified S&P 500 exchange-traded fund, such as the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (ticker: SPY), is a relatively low-risk place to start. If you’d rather begin building your own stock portfolio from scratch, however, here are eight of the best blue-chip stocks to buy with $1,000 that have “buy” ratings from the CFRA analyst team:
| Stock | Upside Potential From April 23 Close |
| Apple Inc. (AAPL) | 14.8% |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | 30.8% |
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | 60.6% |
| Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) | 22.3% |
| Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) | 52.8% |
| Meta Platforms Inc. (META) | 15.3% |
| Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) | 32.8% |
| Tesla Inc. (TSLA) | 43.5% |
Apple Inc. (AAPL)
Apple produces the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Mac computers and other personal computing devices. In addition, its services segment includes its App Store, Apple Music, iCloud and licensing businesses. Analyst Angelo Zino says Apple has plenty of opportunities to add artificial intelligence features to its many popular devices in the coming years. Zino says Apple’s margins have room for expansion, its global ecosystem of users is unmatched and it has potential to expand into additional markets. While tariffs create uncertainty, Zino says Apple’s free cash flow is remarkably stable. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $235 price target for AAPL stock, which closed at $204.60 on April 23.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
Microsoft is the world’s largest software company and is best known for Windows, Office and Azure cloud services. Zino says Microsoft has plenty of opportunities to integrate AI and deliver new features throughout its product stack, ranging from AI development services to AI applications to AI infrastructure. He says generative AI features in Azure cloud offerings, new agentic AI and AI copilot features, and AI search enhancement will help Microsoft unlock value. Microsoft has also been a major investor in ChatGPT maker and AI technology leader OpenAI. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $490 price target for MSFT stock, which closed at $374.39 on April 23.
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
Nvidia designs and sells high-end graphics and video processing chips used for personal computers, workstations, and advanced computing servers and supercomputers. Not only is Nvidia one of the best-performing stocks in the entire market in the past 15 years, it was the best-performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2023 and was the third best-performing stock in the S&P 500 in 2024. Zino says Nvidia investors should have a long-term outlook given near-term uncertainty surrounding semiconductor export controls and tariffs. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $165 price target for NVDA stock, which closed at $102.71 on April 23.
Alphabet is one of the world’s largest online search and advertising companies and is the parent company of Google and YouTube. Zino projects roughly 9% annual revenue growth for Alphabet through 2026 and says the company will continue to generate impressive free cash flow. He says Google Cloud will be a key growth driver for Alphabet and anticipates AI monetization will help cloud revenue grow by at least 25% annually. Zino says AI innovation will also help the company mitigate slowing search and YouTube growth rates. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $190 price target for GOOGL stock, which closed at $155.35 on April 23.
[Read: GOOG vs. GOOGL: Why 2 Classes of Alphabet Stock?]
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
Amazon is a market leader in e-commerce and public cloud services. Analyst Arun Sundaram says Amazon is positioned to grow both free cash flow and profits in the next several years. In its Amazon Web Services cloud business, Sundaram says the company will capitalize on demand for AI cloud services. In e-commerce, he says Amazon will benefit from robotics and automation, as well as AI-optimized inventory management. Sundaram says Amazon’s fast-growing advertising business will also help Amazon better monetize its Prime Video streaming service. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $276 price target for AMZN stock, which closed at $180.60 on April 23.
Meta Platforms Inc. (META)
Meta Platforms is a market leader in social media and online advertising and is the owner of Facebook, Instagram and other platforms. Zino says Meta AI already has more than 700 million users. Moving forward, he says the company will focus on improving and monetizing new AI features. Meta’s Advantage+ is generating revenue at a greater than $20 billion annual rate, while its Llama large language model has more than one billion downloads. Zino anticipates Meta will achieve significant monetization of its Threads platform in 2026 and beyond. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $600 price target for META stock, which closed at $520.27 on April 23.
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)
Broadcom is a diversified global analog semiconductor supplier. Zino says diversified portfolio of custom silicon and networking products and services makes the company a major winner from the AI infrastructure investment boom. He estimates AI technology accounts for about half of Broadcom’s semiconductor sales and about 75% of its networking revenue. Zino says the integration of VMware is progressing well, and strong adoption of VMware Cloud Foundation is fueling Broadcom’s subscription revenue growth. He says Broadcom’s next-generation processors differentiate the company from competitors. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $235 price target for AVGO stock, which closed at $176.91 on April 23.
Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
Tesla is the leading U.S. electric vehicle manufacturer. Analyst Garrett Nelson says Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s close relationship with President Donald Trump suggests Tesla could benefit from an accelerated regulatory approval timeline for its autonomous vehicle technology. Looking ahead, Nelson anticipates Tesla will begin producing two-seat Cybercab vehicles with no pedals or wheels and priced at under $30,000 by 2027. While Tesla’s EV sales growth has slowed significantly, Nelson says its energy business has become an important revenue growth source for the company. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $360 price target for TSLA stock, which closed at $250.74 on April 23.
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8 Best Stocks to Buy Now With $1,000 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 04/24/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
