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. If you’re new to investing, 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.
[Sign up for stock news with our Invested newsletter.]
However, if you’d rather begin building your own stock portfolio from scratch, here are eight of the best blue-chip stocks to buy with $1,000 that have “buy” ratings from the CFRA analyst team:
| Stock | Implied upside* |
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | 25.0% |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | 20.7% |
| Apple Inc. (AAPL) | 13.0% |
| Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) | 10.0% |
| Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) | 31.2% |
| Meta Platforms Inc. (META) | 24.2% |
| Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) | 10.4% |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM) | 12.6% |
*From Oct. 14 close.
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
Nvidia designs and sells high-end graphics and video processing chips used for desktop and gaming personal computers, workstations and other advanced computing servers and supercomputers. Nvidia has been one of the best-performing stocks in the entire market in the past 30 years, including an incredible 1,220% total return since the beginning of 2023. Analyst Angelo Zino says Nvidia’s penetration into edge devices and its opportunities in software are helping the company expand its massive total addressable market. He says Nvidia is a must-own artificial intelligence investment. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $225 price target for NVDA stock, which closed at $180.03 on Oct. 14.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)
Microsoft is the world’s largest software company that is best known for Windows, Office and Azure cloud services. Zino says Microsoft is highly exposed to the AI investment boom, from infrastructure to development services to applications like Microsoft Copilot. Microsoft has also invested nearly $14 billion in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, and Zino says its OpenAI partnership will help Microsoft continue to monetize its search business. Despite investing aggressively in AI features, Zino says Microsoft is maintaining healthy margins. He sees significant growth potential in gaming as well. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $620 price target for MSFT stock, which closed at $513.57 on Oct. 14.
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. Zino says Apple’s AI device possibilities, massive global ecosystem and improving margin profile have the company positioned to continue to expand its addressable market. Despite near-term uncertainties surrounding tariffs, Zino says Apple’s aggressive capital allocation, stable free cash flow generation and strong track record of execution suggest the company will continue to create value for long-term investors. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $280 price target for AAPL stock, which closed at $247.77 on Oct. 14.
Alphabet is one of the world’s largest online search and advertising companies and is the parent company of Google and YouTube. Zino projects Alphabet can maintain annual revenue growth of between 10% and 12% through at least 2027. He is bullish on Alphabet’s free cash flow (FCF) potential, as well as its cloud services and AI technology. Zino says the recent ruling in the search antitrust lawsuit against Google was a huge victory, allowing Google to maintain control of its Chrome browser, avoid harsh penalties and continue its revenue sharing model. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $270 price target for GOOGL stock, which closed at $245.45 on Oct. 14.
[Read: 10 Best Growth Stocks to Buy for 2025]
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
Amazon is a market leader in e-commerce and public cloud services. Analyst Arun Sundaram says Amazon’s e-commerce business could get a huge boost from AI technology, robotics and automation in coming years, giving the stock a compelling FCF and profit growth thesis for long-term investors. In addition, Sundaram says Amazon Web Services has maintained impressive sales growth, and Prime Video and live sports deals have supported advertising revenue growth as well. Finally, he says non-core businesses such as grocery and pharmacy could generate additional upside for Amazon. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $284 price target for AMZN stock, which closed at $216.39 on Oct. 14.
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 shares are attractively valued given the company’s AI monetization potential and its opportunities in digital advertising. He is bullish on Meta’s potential to integrate AI features to improve engagement, optimize advertising and monetize business messaging. The company’s Meta AI digital assistant also helps users generate content and improve their experiences across the company’s various platforms. Zino projects double-digit earnings per share growth. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $880 price target for META stock, which closed at $708.65 on Oct. 14.
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)
Broadcom is a diversified global analog semiconductor supplier. Zino says Broadcom will be a key beneficiary of the AI infrastructure investment boom. In fact, he projects Broadcom’s application-specific integrated circuit and networking businesses will reach a $25 billion annual run rate in sales. Zino says new customers and custom silicon growth will support semiconductor revenue. In addition, he says news that Hock Tan will remain Broadcom’s CEO through at least 2030 is bullish for the stock given his success in transitioning the company to an AI leader. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $380 price target for AVGO stock, which closed at $344.13 on Oct. 14.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)
JPMorgan Chase is one of the world’s largest banks and financial services companies with nearly $4 trillion in assets. In 2023, JPMorgan acquired First Republic Bank after it failed during a regional banking crisis and was seized by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., or FDIC. Analyst Kenneth Leon says investment banking revenue and fee income from asset management will support further upside for JPMorgan’s stock. Leon says more midsized businesses are shifting business to larger banks, helping JPMorgan continue to gain wallet share across its core businesses. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $340 price target for JPM stock, which closed at $302.08 on Oct. 14.
[Read: 10 Best Tech Stocks to Buy for 2025]
More from U.S. News
6 of the Best AI ETFs to Buy for 2025
9 Best Growth Stocks for the Next 10 Years
5 Best Gold ETFs to Buy in 2025
8 Best Stocks to Buy Now With $1,000 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 10/15/25: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
