If you have $1,000 sitting in a savings or checking account, investing that money in the stock market is an excellent way to earn returns over time. Buying a low-cost S&P 500 index exchange-traded fund, or ETF, such as the State Street SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (ticker: SPY), is a great place to start.
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However, you can also invest $1,000 in one or more individual stocks. Buying individual stocks can be risky, but choosing well-established, blue-chip companies can mitigate that risk. Here are eight of the best stocks to buy now with $1,000, according to CFRA:
| Stock | Implied upside |
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | 31.9% |
| Alphabet Inc. (GOOG, GOOGL) | 12.7% |
| Apple Inc. (AAPL) | 4.7% |
| Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) | 26.6% |
| Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN) | 36.8% |
| Broadcom Inc. (AVGO) | 33.6% |
| Meta Platforms Inc. (META) | 32.1% |
| Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) | 12.8% |
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
Nvidia designs and produces high-end graphics and video processing chips used for desktop and gaming personal computers, workstations, and other advanced computing servers and artificial intelligence applications. Nvidia has been one of the best-performing stocks in the entire market in the past 30 years and it has generated a total return of more than 1,300% since the beginning of 2023 alone. Analyst Angelo Zino says Nvidia’s incredible AI-fueled growth will continue in the coming years. Zino says Nvidia is transitioning from a chipmaker to a full-stack AI infrastructure provider. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $270 price target for NVDA stock, which closed at $204.65 on June 17.
Alphabet is one of the world’s largest online search and advertising companies and is the parent company of Google and YouTube. Zino says Alphabet is emerging as a dominant player in enterprise AI cloud computing and is positioned for sustained outperformance. In fact, he says Google Cloud’s AI cloud computing backlog has nearly doubled, providing excellent financial visibility for investors. Search queries are at all-time highs, and AI feature integration has improved Google’s user experience. Zino says Google’s full-stack AI strategy differentiates it from online advertising competitors. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $410 price target for GOOGL stock, which closed at $363.79 on June 17.
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 opportunities, its massive global ecosystem, its device pricing leverage and its expanding addressable market make it a great investment. He says Apple’s promotion of company insider and incoming CEO John Ternus will provide both a reassuring management continuity and a potential pivot in focus toward product-centric engineering, such as foldables and AI technology. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $310 price target for AAPL stock, which closed at $295.95 on June 17.
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 is leveraging its entire AI stack, from applications such as Copilot to AI infrastructure products. He says the company has several means of further monetizing AI, including agentic AI offerings, AI cloud services, AI search expansion and investment in and partnerships with ChatGPT maker OpenAI. Zino says Copilot Studio and Agent 365 have helped Microsoft transcend its traditional software business and expand its addressable market. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $480 price target for MSFT stock, which closed at $378.91 on June 17.
[READ: How Much Would $10,000 Invested in Tesla Stock at IPO Be Worth Today?]
Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN)
Amazon is a market leader in e-commerce and public cloud services. Analyst Arun Sundaram says Amazon should continue to outperform the earnings growth of its peers and implement robotics and automation measures within its fulfillment centers to lower its e-commerce costs and support margins. In addition, Sundaram says expanding same-day facilities and AI-optimized inventory placement and packaging will improve e-commerce efficiency. At the same time, he says Amazon Web Services (AWS) will also maintain its positive momentum thanks to secular demand for AI and cloud computing. CFRA has a “strong buy” rating and $325 price target for AMZN stock, which closed at $237.50 on June 17.
Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)
Broadcom is a diversified global analog semiconductor supplier. Zino says Broadcom’s networking and custom silicon businesses make it a major winner from the AI infrastructure investment boom. He says AI semiconductor revenue will exceed $100 billion in fiscal 2027 after growing an astounding 175% in fiscal 2026. The company’s long-term deals and partnerships with Big Tech heavy hitters such as Anthropic, Google and OpenAI provide significant long-term financial visibility. Furthermore, Zino says Broadcom’s ability to lock in supply chain capacity through 2028 reduces risk and uncertainty. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $525 price target for AVGO stock, which closed at $392.90 on June 17.
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 there are many reasons to love Meta’s stock, including the company’s cost-cutting potential, its new and upcoming AI models and its strong advertising business. He says the stock is also attractively valued at current levels given Meta’s competitive advantages and tangible AI monetization results. Zino says the market doesn’t fully appreciate the potential of Meta’s business subscriptions and personal AI agents. Zino has a “strong buy” rating and $750 price target for META stock, which closed at $567.58 on June 17.
Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY)
Eli Lilly produces brand-name prescription drugs to treat a wide range of medical conditions, such as diabetes, cancer and neurological disorders. In the first quarter, Lilly reported 56% revenue growth, including impressive 125% revenue growth for diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro. Revenue from diabetes and weight loss drug Zepbound also surged 80% in the quarter. Analyst Sel Hardy says an aging U.S. population coupled with secular demand for GLP-1 weight loss drugs will support Lilly’s core sales, while new product launches will contribute additional upside. CFRA has a “buy” rating and $1,255 price target for LLY stock, which closed at $1,112 on June 17.
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8 Best Stocks to Buy Now With $1,000 originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/18/26: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
