15 Stocks Are Booming by 100% or More Thanks to AI — Should You Invest, or Is It Too Late?
The recent artificial intelligence (AI) boom has made some unlikely stock market winners in 2026. A recent analysis published by Yahoo Finance found 15 S&P 500 stocks that have gained at least 100% this year through August – and it’s more than just the same old household names from Big Tech that are benefitting from the billions being spent on AI.
For investors who missed the initial run of these companies (some of which have experienced gains of nearly 600%), this news begs the question: Should you jump aboard before the boom gets any bigger? After all, a stock that’s doubled is not necessarily a stock that will double again.
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Conversely, it’s possible that the AI investment cycle may still have plenty of time left for you.
The 15 Stocks That Are Booming
First, take a look at the runaway AI stocks that are making investors a shocking amount of money:
Sandisk (SNDK): 584.69%
Dell Technologies (DELL): 272.53%
Micron Technology (MU): 228.48%
Seagate Technology (STX): 228.14%
Western Digital (WDC): 190.33%
Intel (INTC): 160.31%
Marvell Technology (MRVL): 151.87%
Lumentum Holdings (LITE): 135.68%
Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE): 132.26%
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD): 125.26%
Marathon Petroleum (MPC): 124.55%
Moderna (MRNA): 116.19%
Valero Energy (VLO): 114.54%
Teradyne (TER): 107.58%
Palo Alto Networks (PANW): 103.51%
Looking at this list, you can see how broad the AI infrastructure trade has become. Sandisk, Micron, Seagate, and Western Digital supply memory and storage. Dell and HPE build the servers and other hardware used in data centers. Marvell and Lumentum are part of the high-speed networking infrastructure needed to move enormous amounts of data.
Then there are less obvious names like Marathon Petroleum and Valero, with more physical connections: They provide data centers with huge amounts of necessary energy and supporting infrastructure.
Rather interestingly, Nvidia didn’t actually make the list. Its stock was up about 18% at the time of the analysis, seemingly indicating that the AI rally has spread far beyond its best-known chipmaker.
There Is Still Money Going Into AI
Just because these stocks have skyrocketed doesn’t mean the case for investing in AI has collapsed.
Fidelity portfolio manager Bill Bower recently wrote that corporate spending on AI infrastructure remains robust, with particular attention going to companies making semiconductors, memory and power infrastructure. Fidelity’s broader AI research said the technology does not appear to be in a bubble, although investors still face the risk that expectations get ahead of actual profits.
BlackRock has also remained bullish on the underlying investment cycle. Its latest outlook says AI requires power, memory, chips, and data centers, which creates opportunities across the broader supply chain rather than just the biggest tech companies. At the same time, BackRock has also published that earnings and margin delivery are becoming all the more important after the outsized gains on the market.
It’s a distinction that matters for someone weighing whether or not to invest in AI stocks today, as a company can be an excellent AI business without necessarily being an excellent stock at its current price.
The Bottom Line
For investors who want to put money into AI, there could still be substantial opportunities. However, the 100% (and beyond) gains noted above should be treated as reasons to investigate these opportunities, not as a reason to blind-buy into them. At this stage of the boom, finding the businesses that can keep growing after the spending surge becomes harder, and more important, than just finding a company that benefitted from it first.
Editor’s note: Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Always consider your individual circumstances and consult with a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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