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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights NVIDIA, Analog Devices, NXP Semiconductors and ACM Research

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 14, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: NVIDIA Corp. (NVDA - Free Report) , Analog Devices (ADI - Free Report) , NXP Semiconductors (NXPI - Free Report) and ACM Research, Inc. (ACMR - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:

4 Solid Semiconductor Stocks to Grab as AI Powers Robust Sales

Semiconductor stocks have been rallying over the past few days, thanks to the two-week ceasefire in the U.S.-Iran conflict that eased supply disruption worries. The growing demand for semiconductors across various sectors and industries calls for an uninterrupted supply.

The semiconductor market has grown by leaps and bounds over the past three years, fueled by optimism surrounding artificial intelligence (AI), especially generative AI. Investors stay optimistic that the aggressive investments being made in AI will help the semiconductor industry to flourish further.

Given this scenario, it would be ideal to invest in semiconductor stocks, such as NVIDIA Corp., Analog Devices, NXP Semiconductors and ACM Research, Inc., which have a great potential for growth this year.

Semiconductor Sales Rise on AI Optimism

Global semiconductor sales totaled $88.8 billion in February, up 7.6% sequentially from January’s total of $82.5 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (“SIA”) said last week. Year over year, semiconductor sales surged 61.8% from February 2025’s total of $54.9 billion.

“Sales into the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, and China were all major drivers of year-to-year growth. Strong global demand is expected to persist during the remainder of the year, with annual sales projected to reach roughly $1 trillion globally,” John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO, said.

The jump in sales in the first two months of the year follows a stellar 2025, wherein sales totaled $236.6 billion in the fourth quarter, up 37.1% year over year and 13.6% sequentially. Sales have primarily been getting a boost from robust demand for logic and memory products.

Semiconductor Stocks Poised to Grow

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East involving the United States and Israel against Iran triggered volatility across the broader market, including semiconductor stocks. The Strait of Hormuz is an important passage for supplying several materials used in semiconductor manufacturing, especially memory chips.

The recent worries about supply disruption owing to this have also eased over the past week after both nations agreed to a temporary two-week disruption. This has seen microchip stocks making a solid rebound in the past few sessions.

Microchips have been playing a key role in nearly all modern and developing technologies, including IoT, 6G and AI. Rising demand from the automotive sector has also been boosting sales. The AI industry, which remains vast and still not fully explored, is encouraging major tech firms to invest billions into its growth.

As AI applications expand from high-end data centers to everyday consumer devices, specialized AI chips are becoming increasingly important. Meanwhile, the demand for memory components such as NAND flash and DRAM is recovering, driven by the need for more advanced computing and AI-heavy workloads. In this scenario, semiconductor stocks appear well-positioned for potential growth in the near future.

4 Semiconductor Stocks With Growth Potential

NVIDIA Corp.

NVIDIA is the worldwide leader in visual computing technologies and the inventor of the graphics processing unit, or GPU. Over the years, NVDA’s focus has evolved from PC graphics to AI-based solutions that now support high-performance computing, gaming and virtual reality platforms.

NVIDIA has an expected earnings growth rate of 68.3% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 9.1% over the last 60 days. NVDA currently has a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Analog Devices

Analog Devices is an original equipment manufacturer of semiconductor devices, specifically analog, mixed-signal and digital signal processing (“DSP”) integrated circuits. ADI’s product line comprises amplifiers and comparators; analog to digital converters; digital to analog converters; video encoders and decoders; embedded processing products and DSPs; MEMS and temperature sensors; RF/IF components and converters; power and thermal management ICs, audio/video converters, amplifiers, CODECs, filters and processors. Analog Devices also offers analog, digital and RF switches and multiplexers; analog microcontrollers; clock and timing products.

Analog Devices’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 44%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 13.1% over the past 60 days. ADI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors provides high-performance, mixed-signal and standard product solutions that leverage its RF, analog, power management, interface, security, as well as digital processing expertise. NXPI seems well-positioned to capitalize on the level 2-5 automotive market. Additionally, NXP Semiconductors is the leader in general-purpose microcontrollers and application processors in industrial and IoT markets.

NXP Semiconductors’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 18%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the past 60 days. Currently, NXPI carries a Zacks Rank #2.

ACM Research

ACM Research, Inc. develops, manufactures and sells single-wafer wet cleaning equipment, which semiconductor manufacturers can use in numerous manufacturing steps to remove particles, contaminants and other random defects. ACMR is headquartered in Fremont, CA.

ACM Research’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 5.6%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 13.3% over the past 60 days. ACMR sports a Zacks Rank #1 at present.

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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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