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4 Semiconductor Stocks to Buy as Q3 Sales Soar on Robust AI Demand
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Key Takeaways
Global semiconductor sales surged 24.1% sequentially to a record $517.7 billion in Q3 2026.
ADI and TXN project earnings growth of 66.9% and 63.1%, respectively, this year.
TSM and NVDA expect earnings growth of 3.3% and 95%, respectively, supported by rising chip demand.
AI-related chip stocks have been taking a beating lately, but the semiconductor industry as a whole hasn’t been impacted much. Chip stocks have been the market’s darling and have been largely responsible for the broader rally.
As demand for semiconductors remains elevated, sales have been skyrocketing. Continued heavy investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is expected to create significant growth opportunities for the semiconductor industry.
Against this backdrop, semiconductor stocks such as Analog Devices (ADI - Free Report) , Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM - Free Report) , Texas Instruments (TXN - Free Report) and NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) appear well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand, making them attractive investment options with strong growth potential this year.
Chip Sales Hit New All-Time High
Global semiconductor sales totaled $517.7 billion in the third quarter, a surge of 24.1% from the second quarter, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said on Tuesday.
Year over year, semiconductor sales hit $172.6 billion in September, up 146.8%. Month over month, sales jumped 7.9% from the August total of $159.7 billion.
The solid jump in September and the third quarter comes after semiconductor sales surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time through August.
Michael Robbins, SIA president and CEO, said, “The global chip market grew substantially throughout the third quarter of this year, with worldwide sales increasing by more than 20% quarter-to-quarter for the third consecutive quarter.”
AI-related chip stocks have been suffering lately as investors have been spiraling out of riskier assets on concerns over stretched valuations of AI stocks and questions about the sustainability of the sector's rapid expansion.
However, the fears are temporary as the semiconductor industry has played a major role in supporting broader stock market gains in recent years. Semiconductor sales have now recorded year-over-year growth in each of the first nine months of the year.
Heavy spending by major technology companies has renewed confidence in AI's long-term prospects. Several leading chipmakers benefiting from the AI boom have also reported strong quarterly earnings and issued optimistic guidance, helping ease investor concerns and drive semiconductor stocks higher.
The sector's strong showing in the third quarter followed an exceptional first half of 2026. Global semiconductor sales totaled $403.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, following $298.5 billion in the first quarter, with sequential growth of 33.1% and 25%, respectively.
Semiconductors are increasingly essential to both established and emerging technologies, powering developments in fields such as the Internet of Things, 6G connectivity and artificial intelligence.
Rising demand from the automotive industry has provided another source of momentum for chip sales. At the same time, AI remains in the early stages of its growth cycle, prompting major technology companies to allocate billions of dollars toward research, development and infrastructure to advance the technology.
4 Semiconductor Stocks with Growth Potential
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 66.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.3% over the past 60 days. ADI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited is the world's largest dedicated integrated circuit foundry. TSM manufactures ICs for its customers based on their proprietary IC designs using its advanced production processes. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited’s goal is to establish itself as one of the world's leading semiconductor companies by building upon the strengths that have made it the world's leading IC foundry.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.7% over the past 60 days. TSM presently carries a Zacks Rank #1.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments is an original equipment manufacturer of analog, mixed-signal and digital signal-processing integrated circuits. TXN has manufacturing and design facilities, including wafer fabrication and assembly/test operations in North America, Asia and Europe. Management strategy has been to build assets that would be fully utilized through their lifetimes and outsource any excess demand in peak situations to outside foundries.
Texas Instruments’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 63.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 5.6% over the past 60 days. Currently, TXN carries a Zacks Rank #1.
NVIDIA Corporation
NVIDIA Corporation 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 95% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the last 60 days. NVDA currently has a Zacks Rank #2.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
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4 Semiconductor Stocks to Buy as Q3 Sales Soar on Robust AI Demand
Key Takeaways
AI-related chip stocks have been taking a beating lately, but the semiconductor industry as a whole hasn’t been impacted much. Chip stocks have been the market’s darling and have been largely responsible for the broader rally.
As demand for semiconductors remains elevated, sales have been skyrocketing. Continued heavy investment in artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure is expected to create significant growth opportunities for the semiconductor industry.
Against this backdrop, semiconductor stocks such as Analog Devices (ADI - Free Report) , Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited (TSM - Free Report) , Texas Instruments (TXN - Free Report) and NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA - Free Report) appear well-positioned to capitalize on the growing demand, making them attractive investment options with strong growth potential this year.
Chip Sales Hit New All-Time High
Global semiconductor sales totaled $517.7 billion in the third quarter, a surge of 24.1% from the second quarter, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said on Tuesday.
Year over year, semiconductor sales hit $172.6 billion in September, up 146.8%. Month over month, sales jumped 7.9% from the August total of $159.7 billion.
The solid jump in September and the third quarter comes after semiconductor sales surpassed the $1 trillion mark for the first time through August.
Michael Robbins, SIA president and CEO, said, “The global chip market grew substantially throughout the third quarter of this year, with worldwide sales increasing by more than 20% quarter-to-quarter for the third consecutive quarter.”
AI-related chip stocks have been suffering lately as investors have been spiraling out of riskier assets on concerns over stretched valuations of AI stocks and questions about the sustainability of the sector's rapid expansion.
However, the fears are temporary as the semiconductor industry has played a major role in supporting broader stock market gains in recent years. Semiconductor sales have now recorded year-over-year growth in each of the first nine months of the year.
Heavy spending by major technology companies has renewed confidence in AI's long-term prospects. Several leading chipmakers benefiting from the AI boom have also reported strong quarterly earnings and issued optimistic guidance, helping ease investor concerns and drive semiconductor stocks higher.
The sector's strong showing in the third quarter followed an exceptional first half of 2026. Global semiconductor sales totaled $403.3 billion in the second quarter of 2026, following $298.5 billion in the first quarter, with sequential growth of 33.1% and 25%, respectively.
Semiconductors are increasingly essential to both established and emerging technologies, powering developments in fields such as the Internet of Things, 6G connectivity and artificial intelligence.
Rising demand from the automotive industry has provided another source of momentum for chip sales. At the same time, AI remains in the early stages of its growth cycle, prompting major technology companies to allocate billions of dollars toward research, development and infrastructure to advance the technology.
4 Semiconductor Stocks with Growth Potential
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 66.9%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.3% over the past 60 days. ADI currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited is the world's largest dedicated integrated circuit foundry. TSM manufactures ICs for its customers based on their proprietary IC designs using its advanced production processes. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited’s goal is to establish itself as one of the world's leading semiconductor companies by building upon the strengths that have made it the world's leading IC foundry.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Limited’s expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 3.3%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.7% over the past 60 days. TSM presently carries a Zacks Rank #1.
Texas Instruments
Texas Instruments is an original equipment manufacturer of analog, mixed-signal and digital signal-processing integrated circuits. TXN has manufacturing and design facilities, including wafer fabrication and assembly/test operations in North America, Asia and Europe. Management strategy has been to build assets that would be fully utilized through their lifetimes and outsource any excess demand in peak situations to outside foundries.
Texas Instruments’ expected earnings growth rate for the current year is 63.1%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 5.6% over the past 60 days. Currently, TXN carries a Zacks Rank #1.
NVIDIA Corporation
NVIDIA Corporation 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 95% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.5% over the last 60 days. NVDA currently has a Zacks Rank #2.