The 5 Best Performing AI Stocks in February 2026

AI stocks – and the AI ​​sector – have seen considerable growth over the past year. Many investors are therefore wondering which AI companies to invest in to gain direct exposure to this growing and growing industry.

A few large companies, such as Palantir Technologies, have recently captured much of the attention on AI due to their massive increases in value, and their valuations and performance have remained high, even in the face of tariffs and high market volatility. They continue to be represented in our list of best AI stocks below, but there are plenty of smaller, more obscure AI-related companies that have also seen substantial returns over the past year.

Here are the five best-performing AI stocks in the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index and the Indxx Artificial Intelligence & Big Data Index, ranked by one-year performance.

Among AI-related stocks, Seagate Technology Holdings Plc (STX) stands out with a gain of 332.30% over the past year. Analysts rate the stock a “buy” and estimate its fair value at $462.09. When we pulled the data, STX was trading at $408.57, reflecting a P/E ratio of 46.20.

Seagate is a computer hardware and data storage company. Founded in 1978, it was a pioneer in the development of hard drives for personal computers and game consoles. Seagate is still in the consumer hard drive business, but now derives much of its revenue from enterprise data storage and cloud-based storage systems, which are valuable for AI applications and training.

Micron Technology is a computer hardware manufacturer notable for being the only American manufacturer of memory devices such as RAM cards. It also produces data storage devices, such as solid state drives. Recently, the company has developed a number of memory devices, such as the HBM3E series, specifically designed for industrial AI applications.

Intel, founded in 1968, is a technology company specializing in computer processors, AI engines and software solutions for various industries, including automotive, education, energy and financial services.

Hut 8 owns businesses in energy, digital infrastructure and IT, including Bitcoin mining operations. Hut 8 also manages four natural gas power plants, hosts and operates servers in data centers, supports cloud deployments and digital storage solutions, and manages a cloud infrastructure platform for AI.

Symbotic is a robotics company that builds automated warehouse equipment powered by AI software. It has many major clients in the retail industry, including Albertsons, Target and Walmart.

Source: Finviz. Stock data is current as of February 5, 2026 and is provided for informational purposes only.

Brokerage Companies
on the Charles Schwab website

AI stocks are stocks of companies that work in the field of artificial intelligence or heavily use AI in their business operations. There are many applications for AI, and therefore a wide variety of AI actions: Some AI companies create speech recognition software. Others create pilotless planes.

Several publicly traded companies have substantial interests in AI and are poised to benefit from the sector’s growth, according to Haydar Haba, founder of Andra Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in AI companies.

Stocks of smaller AI developers may seem like the most “straightforward” investments in AI, but Michael Brenner, a research analyst who covers AI for FBB Capital Partners, says they aren’t necessarily the best AI investments.

“Large language models require a huge amount of data and a huge amount of capital to put together,” says Brenner.

Brenner notes that smaller companies can develop innovative new models on their own, but will eventually need to partner with a larger company with more infrastructure in order to operate these models on a commercial scale.

“So far, we’ve been sticking more to mega-cap tech companies,” says Brenner, referring to FBB Capital Partners’ AI portfolio.

From there, you’ll need to decide what type of AI stock exposure you want and which AI companies you want to invest in. Individual AI stocks can potentially offer high returns, but require taking a lot of risk and research. Most brokerage firms will offer stock screeners to help you find stocks that meet your needs and investment goals, but you’ll still want to dig deeper into the fundamentals of the company. Some AI companies are relatively new, making it particularly tricky and potentially riskier when investing in them.

For these reasons, some investors – particularly long-term investors who are not interested in actively trading stocks – are investing in AI stocks through AI-focused pool exchange-traded funds.

There are several AI stock indices – like the Indxx Global Robotics & Artificial Intelligence Thematic Index, which we use to construct our list above, and the Nasdaq CTA Artificial Intelligence & Robotics Index – that are tracked by ETFs.

You can also find AI ETFs in an ETF filter by searching for “artificial intelligence,” “machine learning,” or “AI,” but be sure to research any ETF you find this way thoroughly.

Some ETFs with “AI” in their names invest in AI-related companies. But others are diversified ETFs that use AI-based trading and are not necessarily invested in AI stocks.

According to Haba, there are signs that investors may be too enthusiastic about the potential of AI at present.

“AI has been used as a buzzword to generate stock price premiums, but companies have not always demonstrated the use of cutting-edge techniques,” he said.

“In private markets, we see hundreds of millions of dollars flowing into ‘AI’ companies that are not product-market fit. Even if investors justify such investments based on growth potential, it remains unclear whether this potential can or will ever be monetized,” says Haba.

Brenner also acknowledges that some AI-related companies have seen their valuations rise sharply without major changes in their business fundamentals.

One thing is certain, technology stocks represent a high market capitalization. In other words, tech stocks could take up a higher percentage of your portfolio than in previous years. This can make portfolios riskier in the event we are in an AI bubble.

Not quite. As a nonprofit AI development lab, OpenAI is not a publicly traded company, but OpenAI shares are available to certain types of investors in certain pre-IPO markets. There are also publicly traded investment funds that have exposure to OpenAI, and the organization partners with several large technology companies, such as Microsoft, that anyone can invest in.

Investors should think carefully before purchasing individual stocks or narrowly focused ETFs. Focused investments may be riskier than broader investments, such as S&P 500 index funds, which have a long-term average annual return, excluding inflation, of about 10%.

One guideline that can help limit this additional risk is to dedicate no more than 10% of your overall portfolio to individual stocks.

But if you’re financially secure enough to buy individual stocks, Brenner says AI stocks are worth considering.

“I think retail investors should think about the impact of machine learning on the stocks they own,” he says.

“For individual investors looking at individual stocks in their 401(k), if they can withstand the volatility of individual stocks, investing in AI-related companies as part of a diversified portfolio could make sense,” says Brenner.