Morgan Stanley likes these five stocks, plus this Nvidia alternative

Morgan Stanley analysts named a slate of stocks this week they think are too attractive to ignore. The firm called out a list of overweight-rated companies that have solid prospects for upside. CNBC Pro combed through Morgan Stanley research to find stocks that are primed for growth this summer. They include Apple, Toast, Broadcom, Arista Networks and Coca-Cola. Broadcom The firm resumed coverage of the semiconductor stock earlier this week with an overweight rating. Analyst Joseph Moore pointed to a series of positive catalysts in the months ahead for Broadcom, including artificial intelligence. “We expect Broadcom to easily meet, if not slightly exceed AI targets,” he wrote. In addition, Moore is bullish on the synergies from Broadcom’s VMware acquisition, which closed in late 2023 . “We expect them to successfully integrate VMware into their software portfolio and focus operations, cut costs, and drive stable cash flows,” he said. Moore acknowledged some investor angst over the company’s non-AI businesses, but he urged shareholders to remain calm as the bottoming process occurs and Broadcom ramps up with new customers. “Between that and the dramatically higher free cash flow margins vs. any AI competitors, the stock becomes a clear alternative to NVDA in the AI space,” he added. Broadcom also reported strong top- and bottom-line beats for its fiscal second quarter earlier this week, and it announced a 10-for-1 stock split. Shares of the chip company are up 55% this year. Toast “[The] bull case is baking,” analyst Josh Baer said after the restaurant payment company’s recent investor day. “Toast demonstrated its Vertical technology leadership, detailing its ability to efficiently gain share and monetize against an expanding opportunity,” he wrote. Specifically, Baer thinks the company has a wide moat for growth. “New geographies, new verticals, new products, and increasing monetization across software and FinTech, underscore the compelling growth opportunity for Toast in the years ahead,” he said. The analyst also named Toast a new top pick, adding that investors should take advantage of any weakness in the stock. Shares of the company are up 24% this year. “Best-of-Breed Restaurant Tech Platform,” Baer said. Arista Networks Arista is firing on all cylinders, according to analyst Meta Marshall. The networking company recently hosted a 10-year anniversary celebration of its initial public offering, and the analyst came away impressed. Marshall noted that company revenue is “up over 10x over the last 10 years.” While much of the event discussed the company’s history, AI and the future were a main focal point, she wrote. Arista’s ethernet switch is expected to play a major role in AI networking, Marshall said. “Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of time spent on the advantages of Ethernet and why Arista is well positioned to capture the opportunity,” she added. Shares of the company are up almost 40% in 2024, but Marshall said they have plenty of room to run. “The innovative spirit that got Arista here carries on,” she said. Arista Networks “The Innovative Spirit that Got Arista Here Carries On. … Arista has a lot to celebrate, with the stock up over 20x, and revenue up over 10x over the last 10 years. … Focusing on Arista’s opportunity and advantages in AI. … Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of time spent on the advantages of Ethernet and why Arista is well positioned to capture the opportunity.” Broadcom “Growth in AI, potential upside synergies from VMW, and recovery in core enterprise semis all make AVGO compelling relative to others in the ‘AI winners’ camp. … Between that & the dramatically higher free cash flow margins vs. any AI competitors, the stock becomes clear alternative to NVDA in AI space. … We expect AVGO to easily meet, if not slightly exceed AI targets. … We expect them to successfully integrate VMware into their software portfolio and focus operations, cut costs & drive stable cash flows.” Apple “Of course, pent-up demand by itself is unlikely to drive an acceleration in iPhone replacement cycles. But when paired with a key catalyst — such as the introduction of new compelling software features, some of which will be limited to new iPhone models — we see a clearer path to accelerating iPhone replacement cycles and a return to Y/Y iPhone units growth.” Coca-Cola “Coke Well-Positioned with Durable Pricing Power, International Strength/Skew, and Market Share Gains. … Compelling KO Valuation: Net, we acknowledge there is not some big sequential incremental catalyst here at KO, but we do think durably higher LT growth will increasingly become more priced in over time, after KO’s +7% stock increase in the last year has underperformed CL, CHD, and PG. Toast “Toast demonstrated its Vertical technology leadership, detailing its ability to efficiently gain share and monetize against an expanding opportunity. … New geographies, new verticals, new products, and increasing monetization across software and FinTech, underscore the compelling growth opportunity for Toast in the years ahead. … Best-of-Breed Restaurant Tech Platform.”