Broadcom (AVGO 3.84%) had more than the coming weekend to celebrate on Friday. The company's share price got a nice lift after a prominent bank reshuffled its top-stock picks in the semiconductor industry. With that at its back, Broadcom's shares closed more than 2% higher on a day when the S&P 500 index essentially traded flat.
Broadcom is tops at Bank of America
No less a financial institution than mighty Bank of America was the entity tapping Broadcom as a prime stock, in the person of analyst Vivek Arya. Before market open, Arya named his new top-five semiconductor stocks; outside of Broadcom, this short list included Nvidia, NXP Semiconductors, KLA Corporation, and Synopsys.
In his research note on the quintet, the prognosticator flagged Broadcom's "leadership" in the segment of custom artificial intelligence (AI) chips as a major factor in its inclusion. AI continues to be an extremely hot area of technological development and, therefore, investor interest.
Zooming out to the broader chip sector, the industry is currently experiencing tailwinds that should push many of its stocks higher. What helps, Arya wrote, is "The consumer chip inventory correction that started in Q3'22 appears to have run its course."
A major AI player
Broadcom stock passed the $1,000-per share early this week; at the moment, it seems there's no looking back. The company is front and center of a massive technological shift with AI, and investors are betting that it will be a big winner in that game.
