This year has certainly kept investors on their toes, marked by the high-stakes U.S. presidential election, a buzz around artificial intelligence, and persistent high-interest rates.
As we look forward to the coming year, there’s a cautious optimism about improving macroeconomic conditions. Yet, potential threats like a U.S.-China trade war and soaring stock valuations could present challenges for the market by 2025.
Despite these uncertainties, leading analysts are directing their attention to stocks that demonstrate resilience in the short term while showing strong growth potential through solid fundamentals and effective execution.
According to insights from TipRanks, a platform that ranks analysts based on their track record, here are three stocks currently favored by top experts.
### Salesforce
Topping the list this week is Salesforce (CRM), known for its customer relationship management platform. The company recently put forth a promising outlook for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 and highlighted the transformative impact of Agentforce, its suite of autonomous AI agents.
On December 17, Salesforce launched Agentforce 2.0, an upgraded version of its flagship AI product, packed with improved features. Mizuho analyst Gregg Moskowitz responded positively, maintaining a buy rating on CRM stock with a $425 price target. Describing Agentforce 2.0 as an “impressive innovation,” he emphasized its added value.
Moskowitz pointed out advancements such as better integration with Slack, Tableau, and MuleSoft, enhanced data retrieval capabilities, and a library of pre-built skills. He highlighted Agentforce’s growing traction, noting more than 1,000 closed paid deals compared to over 200 by the end of fiscal Q3. He regards Agentforce as a “game-changing technology” that boosts client productivity while driving revenue and bookings growth.
Moskowitz remains confident in Salesforce as a top choice, believing it’s well-positioned to assist its vast clientele with process optimization and revenue management.
Among the 9,200+ analysts tracked by TipRanks, Moskowitz ranks 212th, with a 60% success rate and an average return of 13.9%. (For more insights, check out Salesforce Stock Charts on TipRanks.)
### Booking Holdings
Another pick from Mizuho’s team is Booking Holdings (BKNG), endorsed by analyst James Lee. This company specializes in online travel and related services. Lee has reinforced his buy rating on BKNG stock and raised the price target to $6,000 from $5,400, reflecting upgraded growth projections and an upbeat outlook.
Lee shared insights from a regional analysis that indicated promising room night growth for fiscal 2025. His estimates predict an 8.2% increase in room nights, exceeding the consensus.
Lee anticipates BKNG’s fiscal 2025 earnings, pre-interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to grow by mid-teens, surpassing the nearly 11% revenue growth estimate. Factoring in buybacks, he expects fiscal 2025 earnings to rise by about 20%, making its valuation at 16 times FY26 EBITDA appealing at current levels.
Overall, Lee argues that BKNG merits a premium valuation over its competitors due to its edge in digital marketing, broader offerings in alternative accommodations and new products, and a larger share in hotel bookings.
Lee ranks 291st among over 9,200 analysts tracked by TipRanks, with a 61% success rate and a 13.4% return average. (See Booking Holdings Insider Trading Activity on TipRanks.)
### DraftKings
Lastly, we delve into DraftKings (DKNG), a prominent player in sports betting. Operating mobile sports betting in 25 states plus Washington, D.C. and running iGaming in five U.S. states, the company also extends its services to Ontario, Canada.
In JPMorgan’s research for Gaming and Lodging in 2025, analyst Joseph Greff named DraftKings as a top pick, reiterating a buy rating and bumping the price target to $53 from $47.
Greff views DraftKings as the quintessential company in the thriving gaming market, poised to capitalize on growth drivers such as robust same-store sales.
Highlighting DraftKings’ promising revenue growth, Greff praised the company’s ability to leverage its scale and leadership in U.S. online sports betting and iGaming for enhanced margins, EBITDA, and free cash flow. He expects DraftKings to record a 31% revenue growth in 2025 and 13% in 2026, finding Wall Street’s 2026 revenue growth estimate of over 17% achievable, along with prospects for higher margins.
Greff also mentioned DraftKings’ strong product capabilities, customer acquisition skills, and competitive scalability, allowing it to effectively challenge new entrants like ESPN BET and Fanatics.
In the TipRanks rankings, Greff holds the 987th spot, with a 51% success rate and an average return of 7.6%. (For more, see DraftKings Options Activity on TipRanks.)
