Analog Devices, Inc.

NASDAQ Global Select
Bullish +75

Brianne Gardnerโ€™s Top Picks for Friday, March 27, 2026

๐ŸŒ Global markets are recalibrating due to geopolitical tension over Iran, driving up oil prices and yields while pressuring growth equities.

โš ๏ธ Investors view the recent market dip as a necessary adjustment rather than panic, reflecting concerns about stickier inflation and central bank policy constraints.

๐Ÿ“Š Economic resilience remains intact with jobless claims steady at 210,000, suggesting the labor market continues to hold up against headwinds.

๐Ÿ Canada is positioned as a reliable energy supplier, bolstered by pipeline expansions and liquefied natural gas progress despite a pullback in the TSX.

๐Ÿ”€ Strategy is shifting toward real assets and value investments while remaining selective in growth sectors as leadership broadens beyond past cycles.

๐Ÿ’Ž Wheaton Precious Metals is favored for its royalty and streaming model, offering stable margins and no debt to mitigate gold price volatility.

๐Ÿ’ต The company has a clean balance sheet with strong cash flow and visible growth from new streams, reducing execution risk compared to traditional miners.

๐Ÿ’ผ International Business Machines (IBM) is highlighted for its embedded critical systems business, which provides stability and steady revenue.

๐Ÿค– IBM's consulting arm helps clients implement AI solutions, while hybrid cloud and early quantum computing projects drive future growth opportunities.

๐Ÿ“ˆ The stock trades at around 19 times earnings, presenting an attractive valuation for a company with multiple expansion angles.

โšก Analog Devices (ADI) is selected as a key enabler of AI infrastructure, providing essential components that manage power and efficiency in data centers.

๐Ÿ” ADI's data center segments now account for about 20% of revenue and are growing quickly due to rising demand for more complex server technology.

๐Ÿš€ Beyond AI, the company benefits from long-term trends including automation, electrification, and industrial recovery.

๐Ÿ“‰ This investment case favors strong margins, increasing content within revenue, and exposure to emerging trends without being overly crowded like other AI names.

Bullish Signals
  • Wheaton Precious Metals maintains a clean balance sheet with no debt and strong cash flow, providing flexibility across different price environments.
  • The company continues to add new streams offering visible growth ahead while benefiting from gold exposure through royalty and streaming models that ensure predictable margins.
  • International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) is growing from multiple angles while trading at a reasonable valuation of around 19 times earnings.
  • IBM is building new growth drivers with its consulting business helping companies implement AI, where the real spending is happening, alongside strong hybrid cloud capabilities.
  • ADI's data center and related segments now account for about 20 per cent of revenue and are growing quickly due to strong demand from AI infrastructure expansion.
  • Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) serves as a key enabler of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure by making essential components that move and manage electricity inside data centers.
  • Beyond AI, ADI is exposed to long-term themes like automation, electrification, and industrial recovery, providing multiple growth drivers with strong margins and increasing content.
  • The stock picks are positioned well as the market recalibrates, focusing on real assets and value while staying selective in growth areas that lead beyond the previous cycle.
Risk Factors
  • Equities, particularly crowded growth areas, are coming under pressure from rising oil prices and yields driven by inflation worries and geopolitical uncertainty surrounding Iran.
  • The economic backdrop creates tension with a combination of steady growth and rising inflation risk, which could lead to market leadership shifts away from current favorite sectors.
  • While Wheaton Precious Metals offers stability, it is being highlighted specifically because traditional miners face execution risk and inconsistent profitability despite strong commodity prices.
  • ADI is positioned as less crowded than other AI names, implying that more popular or expensive AI stocks carry greater valuation or competition risks compared to this pick.
Full Analysis
On Friday, March 27, 2026, Brianne Gardner, Portfolio Manager and Senior Wealth Manager at Velocity Investment Partners of Raymond James Ltd, released her top stock picks amid a shifting market tone influenced by geopolitical tensions, particularly around Iran. This uncertainty has driven oil prices higher and pushed U.S. yields up on inflation concerns, putting pressure on crowded growth sectors without triggering panic. Instead, the current market move is described as a recalibration where investors price in stickier inflation and reduced central bank flexibility, even as jobless claims remain steady around 210,000, indicating a resilient labor market. Gardner emphasizes a strategic shift toward real assets and value stocks, viewing Canada as a stable energy supply hub supported by pipeline expansions and liquefied natural gas progress, even as the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) pulls back. The top pick highlighted is Wheaton Precious Metals, which offers exposure to gold through royalty and streaming rather than traditional mining operations. This approach provides stability with lower costs and predictable margins, avoiding execution risks associated with mine management while maintaining a clean balance sheet and no debt to navigate price volatility. Her other recommendations include International Business Machines Corporation (IBM), valued at around 19 times earnings, which Gardner notes is growing through stable embedded systems, AI implementation consulting, hybrid cloud solutions, and early-stage quantum computing applications in energy and healthcare. The final pick is Analog Devices Inc (ADI), a key but less crowded enabler of AI infrastructure; the company supplies essential components for moving and managing electricity in data centers, with these segments now accounting for approximately 20% of its revenue while exposing it to long-term themes like automation and electrification.