Alongside Nvidia, Jefferies also sees Capital One Financial (COF), Expand Energy (EXE), and Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) as top picks.
The mean price target is at $217.75, and Jefferies isn’t the only firm that’s bullish here.
Stock #2: Expand Energy (EXE) Most investors have never heard of Expand Energy, but Jefferies’ energy team loves its business.
The mean price target here is $127.81, and price targets go up to $170.
The mean price target here is $17.65, and Jefferies has the highest price target here among 21 analysts.
Recently, Jefferies updated its list of “Franchise Picks,” and it believes that Nvidia (NVDA) has a bright future because the company is maintaining its dominance thanks to next-generation Blackwell chips.
Jefferies’ most curated list of “Buy”-rated concepts is called Franchise Picks. Only stocks that its analysts have strong opinions about are admitted by the firm.
Jefferies considers Huntington Bancshares (HBAN), Capital One Financial (COF), and Expand Energy (EXE) to be among the top choices in addition to Nvidia. AI computation, consumer credit scale, the energy boom, and the consolidation of the Midwestern banking industry are all driving these stocks. If all goes as planned, there is a lot of upside.
Now let’s get started.
Capital One Financial is the first stock (COF).
Regulators have approved Capital One Financial’s $35 billion acquisition of Discover. Now, the merged company is among the leading card issuers. Last quarter, Capital One already reported strong net income that increased by 10% year over year.
A significant portion of Discover spend is now anticipated to be redirected to its own processing rails, potentially increasing margins by several hundred basis points. Although $425 million was spent on the litigation over deposit practices, that amount pales in comparison to the additional revenue from a vertically integrated payments franchise.
Jefferies recently changed its price target on COF from $200 to $230 and kept its “Buy” rating on this stock.
Jefferies is not the only company that is bullish about this market; the mean price target is at $217.75. Target prices increase to $264.
Expand Energy (EXE) is Stock 2.
Although Jefferies’ energy team is passionate about Expand Energy, the majority of investors are unaware of the company. According to Expand Energy, production will reach 7.1 bcf-equivalent per day in 2025 and 7.5 bcfed the following year.
A $2.07 billion capital plan to operate 12 rigs was reaffirmed by management, who recently reported clean earnings beats. The U. S. . Expand’s acreage is located near Gulf Coast liquefaction hubs, and the LNG build-out could result in an 18% annual increase in domestic gas (NGN25) demand over the next ten years.
From $130, Jefferies increased its goal to $135. Here, the average price target is between $127 and $181, with higher price targets reaching $170.
Huntington Bancshares (HBAN) is the second stock.
Although regional banks are still disliked, Huntington Bancshares’ credit appears to be very stable. Its current price is slightly less than 11 times its projected earnings, and its dividend yield is 3 point 86 percent.
It reported Q1 net income that increased by 26% year over year and loan growth of 5%. It restated a CAGR of 3 to 5 percent for deposits and 5 to 7 percent for loans through 2025. Coastal investors underestimate the strength of the Midwest economy. Huntington is at the center of a trend known as manufacturing reshoring. It provides loans to small and medium-sized businesses doing supply chain reconstruction.
Jefferies set a $20 price target when it first started covering the stock last month. Of the 21 analysts, Jefferies has the highest price target here, with an average of $17.65.
