Ranking the Best "Magnificent Seven" Stocks to Buy Right Now

The "Magnificent Seven" companies have led the market for years, but 2026 has humbled them. Most have pulled back, and as a group, they now trade at their cheapest valuation relative to the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC) in more than a decade. That makes this a good moment to ask a simple question: Of these seven giants, which are the best buys right now?

Here is my ranking, counting down from least to most compelling. Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again.

In 2009, a "Double Down" signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia. For the first time in years, that same "Total Conviction" signal is flashing for a company 1/100th the size of Nvidia. Continue » Image source: Getty Images.

7. Tesla Tesla (NASDAQ: TSLA) lands last, not because it lacks ambition but because its price demands the most faith. Auto sales have been soft, and the stock leans heavily on a robotaxi future that keeps slipping.

It is the most speculative name here, and the valuation leaves little room for error. 6. Apple Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a magnificent business trading near record highs, which is part of the problem.

Growth is modest, it is widely seen as behind in artificial intelligence (AI), and it faces a CEO transition as Tim Cook hands off to John Ternus this fall. It's a wonderful company, but not the most compelling buy today. 5.

Meta Platforms Meta Platforms (NASDAQ: META) has a booming advertising engine and a bold pivot toward becoming a compute provider. The hesitation is its spending: Its capital budget has ballooned to $145 billion, and investors want proof that outlays pay off before rewarding the stock further. 4.

Amazon Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) offers a strong setup after a roughly 10% monthly pullback. Its AWS cloud unit grew 28% last quarter, its fastest in years, and advertising and custom chips are humming. The catch is the same as Meta's: a massive, increasingly debt-funded capital spending plan that has spooked investors in the near term.

3. Microsoft Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is the contrarian pick. It has been the worst-performing member this year, trading down around 20%, yet its Azure cloud is still growing around 39%, and it owns a large stake in OpenAI.

Trading at roughly 20 times forward earnings, it is one of the cheaper names here, and a drawdown that steep in a business this durable looks like an opportunity. 2. Nvidia Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) may surprise people for coming in this high, but the math is compelling.

Despite being the engine of the entire AI boom, it now trades at one of the lowest forward earnings multiples in the group after its 2026 cooling-off period, with demand visibility stretching into the trillions. You are getting the clear AI leader at a price that no longer looks extreme. Story Continues 1.

Alphabet Alphabet (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) tops my list because it is a rare stock offering value and momentum at once. It is the only Magnificent Seven member beating the market in 2026; its Google Cloud business grew a stunning 82% last quarter; and its Gemini AI models are gaining ground as well. Even Berkshire Hathaway has built a large stake.

The one wrinkle is that Alphabet, like its peers, is ramping up capital spending, which rattled investors on its latest earnings call, so the AI arms race is a cost to watch. Where I'd put new money -- with one caveat If I am putting new money to work, my order runs Alphabet, Nvidia, and Microsoft at the top, each combining real AI strength with a valuation that has come back to Earth. Amazon and Meta are close behind, held back only by spending concerns that could just as easily turn into buying opportunities.

Apple and Tesla round out the bottom, great companies whose current prices or growth profiles make them harder to love today. The overarching point is encouraging: After years of paying steep premiums for these giants, investors can finally buy several of them at reasonable prices. A ranking like this is also a snapshot, not a permanent order, because a single strong earnings report or a spending surprise can reshuffle the list quickly.

Just remember that the entire group is now pouring staggering sums into AI, so watch that spending closely, because it is the swing factor for all seven. Should you buy stock in Alphabet right now? Before you buy stock in Alphabet, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now…

and Alphabet wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004...

if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $377,990!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $1,269,518!

* That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by 4x, Stock Ad