In the AI world at the start of 2026, the biggest names tend to be either hardware providers like NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA) or stalwart tech giants with an interest in the space, such as Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT). Since many leading AI companies like OpenAI and Anthropic are not publicly traded, investors have only limited and indirect access to this sector.
Looking beyond the AI titans to stocks that are currently available, another group of names emerges. These are companies with strong fundamentals and a long runway with potential to lead in the cloud and AI industries. They may take a variety of approaches, from communications to infrastructure to enterprise automation and much more. All of the companies below fit this bill and also have notable support from analysts who expect them to thrive into the new year and potentially beyond.
Twilio Will Build Momentum As AI Adoption Increases
Twilio Inc. (NYSE: TWLO)'s cloud communications platform makes it possible to embed messaging, voice, and many other engagement tools into various web and mobile apps. The company's existing platform makes it a core provider of AI-enabled apps and a key space for AI-focused clients as well.
Twilio's fundamentals are strong heading into the new year, having posted record third-quarter results including 15% year-over-year (YOY) revenue growth to $1.3 billion and having increased targets for full-year revenue, profitability, and free cash flow thanks to both product and AI momentum.
Revenue is now expected to reach almost $5 billion for 2025, with free cash flow for the year as high as $900 million. This is largely due to Twilio's long runway into the AI space—the company's AI-based customer engagement tools, such as voice bots, strengthen its demand as AI adoption continues to grow in multiple industries. On top of this, Twilio still shows signs of being reasonably valued, despite its share price surging by more than 30% in the last year—the firm's price to book ratio is 2.73, comparably lower than many of its peers.
Arista Is Positioned As a Core AI Infrastructure Partner
Known for its networking hardware including routers and switches, Arista Networks Inc. (NYSE: ANET) has increasingly focused on the cloud in recent years, making it a crucial partner of data centers and AI clusters. AI demand relies on significant infrastructure, and Arista is one of the go-to names in this corner of the industry.
Arista's popularity is clear from its nearly 28% YOY revenue improvement in the latest quarter and strong margins. AI-based networking revenue stands out in particular, with guidance suggesting this figure could nearly double from 2025 to 2026. Add to that Arista's history of attractive cash generation and a solid cash reserve, both of which should support long-term R&D and allow the company to provide benefits to shareholders, and it's easy to see why about three-quarters of analysts see ANET shares as a Buy. Wall Street also expects significant growth for Arista as well, including further price appreciation of about 25% and earnings growth of 17% in the next year.
Strong Cash Flow and Subscription Growth Support Pegasystems
Customer relationship management and intelligent process automation firm Pegasystems Inc. (NASDAQ: PEGA) has followed the trend of shifting from a legacy licensing model to a cloud-based subscription system. Preliminary results are very positive, including 27% YOY improvement to the company's Pega Cloud annual contract value (ACV).
Growing revenue has allowed Pegasystems to quickly grow its cash flow and complete its biggest-ever share repurchase of close to $400 million in the latest quarter. Best of all, the company remains free of debt, leaving the firm in a great position to continue to expand and reward shareholders going forward.
Like the companies above, Pega appeals to investors seeking substantial potential because of its massive potential addressable market across a broad array of sectors. The subscription model should provide predictable revenue that recurs as AI demand growth fuels further top-line improvements going forward. It makes sense, then, that PEGA shares are prized by many analysts, with nine out of 11 rating the firm a Buy.
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The article "3 AI and Cloud Stocks With Analyst Conviction and Long Runways" first appeared on MarketBeat.
