As tech companies pour billions into building the top AI agent, analysts with BofA Securities said Wednesday that they see Amazon, Meta Platforms and Booking Holdings stocks as the top early beneficiaries of the agentic AI trend.
Agentic AI tools can go beyond the capability of chatbot by taking actions online, such as purchasing an item or booking a reservation. ChatGPT creator OpenAI launched an AI agent called Operator earlier this year, which was followed by Google parent company Alphabet's launching its Mariner agent.
"All leading AI tech companies, including Google, Meta, OpenAI are in an intense competition to be the starting point 'Agent' to help consumers navigate their lives," BofA Securities analysts led by Justin Post wrote in the new client note.
While acknowledging that agentic AI assistants are not yet capable of completing most daily tasks for users, the analysts expect adoption to grow. They cited three stocks positioned to reap early benefits from the technology.
Meta AI Still 'Underappreciated'
In the near-term, Post sees Meta's as best-positioned for the start of the AI agent era. The Facebook parent company's Meta AI assistant already has more than 1 billion users, he noted.
"We think (the) Meta AI Assistant represents a meaningful and possibly underappreciated opportunity within Meta's evolving AI and advertising ecosystem," Post wrote. "As a general-purpose agent embedded across Meta's family of apps, Meta AI has the potential to become a central interface for content discovery, commerce, and productivity.
At the same time, Post added, AI agents could help Meta in its goal to fully automate some advertising campaigns.
The commentary comes as Meta is ramping up spending and reportedly reorganizing some of its AI efforts. Meta last week agreed to invest $14.3 billion in Scale AI in a deal that had the firm's chief executive join Meta. OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman said this week that Meta is offering $100 million bonuses to some OpenAI employees if they join Meta.
BofA rates Meta stock a buy with a 750 price target.
How Amazon Could Benefit From Agentic AI
While Google is likely to see a boost in subscription revenue from its agentic AI offerings, Post cautioned that its search business faces "disruption risk" from AI agents.
Amazon, meanwhile, is already testing a "buy for me" agent feature that purchases items not available on Amazon.com for customers. Post expects Amazon's Rufus AI chatbot will grow to serve more agent-like purposes over time. It currently responds to user questions about products.
"As Agentic AI improves price transparency and simplifies product discovery, e-commerce platforms will likely face more intense competition around pricing, selection and delivery speed/cost, areas where Amazon holds advantages," Post wrote. He rates Amazon stock a buy with a 248 price target.
And for Booking Holdings stock, Post sees the company as a likely agentic AI leader among online travel stocks.
The Booking.com and Priceline parent company has already launched its own AI Trip Planner, the report noted, and is partnered with OpenAI to provide data and inventory for bookings through the company's Operator agent.
However, BofA Securities is neutral on Booking stock, with a price target of 5,820.
Meta Stock, Amazon Stock Gain
Meanwhile, Meta stock traded around 696 as of Wednesday. Amazon stock traded at about 213 and Booking at 5,286.
Amazon recently broke out above a 214.84 cup-with-handle buy point and has hovered near that level since. The stock is trading roughly flat year to date.
Meta stock has rallied beyond a 5% buy zone above a 662.67 cup-with-handle buy point from a June 2 breakout, according to IBD MarketSurge. Shares of the Facebook parent company are up 19% this year.
And while Booking stock broke out above a consolidation pattern entry in mid-May, shares fell below Booking's 21-day moving average last week. A recent downtrend has pushed the stock back below its former 5,337.24 entry. Shares of the online travel firm are ahead 7% overall in 2025.
