AI Stock Picks Today: DELL, PLTR, ORCL Trade Ideas - August 27, 2026

Today's AI stock trade ideas: August 27, 2026

The S&P 500 holds near flat at 7,675 while the Nasdaq slips 0.08 pct following NVIDIA's post-earnings cooldown; the SOXX semiconductor ETF inches 0.26 pct higher as chip names recalibrate after a packed results week. Eight stock ideas and two options plays stand out today. How to read the scores: Conviction (1-10) measures how cleanly the setup aligns with a named catalyst; Risk (1-10) measures downside severity; the probability columns are rough estimates of the idea working within that window, not guarantees.

1. Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL): Long

Dell reports its fiscal second-quarter results after the bell tomorrow, August 28. Analyst consensus tracked by Barchart targets $29.4 billion in revenue and $2.35 in EPS, with AI server orders of $5 billion and a quarter-end backlog at $12.1 billion. Dell guided for $28.5-29.5 billion in revenue, implying 16 pct growth at the midpoint. The stock closed at $463.82, up 2.73 pct today, sitting 2.61 pct above its 20-day moving average with clear buying momentum heading into the print. A beat paired with an upward AI server forecast revision could push shares toward the $500-510 zone. The $443 level is the invalidation line: a meaningful close below it signals the setup has broken down.

2. Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ: PLTR): Long

Palantir's second-quarter blowout delivered 93 pct revenue growth year-over-year and management raised its full-year guidance to $7.65-$7.66 billion, according to Quiver Quant. U.S. government revenue hit $687 million in the first quarter alone, with federal obligations to Palantir topping $1 billion for the first time. At $177.50 the stock is 43.69 pct higher over the past month and 7.79 pct above its 20-day average. Extended, but momentum names running on verifiable government and commercial AI tailwinds tend to stay extended. Watch $162 as the line that changes the character of the move.

3. Oracle (NYSE: ORCL): Long

Oracle Cloud Infrastructure revenue surged 84 pct to $4.89 billion as OpenAI, Meta, and NVIDIA signed major GPU-compute contracts, per Yahoo Finance. The company is directing $90-95 billion into AI data center expansion across Texas, New Mexico, Wisconsin, and Michigan. The stock closed at $148.87, up 2.84 pct today, with a 12-month average analyst target of $246. At current levels this is one of the cleaner uptrend setups in the AI space, with defined risk below $138 and room toward $165 before the next natural resistance band.

4. ARM Holdings (NASDAQ: ARM): Long

Raymond James raised its ARM price target to $272 from $244 on August 25, citing record Q1 fiscal 2027 revenue of $1.289 billion (22 pct year-over-year growth) and data center royalties that more than doubled, per Nasdaq. ARM is up 3.93 pct today and recovering from a multi-week dip that had taken the stock 14.69 pct below its 50-day average at the lows. The analyst upgrade plus the record revenue print is a credible near-term catalyst. A close below $234 invalidates. The $260 calls expiring September 11 offer a levered path toward that price target.

5. Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO): Short

Broadcom fell more than 12 pct after its August 22 earnings as its 2027 AI revenue target came in below expectations and raised margin-pressure concerns, per Yahoo Finance. The stock is 9.5 pct below its 20-day moving average and 8.04 pct below its 50-day average, with MACD still in negative territory. This is a broken uptrend, not a dip to buy. A relief rally toward the $370-375 band is the stop; the target is a retest of $328-330 support from earlier this summer.

More on the radar

• DELL $480 calls (exp Sep 4, options, idea 6): Levered earnings play for those wanting more upside than the stock provides. IV is elevated ahead of the print; size accordingly. Full premium is at risk on a miss or a guidance cut.
• MU long (stock, idea 7): Memory cycle recovery with plus 14.37 pct over one month and a clean 2.86 pct above the 20-day average. Entry $925-940, stop $900, target $1,000.
• MSFT long (stock, idea 8): The lowest-risk idea on the board today. Azure AI uptrend, plus 26.19 pct over one month, and the lowest realized 20-day volatility in the universe at an annualized 59.93. Entry $492-498, stop $478, target $525.
• ARM $260 calls Sep 11 (options, idea 9): Levered version of the ARM long, targeting the Raymond James price target over the next two weeks. Full premium at risk if the stock stalls.
• PANW short (stock, idea 10): Down 6.27 pct below its 20-day average after a 5.68 pct five-session slide with no recovery catalyst visible. Entry $338-342, stop $355, target $315.

How we score these

Conviction (1-10): How cleanly the technical setup and named catalyst align. An 8 means both the chart pattern and the news support the direction clearly; a 5 means one but not both is working in your favor.

Risk (1-10): How much can go wrong and how fast. A 4 (MSFT) means a steady uptrend with defined, manageable downside. An 8 (DELL calls) means a binary earnings event where the full premium can go to zero overnight.

Probability estimates: Rough estimates of the idea working within the stated timeframe, not guarantees. A 60 pct figure means the odds favor the setup but it still fails 4 times out of 10. Options ideas show only the one-week figure since the expiry is near.

These are short-term trade ideas for informational purposes only, not investment advice. Trading stocks and options carries substantial risk of loss, including the total loss of capital. Probabilities and scores are estimates, not guarantees. Do your own research and size positions to your own risk tolerance.