1. Amazon: The AI and Cloud Growth Story AMZN

Amazon may still be known primarily for online shopping, but investors increasingly need to understand that Amazon Web Services, or AWS, is one of the most important parts of the company.

Amazon reported an exceptionally strong second quarter in July.

Net sales increased 20% year over year to $200.6 billion, while operating income increased 43% to $27.5 billion. Even more impressive, AWS revenue increased 37% to $42.2 billion, representing the cloud division’s fastest growth rate in 18 quarters.

That matters because AWS sits directly inside one of the biggest investment themes in today’s market: artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Companies building AI applications need enormous amounts of computing power, storage and networking. Amazon already owns one of the world’s largest cloud-computing platforms, giving it an opportunity to participate in that spending without relying on its retail operation alone.

Wall Street remains very optimistic as well. According to S&P Global analyst data compiled by StockAnalysis, 61 analysts currently give Amazon a consensus Strong Buy rating, with an average 12-month price target of about $328, compared with shares trading around the low-$250s on September 9. The published analyst targets range from $230 to $405, illustrating that even professional analysts disagree considerably about future value.

Why AMZN Could Remain Interesting Into Q4

The bullish argument is straightforward: Amazon is growing retail sales, dramatically expanding AWS, improving operating profitability and investing heavily in the infrastructure needed for AI.

Jefferies recently included Amazon among companies it believes could benefit significantly from long-term growth in artificial intelligence spending.

But beginners shouldn’t interpret “AI” as an automatic reason to buy a stock.

2. Netflix: A Great Business With Lower Expectations NFLX

Netflix presents a very different setup.

Unlike Amazon, Netflix isn’t currently being rewarded for explosive growth. Investors have become more cautious about the company’s future growth rate.

That could be precisely why the stock deserves another look.

Netflix generated approximately $12.6 billion of revenue in Q2 2026, an increase of about 13% year over year. Operating income reached approximately $4.2 billion, while its operating margin was a strong 33.4%.

Those are not the numbers of a struggling company.

However, Netflix’s Q3 outlook disappointed Wall Street. Management projected approximately $12.86 billion in Q3 revenue and diluted EPS of about $0.82, below analyst expectations at the time. That weaker outlook contributed to a sharp post-earnings decline.

This creates an interesting situation for investors.

Netflix is still growing revenue at a double-digit rate and generating strong profits, but expectations surrounding the company have become much less enthusiastic.

Management expects full-year 2026 revenue between $51.0 billion and $51.4 billion and continues to forecast an operating margin of 31.5%. Netflix also reported that viewing hours increased approximately 2% during the first half of 2026.

The company’s advertising business could provide another growth engine, although it hasn’t developed as quickly as some analysts expected. S&P Global reported that Netflix generated about $618 million of advertising revenue during Q2, up almost 80% year over year but still below analyst expectations.

Wall Street remains generally positive. S&P Global analyst data compiled by StockAnalysis shows an average 12-month target of approximately $93.66, with targets ranging from $70 to $135.

Why NFLX Could Be Interesting Before Q4

Sometimes a stock becomes more interesting when expectations fall faster than the quality of the underlying business.

That’s arguably what investors should investigate with Netflix.

The company still has several potential growth drivers: subscription pricing, advertising, international expansion, live programming, games and new entertainment formats.

3. Casey’s General Stores: Did Investors Overreact? CASY

The most unusual stock on this list might also be the most timely.

Casey’s General Stores operates nearly 3,000 convenience stores across 19 states, with a large portion located in smaller communities. Its business combines fuel, groceries and prepared foods—including a surprisingly important pizza operation.

It isn’t an AI company.

It isn’t a streaming platform.

And that’s partly what makes it interesting.

Casey’s just reported fiscal Q1 2027 results on September 8. Diluted earnings per share jumped 27.7% year over year to $7.37, net income increased 27.1% to $273.7 million, and EBITDA increased 17.1% to $485.1 million.

Those numbers look excellent.

But investors focused on another figure: inside same-store sales increased only 3.2%, below the approximately 4.1% consensus expectation reported by analysts. Fuel gallons were also slightly negative year over year.

The result was dramatic.

Casey’s shares fell sharply following the report, making CASY one of the biggest market movers on September 9.

This is exactly the kind of situation beginner investors need to learn how to analyze carefully.

A falling stock is not automatically cheap.

But a stock can sometimes fall because investors expected near-perfect results rather than because the underlying business suddenly became weak.

Casey’s had already produced an exceptional fiscal 2026. Full-year EPS increased 30.9% to $19.16, net income rose 30.7%, and EBITDA increased 23.6% to nearly $1.5 billion. The company also raised its quarterly dividend by 14%, marking its 27th consecutive annual dividend increase.

That provides the bullish argument: the fundamental business remains strong even though investors disliked one component of the latest quarter.

The bearish argument is valuation.

Before the recent decline, Casey’s had traded at a relatively expensive earnings multiple compared with many traditional retailers. Analysts have also begun reducing some price targets. JPMorgan recently lowered its target to $833 and maintained a Neutral rating, while Deutsche Bank set a $927 target.