Retail investors talked up five hot stocks this week (May 11 to May 15) on X and Reddit’s r/WallStreetBets, driven by retail hype, earnings, AI infrastructure momentum, and corporate/geopolitical news flow.

Cisco Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CSCO), Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT), NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA), and Nebius Group N.V. (NASDAQ:NBIS), spanning networking, semiconductors, software/cloud, AI chips, and AI cloud infrastructure, reflected strong retail interest in AI-related plays.

Cisco Systems

  • Cisco reported strong third-quarter fiscal 2026 earnings on May 13, posting record revenue of $15.8 billion, up 12% year over year. GAAP EPS was $0.85, up 37% YoY, and non-GAAP EPS was $1.06, up 10%. Product revenue grew 17%, driven by AI-related demand, with strong order growth. The company provided upbeat fourth-quarter guidance and raised aspects of its AI order outlook. It also announced restructuring its workforce to the tune of 4,000 jobs.
  • Many retail investors were bullish on CSCO after its earnings report.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $62.30 to $119.36, trading around $112 to $116 per share, as of the publication of this article. It rose 88.50% over the year, and advanced by 48.12% and 49.98% over the last six months and year-to-date, respectively.
  • CSCO had a strong price trend in the medium, short, and long term, with a solid quality ranking, as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Micron Technology

  • MU continued to see strong retail attention amid ongoing AI memory demand momentum following its prior record second quarter results. Micron traded alongside the broader semiconductor sector as markets tracked developments surrounding NVIDIA Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang joining President Donald Trump‘s China delegation, while uncertainty around U.S.-China AI chip policy continued to pressure sentiment. The stock experienced volatility with a mild pullback during the week amid broader market moves, but retail commentary highlighted long-term conviction in its AI positioning.
  • Some retail investors were seen pointing out that a mild correction in MU’s stock wasn’t a reason to worry about long-term gains.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $90.93 to $818.67, trading around $775 to $753 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 714.11% over the year and 214.39% in the last six months. The stock was also up 171.89% YTD.
  • MU had a strong price trend in the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value ranking as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Microsoft

  • MSFT was in focus as Pershing Square disclosed a new ⁠position in Microsoft. Bill Ackman ​said in an X post on ​Friday that the tech giant sits at a "highly compelling valuation.” Meanwhile, President Trump’s first-quarter 2026 ethics filing showed that he executed 14 purchases of about $2.4 million to 8.1 million of the MSFT stock and five sales of about $5.6 million to $26.3 million in the said quarter.
  • Some retail investors were surprised that MSFT was in green on a Friday when most stocks and benchmarks were declining.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $356.28 to $555.45, trading around $408 to $413 per share, as of the publication of this article. It declined 9.61% over the year and 19.75% in the last six months. The stock was 15.34% lower YTD.
  • Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings showed that MSFT had a weak price trend in the long and medium terms but a strong trend in the short term, with a moderate growth score.

Nvidia

  • NVDA saw positive sentiment tied to CEO Huang joining President Trump’s delegation to China for high-level meetings, boosting discussions around potential AI chip market dynamics. The U.S. government authorized the sale of Nvidia’s powerful H200 AI chips to 10 Chinese tech giants, including Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. ADR (NYSE:BABA) and Tencent Holdings ADR (OTC:TCEHY), but Beijing’s intervention has brought deliveries to a complete standstill. Also, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst CJ Muse reiterated an Overweight rating on Nvidia stock and raised the price target from $300 to $350.
  • Some retail investors were praising NVDA’s positive performance this week after Huang’s trip to China with President Trump.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $129.16 to $236.54, trading around $230 to $236 per share, as of the publication of this article. It was up 74.18% over the year, higher by 23.96% over the last six months, and 26.40% YTD.
  • NVDA maintains a strong price trend over the long, short, and medium terms, with a solid quality growth score as per Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings.

Nebius Group

  • Nebius reported strong first-quarter 2026 results on May 13 with revenue of $399 million, up 684% YoY, significant AI cloud growth, and upbeat guidance/expansion plans, including a new U.S. AI factory. Nebius Group expanded its contract with Meta Platforms Inc. (NASDAQ:META) to more than $27 billion.
  • Several investors were bullish on NBIS and expected a better performance.
A comment on r/WallStreetBets subreddit.
Source: Reddit
  • The stock had a 52-week range of $34.72 to $233.73, trading around $217 to $222 per share, as of the publication of this article. It advanced by 512.26% over the year, and 164.72% over the last six months, and 164.20% higher YTD.
  • According to Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings, NBIS was maintaining a strong price trend over the short, medium, and long terms, with a poor value score.

Retail focus blended AI infrastructure momentum, earnings beats, and geopolitical/news-driven narratives with broader market action during the week.

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