The Hidden AI Winner That Wall Street Loves for 2026

AI stocks have been all over the place in recent months. Some have struggled to turn investments into profits, while others have suffered from overinflated stock prices. But there are others that just keep churning out huge amounts of revenue and profits as their stock prices soar.

Investors are familiar with the big names, like Nvidia and Sandisk, but what are some of those hidden gems that could explode?

One AI stock that Wall Street analysts see with huge upside is Pony AI (NASDAQ: PONY), a company that makes technology for autonomous robotaxis and trucks.

Image source: Getty Images.

Wall Street analysts are extremely bullish on Pony AI, with 95% of the 19 analysts that cover it rating it as a buy. It has a median price target of $22 per share, which would represent a 47% return over the next 12 months. The high estimate is $40 per share, which would mean a 168% return. Even the low estimate of $15 per share would be a gain of around 1% -- so analysts see nothing but upside for Pony AI stock.

Ride the Pony Express

Pony is one of the leaders in autonomous vehicle technology, along with a handful of others, including Alphabet's Waymo. It has an asset-light model, meaning it doesn't have its own cars; rather, it sells the technology to automakers to develop their own vehicles.

Among its clients are Toyota, GAC Group, BAIC Group, SAIC Motor, and SANY Truck, among others. All of these companies, except for Toyota, are based in China, which is its major market. It has contracts with these and other automakers to mass-produce the technology for autonomous cars and trucks. In late January, it signed a deal with Beijing ATBB Travel & Express Service Co. to develop a robotaxi fleet that will operate in China's tier-1 cities.

As of its last earnings report for Q3 2025, it had 961 Robotaxi fleet vehicles and was on track to hit 1,000 for the year. It plans to triple that in 2026 with more than 3,000 vehicles by the end of 2026, and it is seeking to expand to new markets.

It is looking to expand its reach to eight countries and has partnerships with ride-sharing companies Uber Technologies and Bolt. It is not permitted to operate commercially in the U.S. It currently has a limited testing permit in California after its full driverless permit was suspended in 2021 due to a crash.

The road ahead

In the last quarter, it increased its revenue by 71% year over year to $25.4 million. Through the first three quarters, revenue is up 54% to $61 million.

But it is not yet profitable as it pours money into research and development expenses. Last quarter, R&D expenses jumped nearly 80% year over year. But officials said that its fleet of more advanced Gen-7 robotaxis reached unit economics breakeven in key markets, meaning the revenue generated per vehicle covered operational costs.

Analysts are likely bullish over this and how Pony AI is expanding with new deals and plans to triple its fleet. It's a new market, and the company is not profitable, but there certainly seems to be a lot of growth ahead -- although with unprofitable companies, it's always good to keep allocations low in a diversified portfolio.

Dave Kovaleski has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Nvidia, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.