CNBC’s annual Stock Draft kicked off Thursday on “Power Lunch,” with candidates opting for a wide range of stocks from AI to consumer plays. The annual stock-picking competition pits financial professionals, athletes and celebrities against each other. Each of the 10 participants pick two names from a list of 60 investments. Who wins the annual competition depends on which stock picker boasts the highest average return based on the closing prices between April 27, 2023, and Feb. 9, 2024. Here’s the rundown. Nvidia WWE wrestler Charlotte Flair bet on artificial intelligence with her first pick: Nvidia. The graphics processing unit maker enjoyed an extraordinary rise so far this year. Share are up more than 85% as investors piled into what’s considered a leading beneficiary of the AI trend . For some investors, that could mean Nvidia is overbought. Regardless, Flair said, “They are at the forefront of the AI space, which we know is growing day by day.” Amazon Olympic swimmer Erica Sullivan picked Amazon, saying she likes the e-commerce giant’s service and uses it regularly. “I’m going by what I, like, use the most, and as a college student in Austin, I use Amazon a ton,” said Sullivan, who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics. “I’m going to hold on and hope that they pull through for the next couple months for me.” Amazon shares have gained 31.4% this year, regaining ground after dropping almost 50% last year. The company, which reports earnings after the bell on Thursday, saw a bump in Wednesday’s session as some market participants grew hopeful that Microsoft’s strong cloud revenue growth would bode well for Amazon’s rival business. Netflix Mark Douglas and Ryan Reynolds doubled down on Netflix , the same pick they made last year. “It’s priced into the stock that there was an overcorrection last year, but it’s not priced in how big their ad business is going to be,” Douglas said. The streaming giant recently reported earnings that topped Wall Street’s estimates , while revenue disappointed slightly. Netflix delayed the broad rollout of its plan to crack down on password-sharing. It was originally for the first quarter. Peloton Ndamukong Suh, a free agent defensive tackle, went for Peloton . The NFL star said he expects the connected fitness company’s new CEO Barry McCarthy to be a “gamechanger,” and is bullish on his restructuring plan. “I’ve got faith in Barry, the new CEO, and the thing he’s looking to do with the company and restructure and hopefully to get them to break even and be capital positive,” Suh said. “There will be an opportunity for them to be acquired in the future. I’ve got good hopes that Barry will get the job done.” Disney Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and his partner, Intersect Capital CEO Joe McClean, picked Disney. The media and entertainment giant began its second round of layoffs this week. Shares have risen almost 15% this year after tumbling nearly 44% in 2022. “I love the fact that my kids own it and we get to go to Disneyland and they see all the other kids buying tickets and they know a little bit of that revenue is going into their pockets,” McClean said. He added that the stock could hit highs seen in 2021 and 2022 in the next six or seven months. Boot Barn The Rutgers Investment Club chose cowboy boots and hat retailer Boot Barn to play a resurgence in Western culture. They called it a hidden gem. The stock is up more than 13% this year, but still off about 28% from its record high. General Electric Sullivan chose General Electric for her second pick. General Electric shares are higher by more than 49% in 2023. However, the 22-year-old said that she expects some more upside to the stock, saying the conglomerate has room for further improvement. Sullivan said: “I think I’m going to stick to that growing trajectory and just hope it holds on for a little bit longer.” Here’s the full list of CNBC Stock Draft picks Charlotte Flair: Nvidia , Meta Erica Sullivan: Amazon , General Electric Ndamukong Suh: UnitedHealth , Peloton CJ Mosley: P & G , Goldman Sachs DK Metcalf: Charles Schwab , Disney Rutgers Investment Club: JPMorgan , Boot Barn Tori Dunlap: AMD , Microsoft Tom Bergeron: Warner Bros Discovery , gold Mark Douglas and Ryan Reynolds: Netflix , Lululemon Diamond DeShields: PayPal , Alphabet
