Welcome to Episode #482 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast.
Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds, and ETFs and how it impacts your life.
In the 1990s, technology stocks were hot. Four stocks made up what was called the “Tech Titans.” It included Microsoft, Dell, Intel, and Cisco. Cisco had gone public in 1990.
In that first decade, from 1990 to 2000, Cisco soared over 10,000% and was one of the best performing stocks of the 1990s thanks to the Internet boom. By 2000, nearly every money manager had to own Cisco in their portfolios or be left behind.
In the 2020s, we’ve entered a new era in technology powered by the AI Revolution.
Which stocks will be the big winners of this decade like Cisco was in the 1990s?
3 Stocks That Could be the Cisco of This Decade
1. Bloom Energy Corp. (BE)
Bloom Energy is an energy company that manufactures its solid oxide fuel cell systems to provide highly scalable onsite electricity for customers throughout the world, including data centers, semiconductor manufacturing, large utilities, and other commercial and industrial sectors.
Shares of Bloom Energy have been red hot in the last month, gaining 29.9%. Earnings soared 171.4% in 2025 and are expected to rise another 82.9% in 2026.
Bloom Energy is not a value stock, however. It trades with a forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 151. A P/E above 30 is considered expensive.
Bloom Energy is up 740% over the last 5 years.
Could Bloom Energy be the Cisco of this decade?
2. Vertiv Holdings Inc. (VRT)
Vertiv makes critical digital infrastructure for use in data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments. It specializes in power generation, thermal management and racks and enclosures.
Shares of Vertiv are up 89.7% year-to-date. Earnings jumped 47.4% in 2025 as its partnership with NVIDIA paid off. Earnings are expected to rise another 44.8% in 2026.
Vertiv isn’t cheap. It trades with a forward P/E of 48 but it has a PEG ratio, which measures P/E divided by growth, of just 1.5. A PEG under 2.0 is cheap and indicates a company has an attractive growth trajectory.
Vertiv is up 1,267% over the last 5 years and is hitting new all-time highs this week.
Could Vertiv be the Cisco of this decade?
3. Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL)
Sterling Infrastructure is a leader in E-Infrastructure, Transportation, and Building Solutions in the United States, primarily across the Southern, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic and Rocky Mountain regions and the Pacific Islands.
E-Infrastructure has been red hot as it provides advanced, large-scale site development services and electrical services for data centers, semiconductor fabrication, manufacturing, distribution centers, warehousing, power generation and more.
Shares of Sterling Infrastructure are up 51.4% year-to-date. Earnings grew 78.4% in 2025 and are expected to jump another 25.8% this year. Sterling has a signed backlog, as of the end of 2025, of $3 billion, up 78% from the end of 2024.
Sterling is the most attractively priced stock of the three, with a forward P/E of 32.
Sterling is up 2,125% over the last 5 years.
Could Sterling be the Cisco of this decade?
What Else Should You Know About the Hot AI Revolution Stocks?
Tune into this week’s podcast to find out more.
[In full disclosure, Tracey owns shares of STRL and VRT in Zacks Value Investor and her own personal portfolio.]
#1 Semiconductor Stock to Buy (Not NVDA)
The incredible demand for data is fueling the market's next digital gold rush. As data centers continue to be built and constantly upgraded, the companies that provide the hardware for these behemoths will become the NVIDIAs of tomorrow.
One under-the-radar chipmaker is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the next growth stage of this market. It specializes in semiconductor products that titans like NVIDIA don't build. It's just beginning to enter the spotlight, which is exactly where you want to be.
See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL): Free Stock Analysis Report
Bloom Energy Corporation (BE): Free Stock Analysis Report
Vertiv Holdings Co. (VRT): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).