Cathie Wood’s Bargain Bin: Three Stocks She’s Punting On

Okay, so Cathie Wood had a good 2025. Let’s not act shocked. The woman’s basically the Midas of meme stocks. But can she repeat? It’s three weeks into the new year and her Ark Invest ETFs are already showing a pulse, which, in this market, is like finding a parking spot in Manhattan. If they can consistently eke out 1% weekly gains, we’re looking at a legitimately good year. Which, honestly, is a low bar. I’ve seen toasters with more ambitious growth strategies.

Wood was relatively quiet on Wednesday, which, for her, is like a nun at a rave. She made moves on five stocks, but three caught my eye – mostly because I’m paid to look. We’re talking Netflix (NFLX 1.43%), Tempus AI (TEM +2.03%), and Kodiak AI (KDK +2.17%). She’s doubling down on these, which is either genius or a spectacular display of confirmation bias. Let’s unpack this, shall we?

1. Netflix

So, Netflix is down 35% from its summertime peak. Apparently, announcing you’re buying Warner Bros. Discovery is… expensive? Who knew? It’s like ordering the entire appetizer menu and then being surprised by the bill. They’ve shed $82 billion in market cap since that announcement, and another $113 billion since they started talking about it. That’s a lot of money. Enough to buy a small country, probably. And a really nice yacht. Or a lot of sensible index funds, but where’s the fun in that?

Wednesday’s trading saw Netflix dip another 2% while the rest of the market was doing a little jig. The quarterly report wasn’t bad, per se. Revenue was up 18%, which is the strongest top-line jump in four years. Net income rose 30%. But then came the guidance. Apparently, expecting 12-14% growth in 2026 is… controversial? And modeling a slightly lower operating margin? The horror! Analysts are clutching their pearls. It’s like they’ve never seen a company try to, you know, manage expectations.

Look, Netflix is still growing. Free cash flow is at $9.5 billion. They’ve stopped reporting subscriber numbers, which is convenient. But they did hit 325 million subscribers, so that’s something. Ad revenue is soaring, and they expect it to double again. So, yeah, maybe it’s not a total dumpster fire. Just a slightly singed marshmallow.

2. Tempus AI

Tempus AI is leaning hard into the whole AI thing. Which, let’s be honest, everyone is doing now. It’s like adding “gluten-free” to a water bottle. They’re using AI to enhance oncology and hereditary testing. Growth is on a tear, fueled by organic gains and acquisitions. Which is basically corporate-speak for “we’re buying our way to success.”

Revenue is up 75%, 90%, and 85% through the first three quarters of 2025. The stock has doubled since its IPO, but it’s still 37% below its peak. Analysts expect growth to slow down to 24% in 2026. Profitability is still a distant dream, but losses should narrow. Which is…progress? Look, it’s a tech company. We’re used to waiting for the money to show up.

3. Kodiak AI

Kodiak AI is one of the smaller stocks on Ark Invest’s radar. It’s got a modest market cap of $1.6 billion, but apparently, ambitious dreams. Like Tempus, it’s leveraging AI, and, naturally, it has “AI” in the name. It’s the corporate equivalent of naming your dog “Dog.”

The self-driving car market is crowded, but Kodiak is focusing on commercial trucking and public sector clients. They’re aiming to let truck drivers generate revenue without actually driving. There are only 10 driver-owned trucks on the fleet, but they’ve driven over 3 million miles. Which is… a start. It’s like building a rocket ship out of cardboard boxes. You admire the effort, but you don’t necessarily expect it to reach orbit.

Kodiak has been trading for four months and is already down 19% from its peak. This is a long-term bet, and Wood has a history of making them. Which is either brilliant foresight or a stubborn refusal to admit defeat. Either way, it’s good for cable news.

2026-01-22 18:03

1. Netflix

2. Tempus AI

3. Kodiak AI

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