It may be time to look for buying opportunities in a part of the technology sector: semiconductor stocks. Exchange-traded fund VanEck Semiconductor ( SMH ) is down more than 4% over the past two years, while the broader S&P 500 technology sector is up 2% over that period. Chip stocks are under pressure due to supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. That supply chain pressure is now easing, as Covid restrictions around the world are being eased – especially in China. This, along with the recent push into artificial intelligence technology, has boosted chip stocks in early 2023. Year to date, SMH is up 19.6%. SMH YTD mountain SMH in 2023 With this in mind, CNBC Pro is looking for big winners in the upcoming space. We screen SMH for stocks that meet the following criteria: Buy ratings from at least 55% of analysts covering them Average price targets that mean up 10% or more Here are eight stocks that made our list. Marvell Technology made the cut with over 86% of analysts giving it a buy rating. The stock is up more than 19% this year, despite losing 34% over the past 12 months. JPMorgan analyst Harlan Sur noted in early February that the company is well positioned to capitalize on the increased interest in AI, as several chipsets have been used by Google to power artificial intelligence technology. The average analyst price target on the stock is the highest of any name on the list at 33%, FactSet data shows. Another stock that made the list is Analog Devices. Nearly 60% of analysts give it a buy rating, and the average price target on the stock suggests a 14% upside over the next 12 months. The company last week reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that beat analysts’ expectations. Analog Devices’ second-quarter guidance also beat expectations. “ADI continues to perform well with revenue growth of 21% year over year and record earnings per share,” CEO Vincent Roche said in a statement. “Looking ahead, pervasive sensing, AI-driven edge computing, and ubiquitous connectivity enable new capabilities, applications, and markets at the Intelligent Edge.” Bank of America analyst Vivek Arya called the company a “best-in-class stock performer” behind the results. He also raised his price target on Analog Devices to $230 per share from $215. The new target represents an 18.6% rise from Friday’s close. “ADI should be able to support profit growth in a declining industry. More importantly, with the highest capital intensity at 8%-9% and decreasing over time, we see a path to 40% + [free cash flow] limit, also above peer analog TXN (down from the mid-30s to the mid-20s),” Arya said. ADI YTD mountain ADI in 2023 Advanced Micro Devices also made a cut, with nearly 60% of analysts rating it buy and the average target price shows up from 14.1% The stock has rallied more than 21% year to date However, the company warned late last month that it could suffer a 10% revenue drop in the first quarter Still, most analysts have stuck with AMD. , including Goldman Sachs’ Toshiya Hari. “We remain constructive on the stock given our expectations for significant market share expansion in server CPUs and the potential for margin improvement in 2H23/2024,” Hari said in a note. The analyst reiterated his buy rating. on AMD Another name that made our list was Synopsys, Technology Microchip, Applied Materials, KLA and Broadcom.