The Robinhood (NASDAQ:HOOD) platform has been controversial since its inception, but in the last few years has spawned the term Robinhood stocks.

The name suggests stocks that are popular with retail investors who use the platform bypassing brokers and with less market savvy than professional investors. In reality, the top Robinhood stocks fall all along the risk scale.

Critics claim Robinhood has gamified its platform, inducing users to treat their money like points in a game, rather than important resources with real consequences. 

Robinhood counted approximately 18 million accounts in July. That number sat at 22.4 million to end 2021. 

The top 100 most popular Robinhood stocks are a mixture of speculative names and well-known, worthwhile investments. Let’s look at those worthy of a buy. 

• Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
• Ford (NYSE:F) 
• Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL)
• Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA) 
• Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) 
• Tilray (NASDAQ:TLRY) 
• Chevron (NYSE:CVX) 

Robinhood Stocks to Buy: Microsoft (MSFT)

Microsoft is off by 11% since the year 2021 ended but I think there’s plenty of reason to believe it should bounce back nicely. 

Microsoft recently made a big move by deciding to acquire Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ:ATVI).

The motives behind the merger were overtly related to the growth opportunity presented by the metaverse. The reception toward the deal was positive overall, and the move signaled that another tech giant was backing the metaverse. 

Days later questions are beginning to arise. Aviv Nero, a current Wharton professor and former chief economist in the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department believes the deal will receive close antitrust scrutiny. 

On the other hand, Microsoft offered a strong outlook for its March quarter days ago.  The company provided stronger than expected quarterly results for the three months ended Dec. 31. Revenues eclipsed $50 billion for the first time ever in a quarter.

They also topped expectations of $50.9 billion, reaching $51.7 billion in the quarter. Expect that news to help MSFT stock rise moving forward. 

Ford (F) 

Ford share prices were on a tear between September and mid-January.

It had risen to the $25 level, above the average analyst consensus price.

That likely caused some trepidation to set in. Prices have since dropped down below $20, which is below the average analyst consensus price. It’s a good place to consider picking up F stock. 

Ford is doing well on several fronts. Back in late September, the firm signaled its commitment to the EV shift. It announced that it is building three EV battery manufacturing plants; two in Kentucky, and one in Tennessee.

The project, Blue Oval City, is an $11.4 billion investment expected to create 11,000 jobs. The more electrified Ford becomes, the higher its stock should rise. 

The Maverick pickup, which starts at around $20,000, has seen massive demand. So much so that Ford is suspending customer orders for the pickup because it is already straining to fill its order backlog. 

Ford has a strong foothold over the full-size pickup market, strong demand within the economy truck market, and strong EV plans. 

Robinhood Stocks to Buy: Apple (AAPL)

I can understand why some investors might be hesitant to buy AAPL stock right now. Prices increased to $180 and then slid back to $160 partly due to the tech sell-off. 

But Apple just released impressive quarterly earnings for the period between October and December. Revenue hit $123.9 billion and the company recorded a profit of $34.6 billion. Both of those figures were records. 

That should answer questions about whether Apple can navigate supply chain constraints.

It had cautioned that sales growth would be affected by supply chain concerns during the holidays. That sparked a lot of investor fear when the news was released. 

“We’re forecasting that we will be less [constrained] in March than we were in the December quarter,” said CEO Tim Cook.

That should serve to embolden investors to jump back into AAPL stock in the coming weeks and months. That’ll raise prices moving forward, meaning the best time to jump in is now. Further, there’s plenty of return between current prices and consensus prices.

Nvidia (NVDA) 

Nvidia remains a great stock to buy in 2022. Wall Street remains very confident of that notion.

In fact, Bank of America (NYSE:BAC) analyst Vivek Arya is steadfast in believing it will outperform this year.

“We continue to believe the company is best positioned to address several of the most important, multi-decade secular growth opportunities with its unique, highly-leverageable accelerated compute platform,” Ary said.

He gives it a price of $375, well above the current $220 it trades at. That price is very close to the consensus beliefs of all the analysts with coverage.

That said, Nvidia will likely be available at these levels until definitive news regarding its planned Arm acquisition emerges. The company hasn’t made any final decision on whether to abandon the deal or not. But reports have recently emerged which indicate that the deal is all but dead after regulatory scrutiny increased. 

If the deal fails it likely won’t affect prices much. Nvidia has already carved out an important place within the semiconductor niche. With semiconductors having been likened to the new oil, NVDA stock won’t be held down for long. 

Robinhood Stocks to Buy: Rivian (RIVN)

It is my firm belief that Rivian has simply ridden the pendulum of market sentiment to its extremes in its short life as a publicly-traded entity.

Its IPO was huge. Prices rocketed above $170. Then they dropped off a cliff. Now they’re near $65. 

Rivian has been hit by production woes, at least as characterized as by bears. The truth is the company produced 1,015 vehicles by the end of 2021.

It had previously stated that it expected 1,200 for the year. When it later said it could miss that number by a few hundred units the market punished it. 

Now consider this: Its average target price sits at $131. Even bearish analysts including JPMorgan’s (NYSE:JPM) Ryan Brinkman, who cut it to $84, provide room for growth at current prices. 

Rivian is now in a phase of its evolution in which production is paramount. The fact that it only produced 1,015 vehicles in 2021 doesn’t justify the steep decline. It has to prove itself, yes, but it shouldn’t be trading this low. 

Tilray (TLRY) 

I’ve been critical of Tilray in the past and I continue to see it as a speculative bet at best. It is, however, a popular Robinhood stock and I’ll give it its due. 

CEO Irwin Simon believes the company can achieve $4 billion in revenues by 2024.

I’ve laid out how that’s possible in a recent article I wrote about the company:

The analysts following Tilray expect it to perhaps double its 2021 revenues in fiscal 2022. That means that it is possible for Tilray to reach $4 billion in 2024 if its trajectory continues as it has. In other words, it doubles in 2022 to reach $1 billion in revenue. That $1 doubles again in 2023, reaching $2 billion, and then again in 2024 to hit the stated $4 billion goal.

There’s a chance it could actually work. Speculative and highly risky, yes. But it is also possible. 

Robinhood Stocks to Buy: Chevron (CVX)

If you follow the logic of Chevron CFO Pierre Breber, CVX stock is a pick up right now. That’s because he’s essentially saying that its earnings miss is simply due to unpredictable timing. 

Chevron reported $4.9 billion in earnings on $48.1 billion in revenue. Analysts were expecting higher earnings of $6 billion and revenue of $45.3 billion. 

Mr, Breber attributes the earnings miss to noncash charges including depreciation and inventory timing which analysts can’t predict easily. Whatever the cause, CVX stock is down. 

It has otherwise been performing extraordinarily well and this could be a chance to pick it up before it rebounds again. The positive news is that Chevron announced a 6% dividend increase and share buybacks. 

All in all, Chevron looks to be among the strongest oil stocks in 2022 off of a strong 2021.

On the date of publication, Alex Sirois did not have (either directly or indirectly) any positions in the securities mentioned in this article. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the writer, subject to the InvestorPlace.com Publishing Guidelines.

Alex Sirois is a freelance contributor to InvestorPlace whose personal stock investing style is focused on long-term, buy-and-hold, wealth-building stock picks. Having worked in several industries from e-commerce to translation to education and utilizing his MBA from George Washington University, he brings a diverse set of skills through which he filters his writing.