Thursday marks the 2025 CNBC Stock Draft in which financial professionals, athletes and celebrities are pitted against each other. Each team will make two selections from a list of 60 stocks and commodities. CNBC will track the performance of each team’s investments until Feb. 6, 2026. The team with the best average gains will be crowned victorious. Those participating in this year’s competition include chef Bobby Flay, NBA and CNBC Stock Draft Champion Andre Iguodala and comedian Sebastian Maniscalco. Follow our blog for live updates as each team makes its picks. All times ET. 2:23 p.m.: Team Wall Street Bound drafts Vistra first overall Vistra is the top pick from the Wall Street Bound team of Baruch College graduate Matthew Nunez and Smith College student Trang Tran. The Texas-based energy company stands to benefit from structural power growth in Texas driven by ongoing demand from hyperscalers for data centers, according to Nunez. “While short-term leasing slowdowns could soften expectations, Vistra is well-positioned to benefit from the buildout of AI-driven infrastructure that depends on reliable and dispatchable energy,” Nunez said on CNBC’s “Power Lunch.” “Vistra is a weather-sensitive, policy-exposed but strategically positioned player in a rapidly evolving Texas energy market offering both risk and compelling upside.” Tran has confidence in Vistra’s fundamentals. The company’s EBITDA margin has been growing double-digits over the past two quarters and management remains confident in its EBITDA guidance for this year, she said. Vistra shares are down 8.6% this year, but have popped 9% this week. — Pia Singh 2:22 p.m. Bobby Flay scoops up Walmart in first round Celebrity chef Bobby Flay, who pays particular attention to big box retailers, named Walmart for his first round pick. “I think that there’s a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know which direction we’re going in from minute to minute, not even from day to day anymore,” Flay said. “A place like Walmart is trusted. I think people will need to continue to spend, but I think that they’ll be looking for the right prices and trusted places like a place like Walmart.” “They seem to have so far weathered the storm this year, and I just think that their upside is going to continue,” he added. The stock has risen more than 15% over the past six months and more than 6% year to date, outpacing the broader market. — Sean Conlon 2:18 p.m.: Auten Kroll drafts Costco Reality TV star Austen Kroll selected Costco Wholesale as his first pick, citing in part the company’s “commitment” to selling hot dogs for $1.50. “They are also a fantastic store for bulk purchases,” Kroll said. Costco shares have fallen more than 6% this year, outpacing the broader market. 2:14 p.m.: Carli Lloyd drafts Airbnb Carli Lloyd selected Airbnb in the first round, drawing on her personal experience needing to find housing for work this summer. The former Olympian’s pick has had a tough run recently. Shares of the rental property platform have tumbled nearly 8% this year, adding to 2024’s decline of 3.5%. “I’m actually in the hunt for a rental this summer as I’m going to be working with Fox Sports doing some TV,” she said. “I feel that Airbnb’s stock is on the rise and I’m going to add to that as well this summer.” — Alex Harring
