When financial pros share their favorite stock picks, it's worth paying attention to what's driving their conviction. On CNBC's "Halftime Report Final Trades," four market experts laid out their top choices, backed by recent analyst upgrades, strong earnings, and strategic positioning.

Nike Gets Back in the Game

Bryn Talkington, managing partner of Requisite Capital Management, highlighted Nike Inc. (NKE) as her pick. The timing aligns with a notable Wall Street vote of confidence: Wells Fargo analyst Ike Boruchow upgraded Nike from Equal-Weight to Overweight on November 13, simultaneously bumping the price target from $60 to $75. That's a 25% upside from the previous target, suggesting the analyst sees meaningful recovery potential in the athletic apparel giant.

Amazon Keeps Climbing

Jason Snipe, founder and chief investment officer of Odyssey Capital Advisors, went with Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN). His pick got reinforcement from Oppenheimer analyst Jason Helfstein, who on Monday maintained an Outperform rating while raising the price target from $290 to $305. When analysts keep bumping price targets higher, it usually means the growth story is playing out better than expected.

Delta Delivers on Earnings

Jim Lebenthal, partner at Cerity Partners, chose Delta Air Lines Inc. (DAL). The airline has some solid fundamentals backing this pick. On October 9, Delta reported third-quarter results that beat expectations across the board. Operating revenue hit $16.7 billion, marking a 6% year-over-year increase. GAAP EPS came in at $2.17, up 10% from the prior year, while adjusted EPS reached $1.71, comfortably beating the consensus estimate of $1.52.

Apple's Resilience Continues

Joseph M. Terranova, senior managing director for Virtus Investment Partners, called out Apple Inc. (AAPL) as a quality name with remarkable resilience. The company on Monday announced a significant leadership transition within its artificial intelligence group, the most substantial reshuffle since launching its Apple Intelligence platform in 2024. John Giannandrea, the senior vice president overseeing Machine Learning and AI Strategy since 2018, is set to retire in 2026. Until then, he'll step down from his current role and transition to an advisory position.

How the Stocks Traded

All four picks finished Monday's session in positive territory. Nike shares gained 1.8% to close at $65.39. Amazon added 0.3% to settle at $233.88. Delta Air Lines edged up 0.1% to finish at $64.15. Apple shares rose 1.5% to close at $283.10.