Shares of Intel Corp. INTC, +4.33% Nvidia Corp. NVDA, +3.09% Lam Research Inc. LRCX, +3.86% and ASML Holding NV are rising in Monday morning trading after Evercore ISI analyst CJ Muse named the stocks his "best ideas" for the upcoming earnings season. Muse called Intel "a bastion of safety" and raised his price target on the stock to $60 from $55. "Considering shares remains under-owned, support from 2.5% dividend yield, and trade at a P/E of only 11x, we view Intel as best risk/reward into earnings," he wrote. Intel shares are up 3% in Monday's session. He thinks that earnings represent "a clear positive catalyst" for Nvidia shares, currently up 2.6%, even amid concerns about crypto revenue. Muse predicts that gaming and data center revenue represent sources of potential upside for Nvidia. He thinks Lam Research carries "the most upside" heading into earnings and raised his price target on the stock to $300 from $260. Muse is generally upbeat about the semiconductor sector and thinks concerns about a potential trade war's effect on the industry are "overblown." Shares of other chip stocks including Broadcom Ltd. AVGO, +4.32% and Western Digital Corp. WDC, +3.09% are heading higher in Monday's session. The PHLX Semiconductor Index SOX, +3.15% is up 2.4%, outpacing gains for the S&P 500 SPX, +1.56% up 1.1%.