The stock market fell into the red territory on Friday, with all major indices recording losses over renewed fears of growing trade tensions coupled with expectations of a higher inflation rate in the US.
The Dow Jones lost 0.99 percent, the S&P 500 declined 0.95 percent, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq dived by 1.36 percent.
Despite the overall pessimistic sentiment, 10 companies managed to defy losses, posting double-digit gains in their valuations amid a flurry of impressive earnings performance.
To come up with Friday’s top winners, we considered only the stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and $5 million in daily trading volume.
A man in long sleeves looking at stock market data. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
10. Nuscale Power Corp. (NYSE:SMR)
Shares of Nuscale Power (SMR) traded higher in line with its peers on Friday, jumping 11.14 percent to close at $25.84 apiece as investor sentiment was fueled by announcements that the US will prioritize energy expansion in the country.
Following his confirmation to lead the US power sector, Energy Secretary Chris Wright issued a department order stating that the agency would prioritize expanding energy production over achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
“The Department’s goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance,” the order was quoted as saying in a report by Reuters.
It also underscored that net zero policies pushed up the prices of energy for homes and businesses, threatened the reliability of energy systems, and undermined energy security.
SMR, a company specializing in small modular reactors, stands to benefit from the government’s energy expansion plan, further fueled by an expected boom in the Artificial Intelligence industry.
9. Take-Two Interactive Software Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO)
Shares of Take-Two Interactive (TTWO) jumped by 14 percent on Friday after achieving an improvement in its earnings performance in full-year 2024 coupled with an upgraded rating from an investment research company.
In a regulatory filing, TTWO said it was able to slash its net loss in nine months ending December 2024 by 10.5 percent to $757.2 million from the $841.2 million registered in the same period a year earlier.
However, the past quarter saw a 36.7-percent net loss expansion at $125.2 million versus the $91.6 million year-on-year.
Net revenues in the nine-month period increased by 7 percent to $3.69 billion from $3.43 billion and inched up by 2 percent to $1.24 billion from $1.21 billion in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, TTWO maintained a positive outlook from TD Cowen, with the latter reiterating its “buy” rating and a price target of $211.
8. Oklo Inc. (NYSE:OKLO)
Oklo (OKLO) saw its share prices surge by 16.19 percent on Friday to end at $55.49 apiece as investor optimism was fueled by the government’s plan to prioritize bolstering the energy industry over achieving net-zero goals.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright’s confirmation as the department’s head also spurred optimism for OKLO, given that he was a member of the firm’s board of directors.
“The Department’s goal will be to unleash the great abundance of American energy required to power modern life and to achieve a durable state of American energy dominance,” the department order was quoted as saying in a report by Reuters.
It also underscored that net zero policies have pushed up the prices of energy for homes and businesses, threatened the reliability of energy systems, and undermined energy security.
OKLO, an advanced nuclear technology company, stands to benefit from the expansion program, which is further supported by an expected boom in the artificial industry sector.
7. Expedia Group Inc. (NASDAQ:EXPE)
Expedia (EXPE) grew its share prices by 17.27 percent on Friday to end at $202.37 apiece as investors cheered news of its strong earnings performance in the fourth quarter and full year of 2024.
In its latest earnings release, EXPE said attributable net income for the said quarter soared 124 percent to $299 million from the $132 million registered in the same period in 2023. Revenues, meanwhile, increased by 10 percent to $3.184 billion from $2.887 billion.
For the full year, attributable net income surged 55 percent to $1.234 billion from the $797 million registered in 2023, as revenues inched up by 7 percent to $13.69 billion from $12.389 billion year-on-year.
Additionally, EXPE said it reinstated its quarterly cash dividend distribution, with shareholders as of record on March 6, 2025, set to receive 40 cents per share on March 27, 2025.
6. Cloudflare Inc. (NYSE:NET)
Shares of Cloudflare (NET) surged 18.01 percent on Friday to finish at $166.66 apiece as investors resorted to buying following improved earnings performance during the past quarter.
In its earnings release, NET said it narrowed its net loss by 54 percent in the fourth quarter of the year to $12.8 million from $27.87 million registered in the same period last year.
Net loss in full year 2024 also shrunk by 57 percent to $78.8 million from the $183.9 million registered in 2023.
Revenues for the quarter rose by 26.9 percent to $459.9 million from $362.47 million year-on-year, while revenues for the full year jumped by 28.8 percent to $1.669 billion from $1.296 billion.
For this year, NET expects its revenues to jump by between $2.09 billion and $2.094 billion, representing at least 25 percent growth.
5. Pinterest Inc. (NYSE:PINS)
Pinterest (PINS) saw its share prices surge by 19.08 percent on Friday to end at $40 apiece as investor optimism was fueled by its stellar earnings performance, having achieved its first billion-dollar revenue in the fourth quarter of last year.
In a statement, PINS said net income in the fourth quarter of 2024 skyrocketed by 818 percent to $1.85 billion from the $201 million reported in the same period last year, while also swinging to a net income of $1.86 billion from a $35.6 million net loss registered in 2023.
Revenues for the quarter increased by 18 percent to $1.15 billion while revenues for the full year jumped by 19 percent to $3.65 billion.
PINS CEO Bill Ready said that the strong performance suggested that the company’s strategy was paying off.
“Looking ahead, I’m confident that our focus on being a positive platform is a competitive advantage in driving long-term success for the business and value for our advertisers and users,” he said.
In the first quarter of 2025, PINS said it projects revenues to grow by 13 to 15 percent at $837 million to $852 million.
4. Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM)
Affirm Holdings (AFRM) grew its share prices by 21.81 percent on Friday to close at $75.22 apiece after reporting a strong earnings performance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2025.
In its earnings release, AFRM said it swung to a net income of $80.36 million in three months ending December 2024, from a net loss of $166.9 million registered in the same period a year ago.
Revenues rose by 46 percent to $866 million from $591 million year-on-year.
In a letter to shareholders, AFRM CEO Max Levchin posted a bullish outlook for the company, saying that it was only five months away from its target date of turning AFRM’s operating income positive.
“But it should be apparent to a casual observer that we are nearly there today—mark it zero,” he said.
For the third quarter, however, AFRM projects revenues to settle between $755 million and $785 million.
3. SolarWinds Corp. (NYSE:SWI)
SolarWinds (SWI) surged by 21.82 percent on Friday to end at $18.31 apiece as investors gobbled up shares to secure profits following the company’s planned delisting from the stock exchange.
In a statement, SWI said it reached an agreement with Turn/River Capital to be acquired by the latter for $4.4 billion. The tender offer was priced at $18.5 apiece, representing a 35-percent premium over its average closing price in the past 90 days.
SWI said the acquisition was expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2025.
Its majority shareholders, Thoma Bravo and Silver Lake, which control 65 percent of SWI, have already given their written consent for the acquisition.
“We now look forward to partnering with Turn/River to deliver operational resilience solutions for our customers on our SolarWinds Platform, leveraging our premier observability, monitoring, and service desk solutions,” said SWI President and CEO Sudhakar Ramakrishna.
2. BigBear.ai Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BBAI)
BigBear.ai (BBAI) jumped by 26.88 percent on Friday to end at $8.59 each as investor sentiment was buoyed by news that it bagged a contract from the Department of Defense to advance its Virtual Anticipation Network (VANE) prototype.
The VANE prototype, which would use AI and machine learning, would compile vast amounts of data to forecast adversary actions in multi-domain environments and support US military and intelligence operations.
It would allow BBAI to support the Office of the Secretary of Defense in utilizing custom AI models to enhance its foreign news media assessment and analysis of countries that are deemed as US potential enemies.
Originally developed in collaboration with the Irregular Welfare Technical Support Directorate, VANE achieved “awardable” status on the CDAO Tradewinds Solutions Marketplace in April 2024.
1. Doximity Inc. (NYSE:DOCS)
Doximity (DOCS) saw its share prices surge by 35.99 percent on Friday to close at $79.23 apiece after reporting an impressive earnings performance in the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.
In its earnings release, DOCS said net income in the third quarter jumped by 57 percent to $75.2 million from $48 million year-on-year, while net profit for the first nine months increased by 50.2 percent to $160.7 million from $106.96 million year-on-year.
Meanwhile, revenues for the quarter grew by 24.6 percent to $168.6 million from $135.28 million year-on-year, while revenues in nine months rose by 21 percent to $432 million from the $357 million registered in the same period a year earlier.
For the full fiscal year ending March 31, 2025, DOCS said it expects revenues to settle between $564.6 million and $565.6 million.
While we acknowledge the potential of DOCS as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than DOCS but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and Complete List of 59 AI Companies Under $2 Billion in Market Cap.
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