The stock market kicked off the trading week on a mixed note, with two major indices ending in the green, as investors continued to digest more corporate earnings results.
Among the bellwether indices, only the Nasdaq ended in the red, dropping 0.10 percent. In contrast, the Dow Jones grew by 0.28 percent and the S&P 500 inched up by 0.06 percent.
Meanwhile, 10 companies mirrored a broader market optimism, as investors snapped up shares ahead of their first-quarter earnings performance in the next few days.
In this article, we have listed Monday’s best-performing stocks and detailed the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we considered only the companies with a $2-billion market capitalization and $5-million trading volume.
Stock market data shows an upward trajectory. Photo by Burak The Weekender on Pexels
10. CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE:CX)
Cemex extended its winning streak for a fifth straight day on Monday, adding 4.56 percent to close at $6.19 apiece, as investors took heart from the company’s strong performance and its new CEO’s promise to deliver further profit growth and shareholder value.
In a statement, CX CEO Jaime Muguiro said that he will focus on operational efficiency and follow a disciplined capital allocation strategy. Through the “Project Cutting Edge” cost savings initiative, CX aims to save at least $150 million in recurrent annual EBITDA this year and $350 million by 2027.
The announcement followed CEMEX, S.A.B. de C.V.’s (NYSE:CX) strong earnings performance in the first quarter of the year, with its net income soaring by 189 percent to $734 million from $254 million in the same period a year earlier, driven mainly by the sale of its Dominican Republic operations.
Revenues, on the other hand, dipped by 1 percent to $3.6 billion from $3.9 billion amid higher prices that offset lower volumes.
9. Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN)
Rivian Automotive rallied for a fifth consecutive day on Monday, adding 4.52 percent to close at $13.19 apiece as investors continued to buy shares ahead of the release of its earnings results next week.
According to the company, it is scheduled to release its key operational and financial highlights for the first quarter of the year after market close on May 6, 2025.
Further contributing to investor optimism was the company’s reaffirmation of its 2025 delivery guidance targets of 46,000 to 51,000 vehicles this year.
For March alone, Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) said that it was able to produce 14,611 vehicles at its manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, and delivered 8,640 vehicles.
In recent news, Rivian Automotive Inc. (NASDAQ:RIVN) secured $105 million in fresh funding for its newly spun-out business called Also Inc., which will focus on the development of small and lightweight vehicles.
8. Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON)
Peloton Interactive grew its share price for a fifth straight day on Monday, adding 4.93 percent to end at $6.6 apiece as investors snapped up shares ahead of the release of its earnings performance next week while digesting the recent rating upgrade from an investment firm.
According to Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:PTON), it will release its key financial and operational highlights before the market opens on Thursday, May 8, 2025.
In other news, PTON has earned a Buy rating from Truist Securities, marking an upgrade from the Hold rating it was assigned previously.
Truist also gave PTON a price target of $11, saying that the upgrade was based on its improving fundamentals, cleaner balance sheet, and a clearer path to sustained profitability under new leadership, and that its efforts to reduce operating expenses and stabilize cash flow are starting to bear fruit.
7. Aurora Innovation Inc. (NASDAQ:AUR)
Aurora Innovation saw its share prices rally for a fifth straight day, adding 5.52 percent to finish Monday’s trading at $7.26 each as investors snapped up shares ahead of the release of its earnings performance next week.
According to Aurora Innovation Inc. (NASDAQ:AUR), it is set to announce its first quarter earnings highlights on Thursday, May 8, 2025, where investors will be closely watching out for its growth outlook and its next steps after the launch of its driverless trucks.
Earlier this month, Aurora Innovation Inc. (NASDAQ:AUR) received a rating upgrade from two investment companies. Needham gave the company a Buy rating and a price target of $10, marking a 37.7-percent upside from its closing price on Monday.
Needham said its outlook was based on the company’s strong potential to disrupt the $1-trillion trucking industry with its Aurora Driver platform.
For its part, Goldman Sachs upgraded its rating for AUR to Neutral from Sell previously.
6. Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI)
Bath & Body Works saw its share prices grow by 5.54 percent on Monday to end at $31.22 apiece as investors took shares amid the lack of fresh catalysts to spark buying.
Despite the potential impact of the US-China trade war, Bath & Body Works, Inc. (NYSE:BBWI) still earned a rating upgrade of Overweight from Piper Sandler recently, saying that, along with Inter Parfums, it was well-positioned to benefit from the increasing demand in the fragrance category.
JPMorgan also maintained its Overweight rating for BBWI despite lowering its price target to $41 from $47 previously, saying that the company still has the potential to outperform average market returns.
BBWI forecasts annual sales to be largely below expectations as it grapples with uncertainties in consumer spending due to the US-China trade war.
According to the company, the majority of its products are produced in the US, but it sources components from other countries.
5. Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LUMN)
Lumen Technologies extended its winning streak for a fifth consecutive day on Monday, adding 6.86 percent to close at $3.58 apiece as investors gobbled up shares ahead of its earnings results this week.
According to the company, it is scheduled to release the key highlights of its financial and operating performance for the past quarter after market close on Thursday, May 1, 2025.
In recent news, Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) launched a new cybersecurity solution called Defender Plus, which aims to automatically intercept and neutralize online threats before they reach enterprise networks.
The new product, powered by the threat intelligence of Black Lotus Labs, aims to tackle a wide range of cybersecurity risks, including bots, phishing attacks, malware, spam, and command-and-control operations, among others.
Unlike conventional solutions, the Defender Plus is capable of identifying and blocking malicious activities before penetrating an organization’s digital platform.
In a pilot test, Lumen Technologies Inc. (NYSE:LUMN) said that the new tool resulted in up to an 80 percent drop in security alerts and hundreds of blocked phishing attacks.
4. NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO)
NIO Inc. saw its share prices jump by 6.95 percent on Monday to close at $4.31 apiece following Citi Group’s bullish outlook, saying that it expects the company to post record vehicle deliveries.
In its market note, Citi analyst Jeff Chung said that he expects NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) to deliver as many as 63,000 vehicles in the second quarter of the year, which would mark a 50-percent increase from the 42,000 cars it delivered in the first quarter.
If realized, the figure would be the company’s highest delivery figure in history.
Additionally, Chung underscored NIO Inc.’s (NYSE:NIO) ten new models to launch before the end of the year, saying that he believes the releases will come sooner than expected, especially following the Shanghai auto show, which revealed NIO’s aggressive rollout plans.
In recent news, NIO entered into an agreement with Contemporary Amperex Technology (CATL), one of the largest battery manufacturers in China, to develop a battery-swapping network across the mainland to help drivers avoid recharging slowdowns.
Nio, a China-based electric vehicle manufacturer, said the deal with CATL would benefit passenger vehicles over a wide range of products, including unifying industry technical standards, enhancing capital and business collaboration, and providing efficient recharging solutions for users.
3. ADMA Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADMA)
ADMA Biologics soared to a new all-time high on Monday after securing the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its innovative yield enhancement production process.
According to the company, the innovative process has demonstrated an ability to increase production yields by approximately 20 percent from the same starting plasma volume.
Following the announcement, ADMA Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADMA) touched a new record high of $25.67 at intraday trading before early profit-taking pulled its price slightly lower to end the day just up by 12.12 percent at $24.51 apiece.
“This approval represents a pivotal milestone for ADMA, unlocking the opportunity for meaningful acceleration in our revenue and earnings trajectory beginning in late 2025 and accelerating further into 2026 and beyond,” said Adam Grossman, president and CEO of ADMA Biologics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ADMA).
“Looking ahead, we are excited to continue to advance our internal R&D platform—further optimizing production capabilities and progressing novel pipeline programs, most notably SG-001, our pre-clinical, investigative hyperimmune globulin targeting S. pneumonia, which exemplifies our commitment to product and process innovation,” he added.
2. CG Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGON)
CG Oncology grew its share prices for a fifth straight day on Monday, surging 25.03 percent to end at $27.97 apiece as investors cheered the promising results of its bladder cancer treatment that could rival Johnson & Johnson’s.
Following a two-year study, CG Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGON) said that cretostimogene grenadenorepvec—its investigational monotherapy for high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) unresponsive to BCG treatment— reported a robust 42.3 percent response rate and 97.3 percent non-progression to muscle-invasive disease.
Additionally, 91.6 percent of the enrollees retained their ability to avoid cystectomy.
The treatment, which could rival Johnson & Johnson’s own bladder cancer treatment, demonstrated a high degree of safety without adverse effects reported.
Following the announcement, Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated its Overweight rating for CG Oncology, Inc. (NASDAQ:CGON) alongside a price target of $75, or a 168-percent upside from its latest closing price.
1. Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY)
Pony AI saw its share prices soar by 47.22 percent to close Monday’s trading at $10.32 apiece as investors cheered announcements from a key executive that the company is now nearing profitability.
According to reports quoting PONY’s chief technology officer, Lou Tiancheng, announced that it is nearing profitability after clearing significant challenges on the costs of materials.
In a report by the Wall Street Journal, Tiancheng said that Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) can now build its autonomous driving system for 70 percent less.
PONY is an autonomous driving technology company that supports carmakers in making vehicles to become autonomous.
Also last week, the company announced that it will develop an autonomous driving technology and offer robotaxi services soon.
In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) CEO James Peng said that the firm is in talks with Tencent Cloud to offer robotaxi services on the latter’s WeChat and other applications.
Peng said both firms will benefit from the latter’s huge user base and cloud offerings.
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READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.
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