Ten companies defied a broader market pessimism on Thursday, boasting strong gains, amid industry-specific developments that spilled over to their stocks.

Of the 10, six stocks notably posted new all-time highs.

Meanwhile, the Dow Jones declined by 0.52 percent, followed by the S&P 500, dropping 0.28 percent, and the Nasdaq, down 0.08 percent.

In this article, we focus on the 10 companies that led the charge in Thursday’s trading and detail the reasons behind their gains.

To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on mid-cap stocks with at least $2 billion in market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.

10. Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS)

Nebius Group grew for a second day on Thursday, jumping 8.72 percent to close at $132.64 apiece as investors maintained their buying spree in AI stocks amid a surge of dealmaking activities across the sector.

For its part, Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) recently clinched an $18 billion cloud computing deal with technology giant Microsoft Corp., strengthening its position in the rapidly growing demand from AI firms.

According to the company, the capacity will be delivered from its new data center in Vineland, New Jersey, with capital expenditures targeted to come from a combination of cash flow from the deal and the issuance of debt.

Last month, Nebius Group NV (NASDAQ:NBIS) successfully raised $1.15 billion in fresh funds through the issuance of convertible senior notes and its underwriters’ exercise of their option to purchase over 1.6 million shares for a total of $150 million.

Additionally, it may tap other financing options to enable significantly faster growth than originally planned.

9. Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI)

Rigetti Computing saw its share prices increase by 8.98 percent on Thursday to close at $47.11 apiece as investors chased technology stocks in a bid to position themselves in the booming AI sector, shunning concerns about a quantum computing bubble.

Investor optimism followed announcements last week that Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) bagged new $5.7 million worth of new orders from two companies for its 9-qubit Novera computing system.

One of the clients, based in Asia, would leverage the system as a testbed to develop its own internal quantum computing expertise, while making it a benchmark to validate its own quantum computing technologies. Meanwhile, the other client, a startup from California, would utilize the product for quantum hardware and error correction research.

Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI) said it targets the delivery of the orders in the first half of 2026.

According to Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI), the Novera quantum computing system is ideal for pursuing research to better understand key areas of quantum computing, including how qubits operate, optimizing control systems, testing design and characterizing gates, mitigating decoherence, and developing more efficient quantum algorithms.

8. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD)

Brookdale Senior Living extended its winning streak to a third day on Thursday to hit a new all-time high as investors cheered a significant jump in its occupancy rate in the third quarter of the year, supported by the official appointment of a new chief executive officer (CEO).

During the session, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD) jumped to its highest price of $9.09 before paring gains to finish the day just up by 9.36 percent at $8.88 apiece.

In an updated report, the company registered a weighted average consolidated occupancy rate of 81.8 percent in the third quarter of the year, marking an increase of 2.9 percent year-on-year and 1.7 percent from the second quarter.

In September alone, consolidated occupancy rate surged to 82.5 percent from the 81.8 percent the month earlier, and from 79.2 percent in the same period last year.

In other news, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD) recently welcomed Nick Stengle as its new CEO and a member of the board, replacing Denise Warren, who served as interim CEO since April 2025.

Prior to Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD), Stengle served as president and chief operating officer at Gentiva, a leading provider of hospice, palliative, and home health services with over 12,000 associates and approximately 550 locations across 38 states.

7. Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU)

Energy Fuels extended its winning streak to a 4th day on Thursday to climb to a new all-time high, as investors loaded portfolios in rare earths stocks after China announced a new policy tightening the minerals’ exports.

In intra-day trading, Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU) jumped to its highest 52-week price of $20.51 before trimming gains to end the day just up by 9.44 percent at $19.70 apiece.

On Thursday, China’s Ministry of Commerce introduced new measures requiring foreign entities to obtain licenses for products with rare earth content of at least 0.1 of the goods’ value, as well as for exports using extraction, refining, or magnet recycling technology.

With the minerals deemed critical in the production of various industries, such as semiconductors, automotive, and aerospace, among others, China’s curbs, on the other hand, spelled good news for US rare earths producers, namely Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU), MP Materials, USA Rare Earth, Ramaco Resources, and Lithium Americas, among others.

The announcement further lifted optimism for the local producers, having already earned the support of President Donald Trump after the government’s equity investments in Lithium Americas and MP Materials, with the aim of boosting the country’s rare earth production.

6. TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF)

TeraWulf extended its winning streak to a 7th consecutive day on Thursday, to hit a new record high as investors continued to pour funds into AI stocks, buoyed by technology giants’ dealmaking activities to accelerate the sector.

During the trading session, TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF) soared to its highest price of $13.74 before paring gains to finish the day just up by 10.49 percent at $13.59 apiece.

The rally was boosted by overall optimism for stocks benefiting from AI, with Bitcoin mining firms found critical in helping accelerate their developments by providing high-performance computing (HPC) and AI workloads.

In August this year, TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF) inked a 10-year lease agreement with Fluidstack for the delivery of 360 MW of critical IT load from the former’s Lake Mariner data center campus in New York. The agreement received financial backing from Google after the latter took a 14 percent stake in TeraWulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF).

5. USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR)

USA Rare Earth jumped to a fresh record high on Thursday, as investor sentiment was fueled by China’s tightened restrictions on the exportation of rare earth minerals.

During the session, USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR) soared to a new 52-week high of $32.59 before trimming gains to end the day just up by 14.99 percent at $31.07 apiece.

This followed announcements from China’s Ministry of Commerce that foreign entities are now obliged to obtain a license for products containing rare earths at least 0.1 percent of the goods’ value, as well as when using their extraction, refining, or magnet recycling technology.

Rare earth minerals are critical in the production of various industries such as semiconductors, automotive, and aerospace, and any move from China to curb exports would significantly disrupt production operations.

However, the curbs stand to benefit US rare earths producers such as USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR), Energy Fuels Inc., MP Materials, Ramaco Resources, and Lithium Americas, among others, as it could push consumers to look elsewhere for supplies.

Additionally, China’s move lifted optimism for USA Rare Earth, Inc. (NASDAQ:USAR), which earlier confirmed that it was in talks with the Trump administration for a potential investment, in a bid to accelerate domestic production of the said minerals.

4. Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO)

Akero Therapeutics saw its share prices jump by 16.33 percent on Thursday to end at $54.08 apiece following announcements that it was set to merge with Novo Nordisk in a $5.2 billion deal.

In a statement, Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) said both companies officially entered into a definitive agreement, under which Novo Nordisk would acquire all AKRO shares at a price of $54 apiece alongside a non-transferable contingent value right (CVR) upon the achievement of a milestone.

Each shareholder will be entitled to receive cash worth $6 upon full US regulatory approval of efruxifermin, a potential treatment for compensated cirrhosis due to MASH, by June 30, 2031.

Akero Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:AKRO) said the offer price represents a 19 percent premium over its 30-day volume-weighted average price (VWAP), and a 42 percent premium to its closing price on May 19, prior to market speculation.

Akero Therapeutics, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:AKRO) EFX program, focused on developing treatment for MASH, would complement Novo’s leadership in GLP-1-based metabolic treatments.

3. UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH)

Shares of UiPath rallied for a 5th straight day on Thursday to hit a new all-time high, as investor funds piled into AI stocks amid the industry’s heightened dealmaking momentum.

In intra-day trading, UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) soared to its highest price of $18.74 before paring gains to end the day just up by 18.81 percent at $18.51 apiece.

Just recently, UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) announced that it partnered with technology giant Nvidia Corp. to support enterprise customers in fortifying their existing automated workflows with AI capabilities in high-trust scenarios, such as fraud detection or care management in healthcare.

A key aspect in the partnership was the introduction of an integration service connector that would connect UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) and Nvidia’s NIM and Nemotron, enabling enterprises to seamlessly and rapidly integrate generative AI features into their applications.

Additionally, UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) said it was exploring opportunities across agentic automation in areas including advancing agentic orchestration and developing differentiated agents, among others.

“Sensitive processes like fraud detection or healthcare workflows demand AI that is both powerful and trustworthy. By integrating NVIDIA NIM models directly into the UiPath Platform, customers can deploy and orchestrate their own hosted models with enterprise-grade governance. That means they can bring AI into their most critical processes with the control, transparency, and confidence they need to deliver real business impact,” said UiPath Inc. (NYSE:PATH) Chief Product Officer Graham Sheldon.

2. Grupo Financiero Galicia SA (NASDAQ:GGAL)

Grupo Financiero rallied for a second day on Thursday, surging 21.65 percent to close at $34.50 apiece as investors turned optimistic for its stock after the Trump administration announced that it was finalizing a rescue plan for Argentina’s ailing economy.

Grupo Financiero Galicia SA (NASDAQ:GGAL), one of the largest banks in Argentina, rallied alongside the Argentine markets after the US government said it acquired Argentine pesos and finalized a $20 billion currency swap with Argentina’s central bank in a deal aimed at recovering the country’s financial woes.

“Argentina faces a moment of acute illiquidity. The international community—including [the International Monetary Fund]—is unified behind Argentina and its prudent fiscal strategy, but only the United States can act swiftly. And act we will,” said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a post on X.

In other news, Grupo Financiero Galicia SA (NASDAQ:GGAL) earlier received a Buy recommendation and a $60 price target from HSBC.

1. Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY)

Tilray Brands soared to a new all-time high on Thursday after posting a stellar earnings performance in the first quarter of the fiscal year 2026.

During the session, Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) jumped to its highest price of $2.32 before paring gains to end the day just up by 22.09 percent at $2.1 apiece.

In an updated report, Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) swung to a net income of $1.5 million in the first quarter ending August 2025, reversing a net loss of $34.6 million in the same period last year. Total net revenues grew by 4.5 percent to $209 million from $200 million year-on-year.

All business segments registered revenue growth, except for beverage, which ended flat at $56 million.

The distribution business, on the other hand, increased by 9 percent to $74 million, followed by the cannabis unit with 5 percent at $64.5 million, and the wellness business, up 2.7 percent to $15.2 million.

“Tilray’s first quarter results underscore the effectiveness of our strategic vision and disciplined execution. Achieving a record [first quarter] net revenue of $210 million, delivering net income, and fortifying our balance sheet are not just milestones. They are proof points of our commitment to building sustainable growth, operational excellence, and unlocking value for our shareholders,” said Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) Chairman and CEO Irwin Simon.

While we acknowledge the potential of TLRY to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than TLRY and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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