Ten shares soared by double digits week-on-week, outperforming a lackluster performance on Wall Street, thanks to a flurry of catalysts that perked up buying appetite. Notably, some of the companies were buoyed by news of financial backing to support growth.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones was up by 1.7 percent week-on-week, the S&P 500 grew by 0.94 percent, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq rose by 0.8 percent.
In this article, we focus on last week’s 10 top performers and break down the reasons behind their gains.
To compile the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with $2 billion in market capitalization and at least 5 million shares in trading volume.
Stock market charts. Photo by Kaboompics.com on Pexels
10. Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE:BE)
Bloom Energy saw its share prices grow by 23.04 percent week-on-week, as investors took path from cues of more supply deals with other companies.
This followed an interview with Bloomberg last Wednesday, where Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE:BE) CEO KR Sridhar hinted at similar deals “coming soon” after a recently inked supply agreement with Oracle Corp.
Under the deal with the latter, Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE:BE) will deliver fuel cell technology to select Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) data centers in the US to support the growing demand for its cloud computing services. Details about expected revenues and supply volume have not been disclosed.
In line with the booming artificial intelligence industry, Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE:BE) was targeting to double its total capacity to 2 GW by the end of 2026 from 1 GW at present. Of the 1 GW, more than half is currently supplied to critical data centers.
In the second quarter of the year, Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE:BE) narrowed its net loss attributable to shareholders by 31 percent to $42.6 million from $61.8 million in the same period last year. Revenues grew by 19.5 percent to $401.2 million from $335.8 million year-on-year.
9. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)
Shares of Intel Corp. jumped by 23.1 percent week-on-week as investors took heart from the US government’s potential financial backing in a bid to support the long beleaguered chipmaker.
After taking a swipe at Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) earlier this month, calling the company’s CEO, Lip-Bu Tan, to resign immediately, President Donald Trump appeared to have taken a U-turn following a meeting, saying it was “a very interesting one.”
“His success and rise is an amazing story,” Trump said about Tan.
Reportedly, the US government was ready to provide support to the chipmaker by acquiring a significant stake in its stock.
Citing people familiar with the matter, Bloomberg said the government was considering tapping funds from the 2022 CHIPS Act.
Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC), once the largest chipmaker globally, struggled over the past few decades amid the intensifying competition in the industry and the changing corporate visions from its previous leaders.
Last year, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) officially announced plans to embark on a corporate restructuring plan in a bid to claw back to profitability. The initiative included the reduction of at least 15 percent of its total workforce, reducing operating expenses and capital expenditures, and exiting businesses to raise funds, among others.
8. Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX)
Equinox Gold soared by 23.9 percent week-on-week after posting an optimistic outlook for the second half despite a dismal earnings performance in the first half of the year.
In its updated report, Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX) said it was looking to pivot in the second half on expectations of strong production, following the completion of its acquisition of Calibre Mining Corp.
“We expect a strong second half of the year, with production on track to meet our full-year consolidated guidance of 785,000 to 915,000 ounces and anticipate continued growth in both production and cash flow into 2026,” said Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX) CEO Darren Hall.
“Our focus is clear as we grow into a top-tier producer—operational excellence, disciplined capital allocation, and deliver on our commitments to drive debt reduction, optimize our balance sheet, and maximize returns for shareholders,” he added.
In the second quarter of the year, Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX) dropped its net income by 93 percent to $23.8 million from $353.5 million in the same period last year, despite revenues increasing by 77.6 percent to $478.6 million from $269.4 million in the same period.
In the first half, the company swung to a net loss of $51.6 million from a $310.7 million net income in the same period last year. Revenues increased by 76.7 percent to $902.4 million from $510.8 million.
7. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR)
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals soared by 24.9 percent week-on-week as investors welcomed the company’s receipt of $100 million in payments from Sarepta Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:SRPT) in relation to a licensing agreement previously entered into.
Of the total amount, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR) said $50 million was redeemed in the form of shares, while the remaining $50 million was received in cash.
Investors particularly cheered the election to place the redeemed stocks into the treasury, effectively reducing its total outstanding shares and boosting the value of existing shares.
“We are committed to supporting our broad and long-term collaboration and we are thrilled with the great progress we’ve made on multiple important clinical, preclinical, and discovery stage siRNA programs. While we remain confident that Sarepta will meet its financial obligations to Arrowhead, we believe reducing our outstanding shares by receiving approximately half of the $100 million due from Sarepta in cash and half in Arrowhead stock to be returned to treasury is a compelling opportunity,” Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR) President and CEO Christopher Anzalone said.
The payments were made in satisfaction of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ARWR) achievement of the first of two pre-specified enrollment targets in relation to an early-stage clinical trial for the study of ARO-DM1, a therapy candidate for type 1 myotonic dystrophy (DM1).
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARWR) said that any subsequent milestones earned will continue to be payable in cash.
6. Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY)
Paramount Skydance surged by 30.5 percent week-on-week, having performed a “meme” rally during the week, according to a stock market expert.
In a social media post last week, Mad Money host and former hedge fund manager Jim Cramer regarded Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) as a “meme stock” given the company’s small public float and unjustifiable rally amid the lack of fresh developments to perk up buying.
However, investors may have snapped up shares after it bagged a $7.7-billion deal to exclusively air the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) on Paramount+ for seven years beginning in 2026.
The deal would include UFC’s full slate of 13 marquee numbered events and 30 Fight Nights through its direct-to-consumer streaming platform, Paramount+, with select numbered events to be simulcast on CBS.
As part of the agreement, Paramount Skydance Corp. (NASDAQ:PSKY) will remove the pay-per-view model in favor of making the events available at no additional cost to subscribers of Paramount+ in the US.
5. Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI)
Hanesbrands saw its share prices increase by 32.8 percent week-on-week after confirming that it was set to merge with Canadian firm Gildan Activewear for $2.2 billion.
After officially inking a definitive agreement last week, Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) said that its shareholders are set to receive 0.102 shares of Gildan Activewear and $0.80 in cash for each HBI share they owned.
Based on the closing prices of Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) and Gildan Activewear on August 11, the offer would represent a 24-percent premium from the former’s closing price on the said date.
Upon closing, Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE:HBI) will effectively own around 19.9 percent of Gildan Activewear shares on a non-diluted basis.
The transaction remains subject to shareholder and regulatory approvals and is expected to close in late 2025 or early 2026.
In the second quarter period, the company swung to a net income of $81.6 million from a $298 million net loss in the same period last year. Net sales inched up by only 1.8 percent to $991 million from $973 million year-on-year.
4. DLocal Limited (NASDAQ:DLO)
DLocal saw its share prices rally by 42.7 percent week-on-week, as investors cheered its highly optimistic business outlook for full-year 2025 despite the threats of macroeconomic uncertainties.
In an updated report last week, DLocal Ltd. (NASDAQ:DLO) said it expects full-year revenues to jump by 30 to 40 percent year-on-year, with adjusted EBITDA growth of 40 to 50 percent in the same comparable period.
“Our updated guidance reflects the strong performance in the first half of the year and the sustained momentum anticipated across our business,” it said.
However, it outlined risks that could potentially impact the company moving forward, including trade tariffs, shifting fiscal regimes in Brazil, and the possibility of currency devaluations or changes in foreign exchange regimes in Argentina and Egypt.
In the first six months of the year, DLocal Ltd. (NASDAQ:DLO) saw its net income increase by 40 percent to $89.5 million from $64 million in the same period last year, while revenues grew 33 percent to $473.2 million from $355.7 million.
3. Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE:BHC)
Bausch Health jumped by 45.04 percent week-on-week, on a combination of bargain-hunting and mirroring an insider purchase last Friday.
In a regulatory filing, Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE:BHC) said that Paulson Capital Inc. and its affiliates acquired 34.7 million of its shares from Carl C. Icahn and affiliates, effectively boosting its total ownership to 19.13 percent.
Following the transaction that saw the sellers’ shares fall below the threshold to earn a board seat, the Icahn Group officially exited Bausch Health Companies Inc.’s (NYSE:BHC) higher management.
Additionally, Brett M. Icahn and Steven D. Miller have resigned from the company’s board of directors.
In recent news, Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE:BHC) expanded its attributable net income by 1,380 percent in the second quarter of the year to $148 million from only $10 million in the same period last year. Revenues also grew by 5 percent to $2.53 billion from $2.4 billion.
2. Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN)
Opendoor Technologies saw its share prices jump by 62.6 percent week-on-week, in what appeared to be a meme rally amid the lack of fresh catalysts to spark buying appetite.
Additionally, investors appeared to have taken path from a transaction triggered by a prominent crypto investor and podcast host, who announced on social media on Wednesday that he had personally acquired shares in Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN).
“I believe retail investors are a powerful force in financial markets. They can help a company grow, generate new ideas, and bring valuable attention to a narrative,” said Anthony Pompliano, who serves as CEO of ProCap Acquisition Corp. and a former employee of Meta Platforms.
Pompliano also owns a podcast called The Pomp Podcast and a YouTube channel under his name, where he discusses topics about crypto, business, and investing. To date, his channel has more than 624,000 subscribers.
Meanwhile, Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN) recently regained compliance from the Nasdaq after it notified the company earlier this year of its failure to meet the $1 minimum bid price requirement to stay listed.
The issue was resolved after Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN) announced on August 1 that it had successfully traded above the minimum level for 12 consecutive days from July 15 to 30.
1. Terawulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF)
Terawulf soared by 78.3 percent week-on-week as investors loaded up positions after earning financial backing from Google for the delivery of critical IT load to a premier AI cloud platform.
In a statement on Thursday, Terawulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF) said it entered into an agreement with Fluidstack for the delivery of 200 MW of critical IT load at its Lake Mariner data center campus in Western New York.
The agreements represent approximately $3.7 billion in contracted revenue over the initial 10-year term, with an option for two five-year extensions, which, if exercised, would bring the total contract revenue to $8.7 billion.
According to Terawulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF), it received a $1.8-billion fund backing from Google to support project-related debt financing for the Fluidstack project, in exchange for warrants covering 41 million WULF common shares or 8 percent pro-forma equity.
The first phase of deployment will involve 40 MW of critical IT load and is expected to come online in the first half of 2026, with the remaining 160 MW targeted for completion by year-end.
In addition to Google’s backstop, Terawulf Inc. (NASDAQ:WULF) announced its intention to access the capital market, but did not elaborate on whether in the form of debt or share sale.
While we acknowledge the potential of WULF 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 WULF and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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