Ten stocks capped off the trading week boasting strong gains, as investors took heart from a flurry of corporate developments, including dividend distribution and analyst upgrades, among others.

Meanwhile, Wall Street’s three major indices all finished in the red, led by the Nasdaq (-0.93 percent), followed by the S&P 500 (-0.61 percent), and the Dow Jones (-0.26 percent).

In this article, we focus on the 10 companies that performed well on Friday and break down the reasons behind their gains.

To come up with the list, we only considered the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.

10. Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES)

Ares Management rebounded by 5.45 percent on Friday to close at $101.76 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares ahead of the cutoff date to qualify for its upcoming dividend payment, while resorting to bargain-hunting after falling to a new record low the day prior.

Last month, Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES) announced that it would distribute $1.35 dividends per share to all Class A and non-voting common stockholders of record as of Tuesday, March 17. The dividends will be paid on March 31.

Meanwhile, holders of Series B mandatory convertible preferred shares of record as of Sunday, March 15, are set to receive a quarterly dividend of $0.84375 per share on April 1.

Dividends aside, the rally can also be attributed to bargain-hunting after the company on Thursday fell to a new record low of $95.80, having mirrored the bloodbath in the broader market as a result of economic uncertainties from the ongoing Middle East tensions.

Ares Management Corp. (NYSE:ARES) is a global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, real estate, private equity and infrastructure asset classes.

9. NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO)

NIO Inc. rallied for a second day on Friday, jumping 5.59 percent to close at $5.86 after earning a 42 percent price target and rating upgrade from an investment company.

In a market note, HSBC boosted its price target for the stock to $6.80 from $4.80 previously, while also issuing a “buy” recommendation versus “hold” prior.

The coverage followed NIO Inc.’s (NYSE:NIO) highly optimistic outlook this year, coupled with a strong earnings performance in 2025, with net losses narrowing by 33 percent to 14.9 billion yuan from 22.4 billion in 2024. Total revenues also increased by 33 percent to 87.5 billion yuan from 65.7 billion yuan year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter, the company swung to a net profit of 282.7 million yuan from a net loss of $7.1 billion yuan in the same period a year earlier. Total revenues surged by 76 percent to 34.6 billion yuan from 19.7 billion yuan year-on-year.

For this year, NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) announced targets of more-than-doubling revenues by 103.4 to 109.2 percent to a range of 24.482 billion to 25.176 billion yuan.

It also projects total vehicle deliveries to end between 80,000 and 83,000 units, or an implied growth of 90.1 percent to 97.2 percent from the same quarter of 2025.

8. Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE:MUR)

Murphy Oil rallied to a new 52-week high on Friday, as investors snapped up shares after an investment firm upgraded its rating and price target by 21 percent on optimism for its ongoing oil drilling program in Vietnam.

At intra-day trading, the stock soared to a record high of $36.90 before paring gains to finish the session just up by 6.02 percent at $36.81 apiece.

In a market note during the day, Piper Sandler raised Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE:MUR) to “overweight” from “neutral,” and boosted its price target to $41 from $33 previously.

The coverage reflected its optimism that Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE:MUR) would be able to find more oil sources at the Hai Su Vang (HSV) field in the Cuu Long Basin, which could serve as a huge catalyst for the company in the first half of the year.

Murphy Oil Corp. (NYSE:MUR) is currently underway with the drilling of the HSV project to measure the field’s size and commercial potential under what it calls the appraisal stage, a necessary step before it can proceed with full commercial operations.

Initial discovery in October last year showed that the HSV project had approximately 370 feet of net oil pay across two reservoirs. During the first appraisal stage, drilling registered 429 feet of net oil pay across the two reservoirs.

Two more appraisal programs, HSV-3x and HSV-4x, are slated for this year.

7. MARA Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA)

MARA Holdings grew its share prices by 6.39 percent on Friday to close at $9.32 apiece, mirroring the rebound in Bitcoin prices during the day.

The crypto—which may have lost 18.68 percent of its value year-to-date—was able to bounce back to the $73,000 level during the day before paring gains to trade just around the $71,000 territory as of writing.

Investors also digested a social media post from Strategy Inc. Chairman Michael Saylor late on Thursday, which may have suggested that traders hold on expected upsides.

In his post, Saylor underscored the usual delay “between the time we buy the Bitcoin and the time Bitcoin goes to the moon.”

In other news, MARA Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA) announced a dismal earnings performance last year, having incurred a $1.3 billion net loss attributable to shareholders, reversing a $541 million attributable net income in 2024. Revenues, however, increased by 38 percent to $907 million from $656 million year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter alone, MARA Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:MARA) fell to a net loss attributable to shareholders of $1.7 billion, reversing a $528 million attributable net profit in the same quarter a year earlier.

Revenues also dropped by 5.6 percent to $202 million from $214 million year-on-year.

6. Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL)

Sasol soared to an over two-year high on Friday, as investors loaded portfolios after an investment turned bullish for the stock and upgraded its price target by more than 100 percent.

At intra-day trading, Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL) soared to a new record high of $11.51 before trimming gains to end the session just up by 6.70 percent at $11.31 apiece.

This followed JPMorgan’s rating upgrade for Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL) to “overweight” from “underweight” previously, while issuing a new price target of 209 rand, or a 122 percent boost from 94 rand previously.

The coverage was based on its optimism that Sasol Ltd. (NYSE:SSL) would benefit from higher oil prices amid ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the continuing surge in oil prices due to supply disruptions.

According to JPMorgan, its global commodities unit expects oil production cuts of 12 million barrels per day (bpd) in seven days, and further to 16 million bpd in the next 14 days. The Middle East and North Africa regions have already slashed production of approximately 5.5 million bpd.

Additionally, JPMorgan expects benchmark crude oil prices to jump to $120 per barrel and further to $250 if the Strait of Hormuz—a critical waterway where 20 percent of the global oil supply passes through—closes for six months.

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