Ten stocks stood firmer on Thursday, despite a wider market decline, as investors took heart from a flurry of ratings upgrade and loaded portfolios ahead of dividend payments, among others.
Meanwhile, Wall Street’s major indices ended in a bloodbath, losing more than 1 percent. The Nasdaq fell by 1.78 percent, while the S&P 500 and the Dow Jones declined by 1.52 percent and 1.56 percent, respectively.
In this article, we spotlight the 10 top-performing companies on Thursday and break down the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on the companies with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
The New York Stock Exchange building. Photo by Дмитрий Трепольский on Pexels
10. Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC)
Sable Offshore extended its winning streak to a third straight day on Thursday, adding 5.19 percent to finish at $17.44 apiece, as investors await President Donald Trump’s intervention that could allow the company to resume full operations at its California pipeline system.
A report by Bloomberg said Wednesday that President Donald Trump is looking to exercise his emergency powers under the Defense Production Act in support of Sable Offshore Corp.’s (NYSE:SOC) restart of its Las Flores onshore pipeline system, having been shut for more than a decade due to a major oil spill.
The report followed a legal opinion from an office of the Department of Justice earlier in the week confirming such.
“An order issued as an exercise of congressionally delegated authority or the President’s constitutional powers has the force of federal law under the Supremacy Clause and may preempt contrary state law,” said Thomas Elliot Gaiser, assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel of the DOJ.
While Sable Offshore Corp. (NYSE:SOC) has restarted operations of its Santa Ynez offshore unit, it remains unable to sell or transport hydrocarbons through its Las Flores facility pending court approval.
9. Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTN)
Nutrien rallied for a third consecutive day on Thursday to hit a new three-year high, as investors gobbled up shares after earning a 30 percent price target and rating upgrade from an investment firm.
At intra-day trading, the stock soared to a record high of $85.35 before trimming gains to finish the session just up by 5.84 percent at $83.94 apiece.
In a market report, Jefferies hiked its price target for Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTN) to “buy” from “hold,” as well as its price target to $96 from $74 previously amid higher fertilizer prices as a result of the ongoing geopolitical tensions’ disruption in production and shipping operations.
Jefferies now expects the listed firm to rake in $7 billion in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization for 2026, and further grow to $7.3 billion by next year. These compare with the $12.1 billion generated during a similar price spike in 2022.
In other news, shareholders of Nutrien Ltd. (NYSE:NTN) on record as of March 31 are set to receive dividends amounting to $0.55 per share on April 16, higher versus the $0.545 per quarter paid last year.
This followed the company’s strong earnings performance in both the fourth quarter and full-year periods. In the full-year alone, net income soared by 228 percent to $2.297 billion from only $700 million in 2024, while sales inched up by 4 percent to $26.885 billion from $25.972 billion year-on-year.
In the fourth quarter alone, net income skyrocketed by 392 percent to $580 million from $118 million, while sales grew by 5 percent to $5.34 billion from $5.08 billion.
8. The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS)
Mosaic grew for a second day on Thursday, jumping 7.58 percent to close at $31.36 apiece, as investors resumed buying positions amid its ongoing efforts to ramp up expansion into rare earths production.
Through its subsidiary, Mosaic Fertilizantes P&K Limitada, The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) partnered with Rainbow Rare Earths Ltd. for a potential joint development of the Uberaba mine site in Brazil.
The two parties have already completed an economic assessment for the site, which indicated a processing potential of 2.7 million tons of phosphogypsum per year; 1,900 tons of separated neodymium and praseodymium oxide; and 600 tons of a samarium, europium, and gadolinium product rich in medium and heavy rare earth elements.
The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) and Rainbow are set to conduct a pre-feasibility study, which will progress into a definitive feasibility study assuming favorable results.
Construction of the processing facility is expected next year, with official production targeted by 2030.
“Brazil is emerging as a strategically important jurisdiction for rare earth development in the Americas. The Uberaba project brings together Mosaic’s Brazilian operations with Rainbow’s rare earth expertise,” The Mosaic Company (NYSE:MOS) President and CEO Bruce Bodine.
“Together, we will evaluate the responsible recovery of critical materials from our existing phosphate operations. This initiative aligns with our strategy to unlock additional value from our existing assets,” he noted.
7. Huntsman Corp. (NYSE:HUN)
Huntsman snapped a two-day loss on Thursday, jumping 8.94 percent to close at $12.80 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares ahead of the cutoff date to qualify for its upcoming dividend payment.
According to Huntsman Corp. (NYSE:HUN), shareholders on record as of Friday, March 13, are set to receive $0.0875 in dividends per share held, payable on March 31.
The initiative followed the company’s improved earnings performance in the fourth quarter of last year, with attributable net loss narrowing by 32 percent to $96 million from $141 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenues, on the other hand, decreased by 6.7 percent to $1.355 billion from $1.452 billion year-on-year, amid lower average selling prices in its polyurethanes and performance products businesses, as well as a sales volume decline in advanced materials.
In the full-year period, Huntsman Corp. (NYSE:HUN) widened its net loss by 50 percent to $284 million from $189 million, while revenues were higher by 5.8 percent at $5.683 billion versus $6.036 billion year-on-year.
“During 2025, there was an exceptional amount of work accomplished by the company in restructuring our business and generating cash despite the depressed level of earnings. We generated close to $300 million of cash flow from operations in 2025 and our 45 percent full year free cash flow conversion reflects timely, definitive decisions as we recognized the challenging market landscape early in the year,” said Huntsman Corp. (NYSE:HUN) Chairman, President, and CEO Peter Huntsman.
“We remain confident that the economic cycle for chemicals will eventually improve in our core markets, though we recognize that meaningful changes may not occur in the immediate term. We are committed to maintaining a disciplined approach, prioritizing cash management, the balance sheet and controlling our fixed costs to ensure the Company is well-positioned when our markets improve,” he noted.
6. Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW)
Dow saw its share prices jump by 9.34 percent on Thursday to close at $37.58 apiece, after Citigroup turned bullish for its stock, raising its rating and price target by 43 percent.
In a market report on the same day, Citigroup issued a new price target of $40 for Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW), markedly higher than the $28 previously, while recommending investors now to “buy” instead of staying “neutral” prior.
The coverage reflected its expectations that the company would benefit from the ongoing tensions in the Middle East amid supply disruptions and higher oil prices that could boost margins for North American chemical producers with access to low-cost natural gas feedstocks.
Citigroup also expects Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) now to grow its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization by 22 percent.
The investment firm, however, underscored that duration of the conflict remains uncertain, but chemical prices are expected to remain elevated amid continued logistics bottlenecks, supply disruptions, and low inventory.
In other news, Dow Inc. (NYSE:DOW) is set to pay tomorrow, March 13, dividends amounting to $0.35 per share to all its shareholders on record as of February 27, 2026.
It said that it would mark the 458th consecutive dividend paid by the company or its affiliates since 1912.
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