Ten stocks kicked off the first trading week of the year with double-digit gains, outperforming a lackluster performance on Wall Street’s main indices.
Notably, investor funds have poured anew into sectors riding the artificial intelligence boom, namely energy, space, and high-performance computing.
In this article, we identify the names of the 10 top-performing stocks and explore the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with a market capitalization of at least $2 billion. The stocks were chosen based on the percentage change between their prices on December 26, 2025, and January 2, 2026.
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10. Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC)
Fluence Energy ended 13.8 percent higher in the first trading week of the year, supported by an upbeat outlook for the utility-scale solar industry alongside bargain-hunting following a three-day decline.
On Friday alone, the stock soared by as much as 16.88 percent before trimming gains to end the day just up by 16.33 percent at $23.01 apiece.
In its updated market report, Goldman Sachs posted strong optimism for the utility-scale solar sector, particularly for key players, namely Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC), First Solar, Nextracker, and Array Technologies. The investment firm issued a “buy” recommendation for their stocks.
According to Goldman, it was confident that the said firms would largely benefit from the strong demand for electricity amid the booming artificial intelligence sector, despite updates and expiration of certain clean energy tax credits.
For 2026 alone, Goldman Sachs expects the utility-scale solar deployments to jump by 3 percent year-on-year, while revenue growth from key players could average 15 percent.
Apart from Goldman Sachs, Fluence Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) also earned bullish outlooks from other investment firms, namely UBS, Citigroup, Jefferies, Susquehanna, Morgan Stanley, and Canaccord.
9. Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU)
Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU) saw its share prices jump by 13.9 percent week-on-week, as investors raised their exposure to energy firms believed to largely benefit from the cold months and the US nuclear renaissance this year.
The stock rallied alongside its counterparts as traders placed bets on the sector’s “seasonal strength,” with households and businesses expected to ramp up consumption to power their heating appliances during the winter season.
Higher energy demand is expected to indirectly benefit the uranium sector, including Energy Fuels Inc. (NYSEAmerican:UUUU), as nuclear companies would need to expand their uranium fuel consumption to run their plants.
In an updated report last month, the US Energy Information Administration said that it projects retail energy price forecasts to pick up amid a colder-than-usual winter season.
In the broader front, the uranium and nuclear sectors are poised for an expansion this year, thanks to the US government’s commitment to a nuclear renaissance, where more projects are expected to be developed in support of the growing demand from the artificial intelligence and manufacturing sectors.
The policy direction followed President Donald Trump’s executive order early last year aimed at accelerating nuclear development to support national security.
8. Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA)
Under Armour grew its share prices by 14.44 percent week-on-week to climb to a new four-month high, as investors mirrored a significant investor’s hike of its stake in the company.
The rally followed a regulatory filing last week that Canada-based financial services firm, Fairfax Holdings—already a 10 percent owner of the company—had increased its stake in the sports apparel maker through a series of buying activities on December 30.
During the period, Fairfax said that it acquired $67 million worth of additional shares in Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA), covering more than 11.5 million Class A and 1.67 million Class C shares at an average price of $5.1408 and $4.9474, respectively.
The transactions followed a separate round of acquisition on December 22 to 29, where Fairfax Holdings also bought an additional 15.68 million Class A and C common shares at average prices of $4.6133 and $4.4055, respectively.
Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA) is one of the leading makers and distributors of athletic performance apparel, footwear, and accessories globally. In the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, ending September 2025, Under Armour Inc. (NYSE:UA) swung to a net loss of $18.8 million from a $170.38 million net income in the same period last year.
Revenues dropped by 5 percent to $1.33 billion from $1.40 billion year-on-year, dragged by lower revenues from the North American business, wholesale, and apparel.
7. T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE:TE)
T1 Energy grew its share prices by 15.29 percent week-on-week to hit a two-year high, as investors cheered its compliance efforts to retain its tax credit qualification in 2026.
In a statement, T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE:TE) said that it repaid some of its existing debt to Trina Solar—a Chinese firm—allowing the reduction of the latter’s ownership into a level that falls within the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s threshold.
T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE:TE) and Trina Solar also entered into an agreement that removed the latter’s previous right to appoint a covered officer.
Signed into law last July, the OBBBA restricts companies with excessive foreign ownership from receiving 45X tax credits, particularly those tied to what the US identified as “prohibited foreign entities” such as those from China, North Korea, Russia, and Iran.
Additionally, tax credits received by the eligible companies are not allowed to be sold or transferred to PFEs.
T1 Energy Inc. (NYSE:TE) said that it also amended its certificate of incorporation to impose limits on its foreign ownership as part of its compliance efforts.
Headquartered in Austin, Texas, the listed firm engages in the development of domestic solar and battery supply chains in the US. It owns and operates one of the world’s modern solar module plants in Wilmer.
6. Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI)
Fermi soared by 15.75 percent week-on-week, as investors placed bets ahead of expected business updates next week, alongside renewed optimism for the artificial intelligence industry.
According to Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI), it would participate in the two-day Evercore Power Conference in West Palm Beach, Florida from Thursday to Friday, January 8 and 9, 2026, where investors will closely watch out for business updates and guidance about its outlook for 2026.
In recent news, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) announced the pullout of one of its major tenants from a $150 million data center leasing agreement signed earlier. It did not divulge the name or the reason for the termination.
However, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) assured its investors that it remained in discussions with other companies to lure them to lease its data centers.
In support of the campus development, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) also inked a power supply agreement with Southwestern Public Service Company (SPS)—a subsidiary of Xcel Energy—for the delivery of up to 200 MW of power capacity to the data center.
Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI), also known as Fermi America, is a company engaged in the development of next-generation private electric grids to deliver highly redundant power to support AI.
5. AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)
AST SpaceMobile jumped by 16.01 percent week-on-week, with investor optimism primarily driven by its new BlueBird 7 satellite hype.
Early last week, AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) announced that its BlueBird 7 has officially arrived in Florida, a few days after the successful takeoff of its BlueBird 6 into low orbit.
“BlueBird 7 has arrived in Florida! Next step is to start integrating with the launch vehicle,” AST SpaceMobile, Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS) said in a social media post.
“Following the successful launch of BlueBird 6, BlueBird 7’s arrival keeps us on track as we scale production and launch operations—bringing us closer to delivering full broadband connectivity directly to everyday smartphones, from space,” it added. The company has yet to reveal further details about the BlueBird 7 as well as its target date for the launch.
On December 23, the Indian Space Research Organisation successfully launched AST SpaceMobile, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ASTS) BlueBird 6, enabling ubiquitous cellular broadband coverage from space directly to mobile phones.
As compared with the BlueBirds 1 to 5, the 6th generation features the largest commercial phased array in low Earth orbit at nearly 2,400 square feet. It is also nearly four times bigger than the previous generations and supports 10 times the data capacity.
4. Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD)
Applied Digital soared by 16.88 percent week-on-week, as investors loaded portfolios ahead of the results of its earnings performance for the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.
According to the company, it is scheduled to release the results of its financial and operating highlights after market close on Wednesday, January 7. A conference call will be held to elaborate on the results.
In recent news, Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) embarked on a restructuring that saw the creation of two separate entities for its cloud computing and data center businesses.
The strategy was implemented through a merger with EKSO Bionics Holdings Inc., an exoskeleton technology firm for medical and industrial uses, to be renamed ChronoScale and focus solely on an accelerated compute platform for AI workloads.
Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) would own 97 percent of the combined firm, while EKSO Bionics would explore potential buyers for the sale of all or a substantial chunk of its business and assets.
“As enterprise and AI-native demand for GPU-accelerated cloud infrastructure continues to grow rapidly, the proposed transaction is intended to create a focused platform designed to deliver high-performance compute at scale in a capacity-constrained market,” Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) said.
3. Intuitive Machines Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR)
Intuitive Machines grew its share prices by 17.24 percent week-on-week, as investors took heart from two investment firms’ upbeat outlook and coverage for its stock.
In an updated market report, Clear Street issued a 47 percent price target hike for shares of Intuitive Machines Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) to $25 versus $17 previously, while maintaining a “buy” recommendation.
The coverage reflected Clear Street’s optimism for the acquisition of Lanteris Space Systems, a spacecraft manufacturer with a strong record of delivering a highly reliable lineup for national security, civil, and commercial customers.
ClearStreet said that the transaction would create a next-generation space prime with an opportunity to capture multi-billion-dollar worth of space programs, especially with the United States’ aggressive lunar exploration.
Meanwhile, B. Riley also raised its price target for Intuitive Machines Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) to $20 from $14 previously, alongside a “buy” recommendation.
The upgrade was based on optimism that Intuitive Machines Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) would benefit from President Donald Trump’s newly issued executive order on December 18, which aims to ramp up space exploration activities to ensure the United States’ superiority in the industry.
2. Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU)
Baidu saw its share prices jump by 20.4 percent week-on-week to hit a new 52-week high, as investors took heart from its semiconductor subsidiary’s plan to list publicly on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
In a regulatory filing, Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) said that it was looking to spin off Kunlunxin (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. in line with its plan to separately list the latter’s series H shares on the HKEx.
An official filing has already been submitted, but the proposed spinoff has yet to be finalized, pending approval of the HKEx, filing completion with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, and the final decisions between the two firms.
It noted, however, that Kunlunxin would remain a subsidiary of Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) following the listing.
“The proposed spin-off aims to independently showcase Kunlunxin’s value, attract investors focused on the AI chip sector, and leverage its standalone listing to enhance its market profile, broaden financing channels, and better align management accountability with performance. This also supports the effort to unlock the value of Baidu’s AI-powered businesses,” Baidu, Inc. (NASDAQ:BIDU) said.
Founded in 2012, Kunlunxin supports Baidu, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:BIDU) ambition to become a full-stack AI company.
Last year, Kunlunxin bagged 1 billion yuan worth of orders from technology companies supplying to China Mobile—one of the country’s largest mobile carriers.
1. Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS)
Ondas Holdings soared by 29.95 percent week-on-week as investors took its recent corporate rebranding as a cue for a broader business transformation.
Effective within the first quarter of the year, Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) said that it would change its name to Ondas Inc. to reflect its evolution into a fully integrated global operating platform.
“While Ondas Holdings reflected an earlier phase of our development, today, we operate as a scaled, global defense and security technology platform serving both government and commercial customers, with integrated products, services, manufacturing, and operations,” said Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) Chairman and CEO Eric Brock.
“Renaming the Company to Ondas Inc. will better align our corporate identity with the operating platform we have built and the global, dual-use markets we serve,” he added.
In line with the transformation, Ondas Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:ONDS) also relocated its headquarters to West Palm Beach, Florida, to support its next phase of growth, underscoring the state’s business-friendly regulatory environment.
“West Palm Beach has rapidly emerged as a strategic hub for technology, defense, finance, and global business,” Brock said.
”Relocating our headquarters positions Ondas in an environment that supports disciplined execution, capital formation, and long-term value creation.”
Ondas will continue to operate a distributed global footprint, with engineering, manufacturing, and field operations across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The name change and headquarters relocation are not expected to disrupt operations, customer programs, or delivery timelines.
While we acknowledge the potential of ONDS 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 ONDS and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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