Ten companies soared higher on Thursday, clocking in hefty double-digit gains, over key economic and company-specific developments that sparked investing appetite.
The shares mirrored the rally on Wall Street. The Nasdaq surged by 0.97 percent, the S&P 500 increased by 0.84 percent, while the Dow Jones rallied by 0.94 percent.
Meanwhile, our list of 10 best performers falls under the air taxi, clean energy, space exploration, and AI industries.
To compile the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
10. Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY)
Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) jumped by 11.27 percent on Thursday to close at $9.48 apiece following comments from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which indicated that adoption of the air taxi industry is now in full gear.
In an uploaded video on X, FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau said that the agency “is pushing forward to safely enable exciting new technologies that are reshaping how we fly.”
“Advanced air mobility vehicles, such as electric vertical takeoff and landing or eVTOLs, will soon be used to move people and cargo in places not easily served by surface transportation or existing aviation,” he underscored, adding that the FAA is collaborating across government and industry to build regulatory frameworks for the integration of the new technologies into the national airspace.
”Together, we are building a future where air mobility is not just a concept, but a cornerstone of American innovation,” he added.
The initiative forms part of, and supports, President Donald Trump’s executive order, which aims to accelerate domestic drone production in the US.
The positive announcement spilled over to US-based eVTOL companies Joby Aviation, Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) and Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR).
9. Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB)
Rocket Lab jumped by 11.72 percent on Thursday to finish at $36.14 apiece following the successful launch of its latest mission, while hinting at another launch over the weekend.
In a statement, Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) said it successfully launched its 67th Electron rocket, called “Get the Hawk Outta Here,” on a dedicated launch for radio frequency geospatial analytics provider HawkEye 360. The mission deployed four satellites to a 520-km circular low Earth orbit: a trio of microsatellites called Cluster 12 to collect and geolocate radio frequency signals from around the world, along with Kestrel-0A, an experimental satellite designed to evaluate emerging capabilities and future technology enhancements.
This coming Saturday, June 28th (New Zealand time), Rocket Lab Corporation (NASDAQ:RKLB) is expected to launch its 68th Electron rocket, called the Symphony in the Stars.
8. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS)
Hims & Hers rebounded by 11.76 percent on Thursday to close at $46.28 apiece amid reaffirmations to continue offering cheaper compounded versions of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, despite the cancellation of its tie-up with Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NOVO).
According to Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS) CEO Andrew Dudum, he was upset “that Novo is feeling the pressure and not comfortable, but ultimately, I think us holding strong to fighting on behalf of customers is just who we are.”
“There’s just no way in hell we’re going to cave on that, no matter who the pharma company is or what the partnership looks like,” he added.
Last week, Novo Nordisk terminated its partnership with Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS) over allegations that the latter failed to adhere to the law, which prohibits mass sales of compounded drugs under the false guise of “personalization.”
Additionally, Novo Nordisk claimed that Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS) was disseminating deceptive marketing that put patient safety at risk.
Following the cancellation, direct access to Wegovy will no longer be available to Hims & Hers Health, Inc. via NovoCare Pharmacy.
7. Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY)
Pony AI grew its share prices by 11.98 percent on Thursday to finish at $14.58 apiece following news that Uber Technologies Inc.’s (NYSE:UBER) co-founder, Travis Kalanick, is setting his sights on the Chinese robotaxi firm’s US subsidiary.
Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY), which went public only last year, has been mulling over selling or spinning off its US subsidiary since 2022, even going as far as creating a copy of its software.
Reports added that Uber Technologies Inc. (NYSE:UBER) is ready to back Kalanick’s acquisition plan.
Acquiring Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) would bring Kalanick back to the transportation business since he was pushed out of his own co-founded company in 2017.
The buyout bid followed Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) and Uber Technologies Inc.’s (NYSE:UBER) partnership of expanding the former’s international market presence, kicking off with key markets in the Middle East.
6. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH)
Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH) jumped by 12.83 percent on Thursday to close at $43 apiece following news that Senate lawmakers were rethinking plans to end clean energy tax credits, including pushing their expiration dates to a later date.
This followed Senator Kevin Cramer’s comments earlier this week that the Senate energy committee was looking at discussing changes to rooftop solar credits in a bid to improve rules for future clean energy tax incentives.
The provisions form part of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act, which seeks to secure historic tax cuts, deficit reduction, and border security, among others.
Both the House and Senate versions of the bill sought to eliminate 30 percent tax credits for homeowners with rooftop panels and a separate subsidy for companies that lease residential systems.
Since then, share prices of solar companies, including Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH), have been trading heavily in the red.
5. Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR)
Intuitive Machines saw its share prices jump by 13.15 percent on Thursday to close at $11.36 apiece following the release of photos captured by its IM-2 lunar lander called “Athena.”
Having encountered uncertainties during its official launch in February 2025, the photos sparked investor confidence about Intuitive Machines Inc.’s (NASDAQ:LUNR) successful deployment and operations and improved confidence for future contracts.
Intuitive Machines, Inc. (NASDAQ:LUNR) launched the IM-2 Athena using its Nova-C aircraft on February 27 as part of NASA’s commercial lunar payload services.
Athena successfully reached the surface of the moon on March 6, 2025, but ended its mission the day after, following depleted power.
Athena was designed to look into the presence of lunar water ice using Prime-1, a payload of a drill and mass spectrometer.
4. Hesai Group (NASDAQ:HSAI)
Hesai Group soared by 19.26 percent on Thursday to end at $23.10 apiece after achieving a new milestone for its ATX Lidar and safety certification portfolio.
In a statement, Hesai Group (NASDAQ:HSAI) said that its ATX, a compact, high-resolution, long-range lidar, officially obtained ISO 26262 ASIL B functional safety certification from SGS-TÜV, the world’s leading testing, inspection, and certification institution.
ATX marked its fourth ISO 26262 accreditation after after Pandar128, QT128, and AT128. With the new certification, Hesai Group (NASDAQ:HSAI) said it now holds the highest number of ISO 26262 certified products in the world.
ISO 26262 is a key standard for the functional safety of electrical and electronic (E/E) systems in vehicles. It calls for carefully planned safety measures at every step of the development process—from safety management and concept design, to system, hardware, and software development.
As vehicles become more dependent on E/E systems, ISO plays an important role in ensuring vehicle components adhere to the most stringent safety standards to reduce costly recalls and prevent passenger injuries.
3. Enovix Corporation (NASDAQ:ENVX)
Enovix Corporation (NASDAQ:ENVX) extended its winning streak to a third consecutive day on Thursday, surging 20.76 percent to close at $10.53 apiece following news that Senate lawmakers are planning to implement gentler cuts to clean energy tax credits.
While the Senate would still seek to lower credits for clean energy, Senator Kevin Cramer said that the upper chamber’s version may ultimately “be a little more generous” than the House’s.
The proposed cuts, which form part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, sought to claw back funding currently enjoyed under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), by ending most credits earlier than originally laid out.
Battery manufacturers, such as Enovix Corporation (NASDAQ:ENVX), are benefiting from Section 45x of the IRA, which incentivizes eligible companies in a bid to ramp up domestic production.
Enovix Corporation (NASDAQ:ENVX) is engaged in providing electronic components, including advanced silicon-anode lithium-ion battery development and production.
2. Core Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ)
Core Scientific rallied for a third straight day on Thursday, jumping 33.01 percent to close at $16.36 apiece following the revival of CoreWeave Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CRWV) bid to acquire the company.
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, citing people privy to the matter, CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) revived talks to acquire Core Scientific, Inc. (NASDAQ:CORZ) after its first attempt in 2024 fell through due to pricing issues.
Both companies have yet to confirm or deny the reports ,but the Journal said that a deal is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks.
CoreWeave Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) has been instrumental to Core Scientific, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CORZ) growth trajectory, having exited from bankruptcy through pivoting aggressively into Artificial Intelligence infrastructure in January last year. At present, the company is worth $5 billion in market capitalization.
1. QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS)
Quantumscape extended its winning streak to a third straight day on Thursday, jumping by another 34.92 percent to close at $7.65 apiece as investors continued to gobble up shares after achieving a cell production milestone.
According to QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS), it achieved an important milestone in its baseline cell production capabilities with the integration of the advanced Cobra separator process.
Cobra forms the foundation of its high-throughput, continuous-flow separator production platform with its ability to offer 25x improvement in heat treatment speed. It is designed to enable faster, more energy-efficient production with a smaller equipment footprint compared with earlier processes.
“By significantly improving throughput and shrinking the equipment footprint, Cobra gives us a powerful path forward for commercializing our next-generation battery technology,” said QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS) CEO Siva Sivaram.
For his part, QuantumScape Corporation (NYSE:QS) co-founder and CTO Tim Holme said that the advancement is crucial to bringing the company’s high-performance solid-state battery platform to market at gigawatt scale.
While we acknowledge the potential of QS, 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 QS and that has 10,000x upside potential, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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