Ten stocks capped off the trading week with double-digit gains, mirroring optimism in the broader market. Of the number, four notched new record highs.
Meanwhile, Wall Street’s three major indices also finished in the green, led by the Dow Jones, up 0.58 percent, followed by the S&P 500, jumping 0.37 percent, and the Nasdaq, rising 0.19 percent.
In this article, we focus on the 10 top-performing names on Friday and break down the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we considered the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
Photo by Mizuno K on pexels
10. Redwire Corp. (NYSE:RDW)
Redwire extended its winning streak to a third consecutive day on Friday, jumping 13.94 percent to finish at $17.49 apiece, after bagging million-dollar contracts with two customers.
In a statement, Redwire Corp. (NYSE:RDW) said that it secured new orders from the US Army Aviation Center of Excellence (AVCOE) and an unnamed member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) for its Stalker and Penguin UAS to support their aerial defense capabilities.
AVCOE alone boosted its Stalker orders by another $15 million to support its 1st Aviation Brigade. This brought the total order to $24.8 million and marked the third placement so far.
The Stalker UAS is designed with a Modular Open Systems Approach that enables rapid payload swapping and technical upgrades, reduces vendor lock, lowers lifecycle costs, and improves interoperability.
Meanwhile, Redwire Corp. also inked a “high eight-figure” contract with a NATO country for its Penguin Mk3 UAS as part of the latter’s modernization program of its tactical UAS capabilities.
Developed for rapid deployment, the Penguin Mk3 is a fully automated VTOL UAS that supports multiple mission-specific payloads, including reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition, communications, and other mission-specific payloads within a compact, low-footprint system.
Before the new contracts, Redwire Corp. announced earlier this month that its order backlog for its customers has totaled $498.1 million, spanning across its multiple UAS products.
9. D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)
D-Wave extended its winning streak to a third consecutive day on Friday, surging 14.22 percent to close at $29.40 apiece, as investors resumed buying positions after the company earned a $100-million financial backing from the US government to support quantum computing development.
In an announcement on Thursday, the US Department of Commerce (DOC) said that it shelled out more than $2 billion in funding for nine companies to help accelerate US leadership in quantum computing.
D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS) alone secured $100 million in fresh funds from the department, in exchange for its shares worth the said amount, essentially making the DOC an investor.
Proceeds from the funds will be used to accelerate the development of annealing and gate-model quantum systems, including at its forthcoming research and development (R&D) facility in Boca Raton, Florida, as well as its R&D centers in New Haven, Connecticut, and Burnaby, Canada.
“We believe that the US government’s strategic investment in D-Wave would advance the country’s global leadership position in quantum computing,” D-Wave Quantum Inc. CEO Alan Baratz said.
“The award would accelerate D-Wave’s ability to scale quantum innovation domestically, expedite key fabrication processes, and deliver real-world quantum applications to our global customers today. We see this as a transformative moment for not just D-Wave, but also for quantum computing and the United States,” he added.
Apart from D-Wave Quantum Inc., other companies also include Atom Computing, Diraq, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, Quantinuum, and Rigetti Computing. The chipmakers, on the other hand, were IBM and GlobalFoundries.
8. HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ)
HP Inc. extended its winning streak to a 6th straight session on Friday, jumping 15.25 percent to finish at $25.24 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares ahead of next week’s earnings outcome and the cutoff date to qualify for its next dividend payment.
In a notice to investors, HP Inc. (NYSE:HPQ) said that it is scheduled to release its financial and operating highlights for the second quarter ending April 30 after market close on Wednesday, May 27. A conference call will be held to elaborate on the results.
For the period, the company is targeting to grow GAAP earnings per share (EPS) by 23.8 percent to 38 percent to a range of $0.52 to $0.58, versus $0.42 posted in the same period last year.
Non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be $0.70 to $0.76, marking a 1.4 percent dip or a 7 percent jump from the $0.71 reported in the same comparable period.
The non-GAAP diluted EPS estimates exclude $0.18 per diluted share, primarily related to restructuring and other charges, acquisition and divestiture charges, amortization of intangible assets, non-operating retirement-related credits, tax adjustments, and tax impact related to the said items.
For the full fiscal period, GAAP diluted EPS is targeted at $2.47 to $2.77, while non-GAAP diluted EPS is at $$2.90 to $3.20.
In other news, HP Inc. is set to pay a $0.30 dividend for each common share held by its shareholders on record as of June 10, 2026. Payments will be made on July 1.
7. Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY)
Firefly Aerospace took off by 15.49 percent on Friday to close at $49.50 apiece, amid a broader optimistic sentiment for the space sector, supported by SpaceX’s successful 12th test launch of the Starship rocket.
SpaceX—set to conduct the largest initial public offering in history so far—successfully test-launched the Starship after market hours on Friday. Deemed critical to the further exploration of space, it is being counted on by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to execute its ambitious program of exploring the Moon and Mars.
The long-term potential of space services helped lift up sentiment for the broader sector, with optimism spilling over to key players such as Firefly Aerospace Inc. (NASDAQ:FLY), RocketLab Corp., and AST SpaceMobile, among others.
In other news, Firefly Aerospace Inc. announced plans to expand its production capacity with the addition of two new buildings in Cedar Park, Texas.
The new campus is twice the size of the company’s former Cedar Park facilities, and is less than 30 miles from its 200-acre Rocket Ranch in Briggs, where it operates six test stands and 217,000 square feet of facilities for launch vehicle engineering, manufacturing, and integration.
“With operations centralized in Texas, Firefly is producing rockets and spacecraft at scale to meet the demand of the rapidly growing defense, exploration, and commercial space markets,” Firefly Aerospace Inc. COO Ramon Sanchez said.
“The strategic investments we’ve made in our Cedar Park campus allow us to template our successful Blue Ghost lunar lander into a production line for multiple lunar missions a year that support NASA’s Moon Base initiative and the larger commercial lunar economy.”
6. Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION)
Shares of Lionsgate Studios soared to a new all-time high on Friday, as investors cheered the strong results of its earnings performance in the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2026.
In intra-day trading, the stock jumped to its highest price of $14.98 before trimming a few cents to end the session just up by 15.80 percent at $14.95 apiece.
In an updated report, Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION) said that it was able to slash its net loss attributable to shareholders for the full fiscal 2026 by 45 percent to $198.3 million from $362 million in the same period last year. Revenues inched up by 1.8 percent to $2.6 billion from $2.58 billion year-on-year.
In the fourth quarter alone, Lionsgate Studios Corp. swung to an attributable net income of $70.2 million from a $117.4 million attributable net loss, while revenues jumped by 4.7 percent to $906.5 million from $865.6 million year-on-year.
“All of the pieces of our business are coming together—our library has achieved a billion dollars in trailing 12-month revenue for three quarters in a row, more than half of our film, television and live entertainment slates are comprised of branded, repeatable properties, and massive hits like The Housemaid and Michael are strengthening our brand and increasing our forward visibility,” Lionsgate Studios Corp. CEO Jon Feltheimer said.
“We enter fiscal 27 positioned to deliver the earnings power and value creation that our shareholders expect,” he noted.
5. AXT Inc. (NASDAQ:AXTI)
AXT Inc. soared to a fresh all-time high on Friday, as investors resumed buying positions ahead of the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in the next few weeks.
After failing to hit the required quorum, AXT Inc. (NASDAQ:AXTI) earlier this week said that it would move the meeting to June 4, 2026.
Investors are expected to watch for business updates and outlook for the year, with optimism strengthened by the strong demand for its products to support the development of artificial intelligence data centers.
In other news, AXT Inc. earlier this month announced a huge improvement to its earnings performance for the first quarter of the year, with attributable net loss slashed by 81 percent to $1.62 million from $8.798 million in the same period last year. The drop was due to an 84 percent decrease in operating loss, at $1.585 million versus $10.275 million year-on-year. Revenues also surged by 39 percent to $26.9 million from $19.3 million year-on-year.
Looking ahead, AXT Inc. is highly optimistic about its business, expecting to ride the booming artificial intelligence industry through a strong demand from data center operators.
4. Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL)
Dell Technologies climbed to a new all-time high on Friday, as investors loaded portfolios ahead of the results of its earnings performance for the first quarter of fiscal year 2027.
In intra-day trading, the stock soared to its highest price of $298.32 before trimming gains to end the day just up by 16.77 percent at $295.19 apiece.
In a notice to investors, Dell Technologies Inc. (NYSE:DELL) said that it would release its financial and operating highlights during market hours on Thursday, May 28. A conference call will be held to discuss the results.
For the period, the company is expected to grow its revenues by 48 percent to 52.6 percent to a range of $34.7 billion to $35.7 billion, versus $23.4 billion in the same period last year. GAAP diluted earnings per share is projected to be at $2.55, or 86 percent higher than the $1.37 year-on-year.
For the full fiscal year 2027, revenues are projected to jump by 21.6 percent to 25 percent to a range of $138 billion to $142 billion from $113.5 billion year-on-year.
Earnings per share are pegged at $8.68, or a 36-percent jump from the $6.38 year-on-year.
3. BlackBerry Ltd. (NYSE:BB)
BlackBerry rallied for a second day on Friday to hit a new four-year high, after securing a high re-certification from the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP) for its AtHoc platform.
The re-certification was a significant milestone for the company amid the US government’s increasing requirements and investments in mission-critical emergency notification and crisis coordination, reinforcing BlackBerry Ltd.’s (NYSE:BB) focus on secure, resilient communications for federal agencies and critical infrastructure.
“Re-certification with FedRAMP Class D (High) underscores the operational maturity and security rigor BlackBerry AtHoc delivers to government and critical infrastructure customers every day,” BlackBerry Ltd. AtHoc General Manager Ramon Pinero said.
”We are the only CEM platform to reach this bar in 2025, and this re-certification reflects our sustained investment in helping organizations coordinate faster, operate more securely, and respond effectively when conditions are most demanding,” he noted.
The Class D certification is reserved for cloud services that handle the US government’s most sensitive unclassified data, including systems where a loss of confidentiality, integrity, or availability could have a severe or catastrophic impact on operations or public safety.
As federal agencies expand their use of emergency communications platforms to protect military personnel, first responders, and essential operations, the 2026 re-certification suggests that BlackBerry AtHoc continues to meet these stringent requirements while evolving to support increasingly complex, distributed, and multi-agency operational environments.
2. Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI)
Rigetti Computing rallied for a third consecutive day on Friday, climbing 19.87 percent to close at $26.42 apiece, as investors took heart from its $100-million financial backing from the US government.
Earlier in the week, the Department of Commerce announced that it would shell out $2.013 billion in federal incentives for nine companies to support the government’s CHIPS and Science Act.
The said amount would support the development of seven quantum computing companies and two domestic global foundries to accelerate the creation of quantum computers to help solve complex problems.
The beneficiaries include Rigetti Computing Inc. (NASDAQ:RGTI), D-Wave, Atom, Diraq, Infleqtion, PsiQuantum, and Quantinuum, while the two chipmakers include IBM and GlobalFoundries.
Rigetti Computing Inc. alone will receive up to $100 million to address key technical challenges to develop and scale next-generation superconducting quantum computing technologies and architectures, such as miniaturizing and integrating novel readout electronics and next-generation cryostat architectures.
“Quantum computing will have far-reaching impacts on our nation’s national security, economic interests, and overall prosperity,” Rigetti Computing Inc. CEO Subodh Kulkarni said.
“We are honored that the US government is seeking to partner with Rigetti to accelerate the pace of quantum computing commercialization and to bolster U.S. leadership in this revolutionary field. This investment will allow us to tackle key scaling bottlenecks more rapidly and get us closer to utility-scale quantum computing,” he noted.
1. Navitas Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:NVTS)
Navitas Semiconductor saw its share prices climb by 19.98 percent on Friday to close at $29.25 apiece, as investors positioned portfolios ahead of its participation in a three-day conference early next month.
In a notice on its website, Navitas Semiconductor Corp. (NASDAQ:NVTS) said that it would take part in the PCIM 2026 in Nuremberg, Germany, from June 9 to 11, to discuss key issues such as automotive, AI, humanoid robots, the evolution in data center power distribution, riding the SiC wave efficiently, and the future of GaN.
It will also showcase its latest gallium nitride (GaN) and GeneSiC silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors catered to the needs of AI data centers, energy and grid infrastructure, and industrial electrification.
Navitas Semiconductor Corp. said that it will specifically exhibit two solutions that enable a swifter transition to the 800 VDC standard using GaN, as well as two SST topologies enabled by Navitas GeneSiC UHV and HV technology.
In other news, Navitas Semiconductor Corp. more-than-doubled its net loss in the first quarter of the year to $33.78 million from $16.8 million in the same period last year. Net revenues also declined by 38 percent to $8.6 million from $14 million year-on-year.
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