Ten stocks soared higher on Friday, defying a wider market pessimism, as investors digested a flurry of strong earnings and upbeat outlooks, among other company-specific developments.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones led the drop among Wall Street’s three main indices, slashing 1.05 percent. The Nasdaq followed with a 0.92 percent loss, while the S&P 500 declined by 0.43 percent.
Indices aside, this article focuses on the 10 top-performing companies on Friday alongside the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on the stocks 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. Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY)
Crescent Energy rallied for a second day on Friday, jumping 7.76 percent to close at $11.66 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares after the oil and gas firm swung to profitability last year.
In an earnings call, Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) said that it incurred an attributable net income of $132.9 million, reversing a $114.6 million net loss in 2024. Revenues also grew by 22 percent to $3.58 billion from $2.93 billion year-on-year.
Total production averaged 260 MBoe/d with 104 MBo/d of oil during the year, exceeding its guidance.
In the fourth quarter alone, the company remained at an attributable net loss of $8.66 million, marking a 93 percent improvement from the $118 million attributable net loss in the same period a year earlier. Total revenues dipped by 1 percent to $865 million from $875 million.
Meanwhile, total production averaged 268 MBoe/d with 106 Mbo/d of oil production.
For this year, Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) said that it is targeting to produce between 320 and 335 MBoe/d.
In other news, Crescent Energy Company (NYSE:CRGY) approved the distribution of dividends amounting to $0.12 per share to all shareholders on record as of March 11, 2026, payable on March 25.
It also raised and extended its ongoing share repurchase program to $400 million from $150 million previously, of which $33 million has been successfully bought back.
9. Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION)
Lionsgate extended its winning streak to a fifth consecutive day on Friday, climbing 9.09 percent to finish at $9 apiece, as investors loaded portfolios ahead of expected business updates next week.
Jimmy Barge, Lionsgate Studios Corp.’s (NYSE:LION) chief finance officer, is set to participate in a fireside chat at the 2026 Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference in San Francisco, California, on March 4. Investors are expected to watch out for business updates and cues about its outlook.
In the third quarter of the fiscal year ending December 31, the company widened its net loss attributable to shareholders by 111 percent to $46.2 million from $21.9 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenues jumped by 15 percent to $724.3 million from $628.2 million year-on-year.
In the nine-month period, attributable net loss increased by 9.7 percent to $268.5 million from $244.7 million, while revenues were flat at $1.7 billion.
In other news, Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION) last month welcomed former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to its board of directors.
As a former Cabinet member, Mnuchin brings deep financial and regulatory expertise, as well as entertainment industry experience from his leadership at Dune Capital Management, a hedge fund that focused on entertainment industry investments.
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