Ten stocks capped off the trading week with significant gains, bucking a pessimistic broader market, as investors took heart from positive industry developments.
Meanwhile, Wall Street’s three major indices all finished in the red, with the Nasdaq leading the drop by 2.15 percent. The Dow Jones declined by 1.73 percent, while the S&P 500 dropped by 1.67 percent.
In this article, we spotlight the 10 top-performing companies on Friday and detail the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused on the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
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10. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL)
Hecla Mining grew its share prices by 4.30 percent on Friday to close at $17.93 apiece, tracking the rally in prices of silver and gold, as investors fled to safer assets amid uncertainties in the ongoing tensions in the Middle East.
During the session, silver and gold both rallied by more than 2 percent, as tensions in the Middle East intensified after Israel announced that it would continue to attack Iran despite the United States’ announcement that it would halt strikes for 10 days.
This, in turn, sparked an investing appetite in gold and silver producers, including Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL), as investors bet that the surging spot prices would support higher profit margins in their next earnings.
In other news, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL), through its wholly owned subsidiary, successfully sold its Casa Berardi Mine in Quebec, Canada.
The transaction involved the receipt of $160 million in cash and approximately 65.8 million Orezone common shares upon closing, on top of $321 million worth of deferred cash payments and contingent cash consideration.
Founded in 1891, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) is one of the oldest and largest silver mining producers in the world, with operations in the US and Canada.
9. Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX)
Equinox grew its share prices by 4.57 percent on Friday to close at $12.58 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares in mining companies following the surge in prices of precious metals.
The stock climbed alongside its counterparts, namely Hecla Mining, IAMGOLD Corp., Coeur Mining, and First Majestic Silver, among others, as investors bet that the higher spot prices would support higher profit margins moving forward.
As of writing, spot prices of silver were up by 2.50 percent at $69.76 per ounce, while gold jumped by 2.70 percent to $4,494.09 an ounce, with funds resorting to safer assets amid intensifying tensions in the Middle East.
Despite Washington’s announcement that it would halt strikes on Iran for 10 days, Israel said that it would continue attacks because the Islamic Republic had not heeded warnings to stop firing missiles at its civilians.
Uncertainties aside, Equinox Gold Corp. (NYSEAmerican:EQX) is one of the largest gold producers in the world, with operations in Canada and across the Americas.
Last year, it incurred a 35-percent drop in its net income to $221.5 million from $339.3 million in 2024, while revenues doubled to $1.8 billion from $912.8 million year-on-year.
In the fourth quarter alone, net profit expanded by 600 percent to $197.5 million from $28.3 million, while revenues surged by 89 percent to $681.4 million from $359.4 million.
8. IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE:IAG)
IAMGOLD jumped by 4.91 percent on Friday to finish at $17.74 apiece, as investor sentiment was bolstered by the surge in prices of precious metals.
The stock rallied alongside its mining counterparts, namely Equinox, First Majestic, Coeur, and Hecla Mining, among others, after the spot prices of silver and gold increased by more than 2 percent during the day. Investors placed bets on safer assets to mitigate risks from the uncertainties in the Middle East tensions.
In other news, IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE:IAG) last year dropped its net income from continuing operations attributable to shareholders by 18.9 percent to $664.4 million from $819.6 million in 2024.
Revenues, on the other hand, soared by 75 percent to $2.852 billion from $1.633 billion year-on-year.
In the fourth quarter alone, IAMGOLD Corp. (NYSE:IAG) incurred a 372-percent jump in net income attributable to shareholders at $406.6 million versus $86.2 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenues increased by 131 percent to $1.088 billion from only $469.9 million year-on-year.
7. The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB)
Campbell’s rallied for a second day on Friday, jumping 4.96 percent to finish at $21.99 apiece, as investors gobbled up shares ahead of the cutoff date for its next dividends.
According to the company, it would pay dividends amounting to $0.39 per share held to all shareholders of record as of April 2, payable on May 4, 2026.
This marks the second round of dividends for 2026 alone, having paid the same amount last February 2.
The dividends followed the results of The Campbell’s Company’s (NASDAQ:CPB) earnings performance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026, with attributable net income dropping by 16 percent to $145 million from $173 million in the same quarter a year earlier.
Net sales dipped by 4.5 percent to $2.56 billion from $2.68 billion year-on-year on the back of lower volume/mix.
To support shareholder value, The Campbell’s Company (NASDAQ:CPB) is also underway with a share repurchase program, with $473 million still unspent, covering $172 million under its September 2024 anti-dilutive share repurchase program and another $301 million from its September 2021 authorized buyback initiative.
6. Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE:BF-B)
Brown-Forman extended its rally for a third day on Friday, adding 5.63 percent to close at $27.19 apiece as investors took path from JPMorgan’s rating and price target upgrade for the stock.
In a market note, JPMorgan lifted its price target for Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE:BF-B) to $27 from $25 previously, while upgrading its rating to “neutral” from “underweight” previously, reflecting its stance on the liquor maker’s willingness to review higher value opportunities.
“Even if a deal is not consummated, in our view, the news signals that BF is at least willing to sit at the table and consider value creation opportunities,” JPMorgan said.
On Thursday, Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE:BF-B) confirmed that it was reviewing a “merger of equals” with Pernod Ricard in line with their aim to create a global spirits leader “with enhanced scale, a powerful brand portfolio, and a balanced geographic footprint.” It said, however, that a deal was not guaranteed.
Brown-Forman Corp. (NYSE:BF-B) is a global leader in the spirits industry, which owns Jack Daniel’s Family of Brands, Woodford Reserve, Old Forester, New Mix, el Jimador, Herradura, The Glendronach, Glenglassaugh, Benriach, Diplomático Rum, Gin Mare, Fords Gin, Chambord, and Slane.
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