Ten stocks stood firmer on Thursday amid a market bloodbath, as investors took path from more corporate earnings and acquisition news. Of the 10 firms, four hit new record highs.
On the other hand, Wall Street’s main indices all finished in the red, led by the Nasdaq, down 1.90 percent; followed by the S&P 500, dropping 1.12 percent, and the Dow Jones, losing 0.84 percent.
Indices aside, we focus on the 10 companies that led Thursday’s charge and detail the reasons behind their strong performance.
To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and more than 5 million shares in trading volume.
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10. Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ)
Marqeta jumped by 8.93 percent on Thursday to close at $4.88 apiece, as investors cheered the significant slash in its net losses in the third quarter of the year.
In its updated report, Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) said net loss shrank by 87 percent to $3.6 million from the $28.6 million in the same period last year.
Net revenues improved by 28 percent to $163 million from $127.97 million year-on-year, primarily driven by increased volumes, partially offset by unfavorable mix due to faster growth of card programs where it provided processing services with minimal or no program management.
Adjusted EBITDA jumped by 42.8 percent to $30 million from $21 million.
“Our robust Q3 financial results demonstrate our business momentum and our ability to deliver strong growth while rapidly improving our profitability,” CEO and CFO Mike Milotich said.
“Marqeta’s unique combination of modern capabilities, scale, geographic reach, expertise and flexibility continues to enable both innovation and growth for our customers,” he added.
For the fourth quarter of the year, Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) expects revenues to grow between 22 and 24 percent; gross profit to jump by 17 to 19 percent; and adjusted EBITDA margin to increase by 15 to 16 percent.
Marqeta Inc. (NASDAQ:MQ) is a modern global card issuing platform providing advanced infrastructures and tools for building highly configurable payment solutions.
9. APA Corp. (NASDAQ:APA)
APA snapped a three-day losing streak on Thursday, jumping 9.14 percent to close at $23.64 apiece as investors cheered its return to profitability in the third quarter of the year.
Based on its financial statement, APA Corp. (NASDAQ:APA) swung to a net income attributable to shareholders of $205 million from a $223 million net loss in the same period last year.
Total revenues increased by 16.4 percent to $2.115 billion from $2.531 billion year-on-year on the back of strong revenues from oil and natural gas production.
Reported production stood at 464,000 boe/pd while adjusted production, which excludes Egypt’s non-controlling interests and tax barrels, was at 387,000 boe/pd.
Oil production in the US, on the other hand, ended at 121,000 barrels per day.
Both operations in the US and Egypt exceeded the company’s production guidance.
In line with its cost-saving measures, APA Corp. (NASDAQ:APA) said that it is set to achieve by the end of the year its run-rate savings target of $350 million, two years sooner than originally anticipated. It also expects to recognize between $50 million and $100 million by the end of 2026.
“Our strong third-quarter results demonstrate our continued focus on operational execution, disciplined cost management, and the delivery of our strategic priorities,” said APA Corp. (NASDAQ:APA) CEO John Christmann IV.
“Once again, we exceeded production guidance across all operating areas, continued to deliver cost savings initiatives ahead of schedule and further strengthened our balance sheet. We believe the progress we have achieved in 2025 is sustainable and provides great momentum for the future,” he noted.
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