Ten stocks stood firmer on Tuesday, bucking a mixed performance in the broader market, thanks to company-specific developments that boosted investor appetite.

Meanwhile, only the Nasdaq finished in the green among Wall Street’s major indices, inching up by 0.23 percent. The Dow Jones and the S&P 500 both fell by 0.62 percent and 0.24 percent, respectively.

Indices aside, this article focuses on the 10 big names with the best performance on Tuesday, and details 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.

10. Compass Inc. (NYSE:COMP)

Compass bounced back by 5.13 percent on Tuesday to close at $10.87 apiece as investors poured funds back in after an analyst downplayed the potential impact of a technology giant’s possibility to emerge as a competitor in the real estate listing market.

This followed news on Monday that Google is testing out a new service that would list real estate properties directly on its search engine.

Similar to features from property websites, Google’s listing test enables users to view the full details of a property, including unit sizes, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and the year it was constructed, among others.

Following the news, Wells Fargo issued comments for one of Compass Inc.’s (NYSE:COMP) counterparts, downplaying the impact of Google testing and helping allay investor fears for the overall sector.

According to Wells Fargo, it expects Google’s move to provide only a limited downside to Zillow Inc., saying that it does not expect a meaningful financial impact from listings on Google.

“The listings product appears similar to Google Hotel Metasearch results; introduction could increase traffic cost to Zillow, but disintermediation unlikely,” it said.

“In the hotel category, Google merchandises hotel rooms in search results as a metasearch ad product for OTAs (online travel agencies). We would expect a similar approach in real estate,” it added.

9. Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD)

Applied Digital jumped by 5.48 percent on Tuesday to close at $24.24 apiece as investors took heart from its chief executive’s hints that the company is currently in talks with companies for three of its campuses, alongside bargain-hunting following four straight days of decline.

“We’re negotiating for two or three other campuses at the moment. The demand just keeps coming,” Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) CEO Wes Cummins was quoted as saying in an interview shared on the firm’s social media on Monday.

It was unclear whether negotiations were for a potential leasing partnership or a fundraising activity, but investors took the announcement as a cue about its ongoing expansion program.

“We’ve developed an ability to execute on construction and financing—that’s a critical pillar too…We expect to just continue to add more customers and scale across more sites,” he added.

At present, Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ:APLD) boasts of $16 billion worth of multi-year partnerships with hyperscalers, of which $11 billion came from CoreWeave Inc. alone.

Its first facility in Ellendale, North Dakota came online only this month, successfully delivering a full 100 MW critical IT load.

8. Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA)

Comcast rallied for a second day on Tuesday, adding 5.39 percent to finish at $29.73 apiece as investors took heart from its successful expansion in Connecticut.

in a statement on Monday, Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA) said that it has completed its network expansion in Litchfield County, enabling the delivery of reliable and high-speed internet connections.

The expansion aims to benefit 22,000 new homes and businesses in the county, as well as neighboring areas such as Morris, Thomaston, Torrington, and Watertown.

“Comcast is proud to deepen our investment in Connecticut by expanding our advanced network throughout Litchfield County,” said Carolyne Hannan, senior vice president for Comcast Corporation’s (NASDAQ:CMCSA) New England region.

“This expansion brings fast, reliable Internet and mobile services—along with cutting-edge entertainment, home automation, and cybersecurity solutions—to more homes and businesses. By increasing access to these essential technologies from Xfinity and Comcast Business, we’re helping communities thrive and compete in today’s digital economy,” she added.

Litchfield joins over 65 million homes and businesses being served by Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ:CMCSA).

7. TMC the metals company Inc. (NASDAQ:TMC)

TMC the metals company rebounded by 6.17 percent on Tuesday to finish at $6.88 apiece as investor sentiment was fueled by news that one of its shareholders had secured the backing of the US government through a strategic billion-dollar investment.

On Monday, Korea Zinc—which holds a 5 percent stake in TMC the metals company Inc. (NASDAQ:TMC)—announced that it secured the backing of the US government following the acquisition of a 40.1 percent stake in its $7.4 billion mineral smelter in Tennessee, as well as a 10 percent share in its total outstanding shares.

The government support spilled over to TMC the metals company Inc. (NASDAQ:TMC), which is not at all a party to the partnership, but which investors believed would indirectly benefit from an expected stronger Korea Zinc portfolio companies.

In June this year, Korea Zinc acquired 19.6 million shares in TMC the metals company Inc. (NASDAQ:TMC) at a price of $4.34 apiece, for a total of $85.2 million, making the Korean firm one of its largest shareholders to date.

The investment included a three-year warrant to purchase 6.9 million common shares with an exercise price of $7 each, and a participation right to subscribe to its future offerings to maintain its ownership of common shares.

6. D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS)

D-Wave Quantum bounced back on Tuesday from two straight days of losses, jumping 7.50 percent to finish at $25.52 apiece as investors took heart from an investment firm’s bullish stance for the stock.

In a market report, Jefferies issued a “buy” recommendation on shares of D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE:QBTS), alongside a price target of $45. The figure marked a 76 percent upside potential from its latest closing price.

The coverage reflected its optimism amid the commercial availability of D-Wave Quantum Inc.’s (NYSE:QBTS) Advantage2, which is expected to support customer education, larger experimentation budgets, and pilots feeding the annealing funnel.

The Advantage2 is an annealing quantum computer capable of solving computationally complex problems in business and science.

In other developments, the rally can also be attributed to early portfolio repositioning ahead of D-Wave Quantum Inc.’s (NYSE:QBTS) conference next year.

The conference, Qubits 2026, would gather leaders and innovators in the industry to share the latest advancements and discover how quantum is transforming business and science today.

5. Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY)

Pony AI bounced back on Tuesday from two consecutive days of losses, jumping 7.28 percent to finish at $14.59 apiece, as investors took heart from Macquarie’s bullish rating for the company, bolstered by its expansion plans.

In a market report, Macquarie issued an “outperform” rating on its first coverage of Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) on the back of its leadership in China’s robotaxi sector.

Additionally, the investment firm said that it expects Pony AI Inc.’s (NASDAQ:PONY) fleet to triple next year and benefit through more profitable operations from a projected 20 percent decline in hardware costs.

Last week, Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) announced that it would embark on an “asset-light” strategy and newer generations of low-cost driverless cars to drive growth in a bid to break even by 2030.

Under the asset-light model, the robotaxi operator would join forces with third-party companies such as taxi operators and ride-hailing platforms to finance the deployment of its robotaxi fleet.

This means that instead of owning and operating the fleet, Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) would sell its driverless cars to operators and license its autonomous driving technology and fleet management expertise for a fee.

4. IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ)

IonQ grew its share prices by 7.81 percent on Tuesday to close at $49.67 each as investors took heart from an investment firm’s bullish rating for its stock.

In a market note on the same day, Jefferies issued a “buy” recommendation for IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) at a price target of $100 apiece. The figure marked a 101 percent upside potential from its latest closing price.

Jefferies said that its coverage reflected IonQ Inc.’s (NYSE:IONQ) trapped-ion infrastructure, which differentiates the latter through superior coherence, fidelity, and native all-to-all connectivity capabilities in the industry.

The price target, on the other hand, reflected Jefferies’ discounted 2030 revenue projections, representing approximately 60x enterprise value to sales.

It said it expects further upside potential for the company as it executes its strategy, expands partnerships, and continues to develop the quantum ecosystem.

In other news, IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) announced the successful deployment of Slovakia’s first national quantum communication network, which it developed in partnership with the Institute of Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences (IPSAS).

IonQ Inc. (NYSE:IONQ) said that the new system features a resilient hybrid architecture designed to strengthen the country’s cybersecurity infrastructure and support Europe’s quantum digital programs.

3. Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL)

Circle Internet surged by 10 percent on Tuesday to finish at $83 apiece as investors loaded portfolios after Visa announced that it will now allow banks in the US to transact using USDC stablecoins.

In a statement, Visa said that with USDC settlement, issuers are expected to benefit from faster fund transactions over blockchains, seven‑day availability, and enhanced operational resilience across weekends and holidays, without any change to the consumer card experience.

Initial banking participants include Cross River Bank and Lead Bank, which have started settling with Visa in USDC over the Solana blockchain.

Broader availability in the US is planned through 2026.

The adoption marks a huge win for Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL), which created and currently issues USDC stablecoins.

“Visa is expanding stablecoin settlement because our banking partners are not only asking about it—they’re preparing to use it,” said Rubail Birwadker, global head of growth products and strategic partnerships at Visa.

“Financial institutions are looking for faster, programmable settlement options that integrate seamlessly with their existing treasury operations. By bringing USDC settlement to the US, Visa is delivering a reliable, bank‑ready capability that improves treasury efficiency while maintaining the security, compliance, and resiliency standards our network requires,” he added.

Additionally, Circle Internet Group (NYSE:CRCL) also partnered with Visa for Arc—a new Layer 1 blockchain which offers the performance and scalability needed to help support Visa’s global commercial activity on-chain.

2. Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM)

Affirm Holdings snapped a three-day losing streak on Tuesday, jumping 11.77 percent to close at $73.39 apiece as investors cheered news that it successfully renewed its partnership with e-commerce giant Amazon Inc.

According to the company, it was able to renew its contract with Amazon for another five years until January 2031, largely on terms in line with the current program.

Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) started its partnership with Amazon in August 2021, where it was tapped to provide flexible payment solutions to the e-commerce giant’s customers.

Following the news, Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) reaffirmed its “outperform” rating from investment firm Evercore ISI, alongside a price target of $95. The figure marked a 29 percent upside potential from its latest closing price.

According to Evercore ISI, its coverage reflected expectations that international volume growth would significantly benefit the company in 2027 and beyond.

Founded in 2012, Affirm Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:AFRM) is a company offering installment payment solutions as well as a Buy Now, Pay Later scheme.

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2026, the company swung to a net income of $80.69 million from a $100 million net loss in the same period last year.

Total revenues surged by 33.7 percent to $933 million from $698 million year-on-year.

1. Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI)

Fermi surged by 13.39 percent on Tuesday to close at $9.74 apiece as investors poured funds back into AI and high-performance computing companies, having priced in concerns about heavy investments in the sector.

Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) rallied alongside its counterparts riding the AI wave, including Applied Digital Corp., after technology stocks took a beating on Monday amid concerns about the technology giants’ heavy billion-dollar spending on the sector.

Additionally, investors appeared to have bargain-hunted after Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) nosedived the previous day following news that one of its major tenants pulled out from an earlier leasing agreement.

In a regulatory filing last week, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) said that the prospective tenant, which it refused to name, had inked a $150 million leasing agreement with the company earlier, but later decided to pull out of the agreement.

However, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) said that it remains in discussions with other companies for potential leasing agreements.

The capacity was supposed to come from its 11 GW data center campus in Texas.

In support of the campus development, Fermi Inc. (NASDAQ:FRMI) earlier this month inked a power supply agreement with Southwestern Public Service Company (SPS), a subsidiary of Xcel Energy, for the delivery of up to 200 MW of power capacity to the data center.

While we acknowledge the potential of FRMI to grow, 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 FRMI and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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