Ten stocks ended the trading session with strong gains on Friday, outperforming an overall lackluster market performance, thanks to a series of positive news, including buy recommendations and newly inked partnerships, among others.
Meanwhile, the Dow Jones ended in the green, but up by only 0.13 percent. The tech-heavy Nasdaq dropped 0.32 percent, while the S&P 500 dipped by 0.01 percent.
In this article, we identified 10 of Friday’s best-performing mid-cap stocks and detailed the reasons behind their strengths.
To come up with the list, we considered only the stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and $5 million in trading volume.
10. Celsius Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CELH)
Celsius Holdings rallied for a second day on Friday, adding 4.24 percent to close at $37.88 apiece as investors continued to hunt for bargains following two investment firms’ “buy” recommendations for its stock.
Earlier this week, Jefferies assigned a “Buy” recommendation on Celsius Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CELH) with a price target of $45, higher than the $44 previously. The adjustment reflected its acquisition of Alani Nu as well as its outlook guidance, which aligns with the market consensus.
In its quarterly results, Celsius Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:CELH) said that it is targeting to post adjusted EBITDA growth of 17 to 20 percent for the year, which falls within the 19 percent as targeted by analysts.
Meanwhile, Needham & Company maintained its “buy” recommendation and price target of $47 on Celsius Holdings Inc.’s (NASDAQ:CELH) stock.
Deutsche Bank, for its part, gave a more conservative “hold” recommendation with a lower price target of $33 from $35 previously.
9. Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETSY)
Etsy extended its winning streak for a fourth consecutive day on Friday, adding 4.45 percent to finish at $55.35 apiece as investors cheered the company’s adoption of artificial intelligence.
At the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference 2025 on Wednesday, Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETSY) CEO Josh Silverman and CFO Lanny Baker outlined the company’s growth trajectory and achievements while navigating market challenges, including the integration of AI and agentive commerce to beef up customer experience and drive traffic and sales.
It added that the company is setting its sights on international expansion in Germany and other European countries to boost growth.
In the first quarter of the year, Etsy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ETSY) swung to a net loss of $52 million from a $63 million net income in the same period last year.
Revenues ended at $651 million, relatively flat from the $646 million year-on-year.
8. CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV)
CoreWeave ended a two-day losing streak on Friday, jumping 5.46 percent to finish at $111.31 apiece as investors resorted to bargain-hunting to take advantage of the dips.
In the prior day, CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) touched a new all-time high of $130.76 as investors loaded on Artificial Intelligence-related stocks, boosted by tech giant Nvidia Corp.’s impressive earnings performance for the first quarter of the year. CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) heavily relies on Nvidia’s GPUs for its cloud services.
In recent news, the company entered into a four-year agreement with OpenAI for another $4 billion worth of services. The amount was on top of the initial $11 billion strategic deal signed previously.
In the first quarter of the year, CoreWeave, Inc. (NASDAQ:CRWV) widened its net loss attributable to shareholders by 188 percent to $370 million from $129 million year-on-year. Revenues expanded by 420 percent to $981.6 million from $188.7 million in the same period last year.
7. Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH)
Enphase Energy grew its share prices by 5.48 percent on Friday to finish at $41.39 apiece as investors snapped up shares following news that President Donald Trump’s “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA) is now raising opposition from the minority in the Senate.
Having hurdled the House of Representatives last week, the OBBBA seeks to secure historic tax cuts, deficit reduction, and border security, among others.
However, it would also result in millions of Americans stripped of existing benefits, including healthcare and solar tax credits, with the bill looking to end tax credits for clean energy sources as early as end-2025.
The move sparked fears among investors that the bill, if passed into law, could significantly raise prices of solar products, dampen demand, and dent profit margins of clean energy producers, including Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH).
In the first quarter of the year, Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:ENPH) swung to a net income of $29.7 million from a $16-million net loss in the same period last year.
Revenues increased by 35 percent to $356 million from $263 million year-on-year.
6. Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR)
Palantir Technologies rose by 7.73 percent on Friday to close at $131.78 apiece following news that it secured additional contracts from the Trump administration, sparking investor optimism about the huge role it plays for the government.
Last week, Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) clinched a new $795-million deal with the Department of Defense to support the US Army through its Maven Smart System software licenses through 2029. According to The New York Times, this was on top of another $113 million contract with other government agencies.
According to the report, citing six government officials, representatives of Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PLTR) are in talks with the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service for the potential sale of its technology.
The series of contracts came amid the Trump administration’s cuts in government spending, with the establishment of the Department of Government Efficiency, and recently, the pushing into law of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,” which aims to save trillions of dollars in government spending, among others.
5. Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS)
Hims & Hers ended a three-day losing streak on Friday, growing 7.94 percent to finish at $56.56 apiece as investor sentiment was boosted by its pivot into a new strategy to bolster its business.
Part of the scheme included job cuts, which the company embarked on and impacted 68 employees across multiple divisions.
“While not easy, this step reflects our commitment to invest in the areas that will define our future,” a spokesperson from Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (NYSE:HIMS) was quoted as saying in an interview with Bloomberg.
“As part of this broader change, we will continue to actively hire for roles critical to our long-term strategy,” the official added.
The layoffs followed Hims & Hers Health, Inc.’s (NYSE:HIMS) cessation of production of knockoff versions of the blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic drugs, originally developed by Novo Nordisk, following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) exclusion of the said drugs from its shortage list.
4. Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U)
Unity Software grew its share prices by 9.72 percent on Friday to close at $26.08 apiece as investor optimism was fueled by bullish outlooks from analysts.
On Friday, Morgan Stanley raised its price target for Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U) to $15 from $12 previously, while reaffirming its Equalweight rating for the stock.
The revision was based on the company’s upgraded outlook for this year and the next, spurred by its strong first-quarter earnings performance.
Another investment firm, Jefferies, raised its stock recommendation for the company to “buy” from “hold” previously, with a price target of $29.
According to the company, the adjustment was based on expectations of enhanced revenue growth from its improved Vector ad model.
In recent news, Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U) narrowed its net loss by 73 percent in the first quarter of the year to $77.9 million from the $291.5 million registered in the same period last year, while revenues declined by 5.4 percent to $435 million from $460 million year-on-year on the back of lower revenues from its core businesses.
For the second quarter of the year, Unity Software Inc. (NYSE:U) said that it is targeting to hit revenues between $415 million and $425 million, as well as adjusted EBITDA of $70 million to $75 million.
3. Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS)
Zscaler saw its share prices increase by 9.79 percent on Friday to close at $275.70 apiece as investors cheered the appointment of its new chief finance officer (CFO), while digesting its mixed earnings performance.
In a statement, Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) welcomed Kevin Rubin as its new CFO, who is set to play a critical role in scaling the company’s global finance organization. He will replace Remo Canessa, who stepped down for retirement last year.
Canessa will remain with Zscaler until the end of the fiscal year 2025 in an advisory capacity to support the transition.
Rubin’s appointment followed Zscaler, Inc.’s (NASDAQ:ZS) mixed earnings results for the third quarter of fiscal year 2025.
According to the company, it swung to a net loss of $4.1 million from a $19.1-million net income in the same quarter last year. Revenues, however, increased by 23 percent year-on-year to $678 million from $553 million.
For the nine-month period, Zscaler, Inc. (NASDAQ:ZS) remained at a net loss of $23.9 million, albeit 44 percent lower than the $42.8 million net loss posted in the same period a year earlier. Revenues in the past three quarters grew by 24 percent to $1.95 billion from $1.57 billion.
2. MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP)
MP Materials extended its winning streak for a third straight day on Friday, jumping 10.22 percent to close at $21.79 apiece as investor sentiment appears to have been buoyed by the possibility of China relaxing curbs on rare earth minerals exports.
The new policy shift followed mounting calls that curbs on rare earth minerals could disrupt production of several industries, including vehicle manufacturing and semiconductors, which are both heavily reliant on rare earth mines.
According to a report by China Daily, the Chinese government is looking into the possibility of easing controls for such supply chains.
Last month, MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP), the US’s only rare earth minerals miner, stopped shipping mines to China for processing after the Chinese government slapped a 125-percent tariff on US imports.
The move essentially halted a major source of revenue for MP Materials Corp. (NYSE:MP), which relied on its Chinese partners to refine rare earth elements for years.
1. Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY)
Pony AI grew its share prices by 12.30 percent on Friday to close at $19.26 apiece as investors resorted to bargain-hunting following two straight days of decline.
Just recently, Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY) joined forces with Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The partnership was in line with the company’s international expansion plans, while supporting the city’s 2030 Smart City Vision of transitioning its transportation system to 25 percent autonomous over the next five years.
According to Pony AI Inc. (NASDAQ:PONY), initial supervised trials are set to launch in 2025, followed by fully driverless operations in 2026.
Additionally, the robotaxi firm plans to start mass production and deployment of its seventh-generation robotaxis in the second half of 2025, while ramping up its robotaxi fleet globally to thousands of vehicles within the next two years.
It also collaborated with industry leaders such as Toyota, GAC Motor, and BAIC Motor to develop its seventh-generation robotaxis.
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