Investors turned generally cautious on Thursday, as evidenced by the lackluster performance of Wall Street’s major indices, as they went in a wait-and-see mode ahead of the US inflation data for August due tomorrow, September 26.
But while the market struggled, 10 companies broke away from the pack, posting gains and drawing massive investor attention with more than 100 million in trading volume during the session.
In this article, we spotlight the names of the 10 companies that stood out amidst an overall market decline, and detail the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with more than 100 million shares in trading volume across all market capitalizations.
A stock market data. Photo by Alesia Kozik on Pexels
10. Denison Mines Corp. (NYSEAmerican:DNN)
Shares of Denison Mines grew by 4 percent on Thursday to close at $2.86 apiece as investors loaded positions amid renewed optimism for the uranium and nuclear industries.
During the session, a hefty 97 million shares changed hands.
Earlier this week, technology giants Nvidia Corp., Alibaba Group, and OpenAI announced a wave of billion-dollar investments that bolstered rosy prospects for the nuclear industry.
Denison Mines Corp. (NYSEAmerican:DNN), for its part, stands to benefit from the expected stronger demand for power, as its uranium products are crucial in fueling nuclear power plants for AI companies such as data centers that require a massive amount of electricity.
To support its expansion plans, the company last month successfully raised $345 million in fresh funds from the issuance of convertible notes due 2031.
Proceeds from the offer will be used for the development of its flagship Phoenix In-Situ Recovery uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, Canada, while the balance will be used for future investment decisions.
9. NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO)
NIO grew its share prices by 4.92 percent on Thursday to close at $7.47 apiece, nearly hitting a new all-time high, as investors took path from an investment firm’s bullish coverage for its stock.
During the session, NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) soared to $7.68—3 cents shy of its highest 52-week price of $7.71. It also marked its fourth straight day of gains.
On Wednesday, Citigroup raised its price target for NIO Inc.’s (NYSE:NIO) Hong Kong shares to HK$65.90 from HK$62.50 and maintained its “buy” rating on the stock. The analyses influenced overall trading in the company’s shares on both the Hong Kong and New York stock exchanges.
According to Citi, it added NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO) to its 30-day upside catalyst watch, indicating that it expects the latter to rapidly rise in the short term.
Citi’s upgrade sparked renewed investor confidence after the company over the weekend announced a potential six-month delay in the delivery of its newly launched ES8 vehicle.
According to NIO Inc. (NYSE:NIO), it sold out the 40,000 unit production capacity of the ES8 amid strong demand. It added that new orders would face a waiting time of 24 to 26 weeks, or delivery as early as March 2026.
8. Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC)
Shares of Intel Corp. soared to a new all-time high on Thursday, as investors cheered the luring of Apple Inc. to invest in the company.
During the session, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) touched its highest 52-week price of $34.25 before a slight profit-taking to end the day just up by 8.87 percent at $33.99 apiece.
According to the company, it persuaded Apple Inc. to invest as part of its efforts to bolster its business.
Early talks are now ongoing on how to work more closely together. However, negotiations can still fall through.
Earlier this month, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) secured a $5 billion investment from chip giant Nvidia Corp.
The partnership would also cover the joint development of AI infrastructures and personal computing products that accelerate applications and workloads across hyperscale, enterprise, and consumer markets.
Additionally, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) and Nvidia will focus on seamlessly connecting their architectures using the latter’s NVLink, which would integrate the strengths of NVIDIA’s AI and accelerated computing with Intel’s leading CPU technologies and x86 ecosystem to deliver cutting-edge solutions for customers.
For data centers, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) will build NVIDIA-custom x86 CPUs that NVIDIA will integrate into its AI infrastructure platforms and offer to the market.
For personal computing, Intel Corp. (NASDAQ:INTC) will build and offer to the market x86 system-on-chips (SOCs) that integrate NVIDIA RTX GPU chiplets. The new x86 RTX SOCs will power a wide range of PCs that demand integration of world-class CPUs and GPUs.
7. Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN)
Opendoor extended its rally to a second day on Thursday, jumping 10.45 percent to close at $9.09 apiece, as investors continued to cheer its investment support from Jane Street that saw the company raise more than $300 million in fresh funds.
According to a regulatory filing, Jane Street acquired 44 million shares in the company, representing a 5.9 percent stake. It clarified, however, that there were no activist plans in relation to the purchase.
Jane Street’s investment reflected a vote of confidence that followed leadership changes aimed at the company’s turnaround and revival from losses.
Earlier this month, Opendoor Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:OPEN) announced the return of its two founders, Eric Wu and Keith Rabois, as well as the appointment of Kaz Nejatian as its new chief executive officer (CEO).
The leadership reshuffle followed the resignation of former CEO Carrie Wheeler, after mounting calls from Opendoor Technologies Inc.’s (NASDAQ:OPEN) investors for the return of its founders.
As compared with Rabois, who is more aggressive in his business strategy, Wheeler was said to be more conservative and reactive.
6. Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC)
Shares of Lithium Americas rallied to another all-time high on Thursday, as investors continued to load up positions following news that the US government was keen on acquiring a sizable stake in the company.
In intra-day trading, Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC) soared to its highest 52-week price of $7.53 before paring gains to end the day just up by 22.63 percent at $7.37 apiece.
According to a report by Reuters, the Trump administration was setting its sights on a 10-percent stake in the lithium developer, as it sees the company supporting domestic lithium production and bolstering the production of rechargeable batteries.
General Motors, which is partnering with Lithium Americas Corp. (NYSE:LAC) for the development of the Thacker Pass Mine in Nevada, also rallied following the report.
Thacker Pass, which secured a $2.26 billion loan from the Department of Energy under the Biden administration, is expected to be fully operational by 2028 and become the largest supplier of lithium in the Western Hemisphere.
5. AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSEAmerican:ATCH)
AtlasClear extended gains for a second day on Thursday, climbing 23.15 percent to close at $0.8251 apiece as investors reacted positively to the return of a Wall Street veteran to its board of directors.
In a regulatory filing, AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSEAmerican:ATCH) welcomed the return of Steven Carlson as a board member effective on Wednesday, September 24, a year after stepping down from the board last year due to personal reasons. He will replace Sandip Patel, who assumed the role of the chief finance officer and general counsel, from being an independent director of the company.
“We are excited that Steve has agreed to return to our Board,” said AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSEAmerican:ATCH) Executive Chairman John Schaible.
“When Steve stepped away from the Board for personal reasons last year, it was a major loss of talent for the Company. Steve’s experience as co-founder of Marco Polo Exchange and CEO of MPS, former President of StoneX’s securities business, and Head of the global Emerging Markets business at Lehman Brothers, along with his prior service as a Board member of both the SPAC and ATCH, made him our preferred choice to add to the Board’s Independent members,” he added.
In other news, AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (NYSEAmerican:ATCH) successfully raised $2.4 million in fresh funds from a private placement of convertible promissory notes.
4. Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT)
Datavault rebounded on Thursday to test the $1 territory, soaring 28.43 percent to close at $0.8348 apiece, after securing a $150 million investment from Scilex Holding Company.
During the session, the company touched the $1 minimum bid price requirement of the Nasdaq exchange, but lost momentum toward the close.
In a statement, Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT) said the investment will be made into two tranches, the first being $8.067 million, while the remaining $141.9 million upon the receipt of its shareholders’ approval. The first tranche is expected to close on Friday, September 26.
Under the transaction, Scilex will receive more than 278.9 million shares of Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT) at a price of $0.5378 apiece.
The transaction was executed in Bitcoin at the spot exchange rate on Coinbase.
Datavault AI Inc. (NASDAQ:DVLT) said proceeds from the fundraising program will be used to build supercomputers and launch independent data exchanges in the US.
“We believe the investment is particularly significant for biotech, strengthening the company’s high-performance computing capabilities and supporting partnerships with the US Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory and IBM WatsonX,” said CEO Nathaniel Bradley.
“By leveraging Web 3.0, blockchain-secured data trading, and AI-driven analytics, Datavault AI aims to deliver secure, scalable solutions addressing trust, data integrity, and monetization challenges. The partnership with Scilex will also support the continued development of previously announced platforms, including the International Elements Exchange, International NIL Exchange, and American Politics Exchange.”
3. Plus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTV)
Shares of Plus Therapeutics soared by 39.29 percent on Thursday to finish at $0.5630 apiece as investors cheered a national coverage agreement with UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Under the partnership, Plus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTV), through its subsidiary CNSide Diagnostics LLC, will provide CNSide Cerebrospinal Fluid Tumor Cell Enumeration laboratory developed test (LDT) to over 51 million people in the US.
The deal could translate into higher revenues for CNSide and Plus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTV).
The CNSide CSF Assay Platform supports rapid diagnoses, treatment monitoring, and treatment guidance for patients with leptomeningeal metastases.
According to Plus Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:PSTV), more than 11,000 CNSide tests have been performed at more than 120,000 cancer institutions since 2020, delivering high sensitivity and specificity of 92 percent and 95 percent, respectively, while influencing treatment decisions in 90 percent of cases.
2. Cycurion, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYCU)
Cycurion extended its winning streak to a fourth consecutive day on Thursday, soaring 68.45 percent to close at $0.4858 apiece as investors gobbled up shares to support price recovery amid risks of getting delisted early next month.
This followed its failure to meet the Nasdaq’s minimum bid price requirement of $1 to continue trading on the stock exchange.
In April, or two months after debuting on the stock market, Cycurion, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYCU) received a notification letter from the Nasdaq informing of its failure to meet the minimum bid price, and its need to comply with the requirement for 10 business days until October 6, 2025.
From its market debut on February 18, the company only traded above $1 for four days beginning on its IPO date. It has not recovered ever since.
If Cycurion, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYCU) still fails to comply, it could face delisting from the stock exchange after seven months of being publicly listed.
Founded in 2017, Cycurion, Inc. (NASDAQ:CYCU) is a cybersecurity and technology solutions provider based in Virginia, USA.
1. PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ:PEPG)
Shares of PepGen soared by 121.05 percent on Thursday to end at $5.88 apiece as investors cheered stellar results from its clinical trial of an experimental drug to treat myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1).
In a statement, PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ:PEPG) said it saw a 53.7 percent correction in the key genetic error that drives the disease in patients taking 15 mg/kg of the drug candidate called PGN-EDODM1.
It was higher than any previously reported splicing correction in DM1 patients.
“We are delighted to report that the … clinical study achieved all of its key objectives, including unprecedented splicing correction following a single dose of PGN-EDODM1 at 15 mg/kg,” said Paul Streck, EVP for research and development.
“Since mis-splicing is the underlying cause of DM1, we believe high levels of splicing correction have the potential to reverse the underlying molecular defects, and produce functional improvements in multiple outcome measures, including myotonia and muscle weakness, in repeat dose studies.”
Following the results, PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ:PEPG) kicked off a $100 million public offering, covering the sale of 31.25 million shares at a price of $3.20 apiece.
PepGen Inc. (NASDAQ:PEPG) said it plans to use the proceeds to fund its ongoing research and clinical development efforts, including the DM1 clinical trials, while the balance will be allocated for other general corporate purposes.
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