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Millionaire-Makers: 10 Stocks That Paid Off Big Last Week

Ten companies boasted strong gains last week, thanks to a flurry of positive developments, including impressive earnings and upbeat outlooks, among others.

Meanwhile, on Friday alone, Wall Street’s three major indices finished in the red, led by Nasdaq dropping 0.94 percent, followed by the S&P 500 declining 0.43 percent, and the Dow Jones shedding 0.36 percent.

In this article, we identify the 10 top-performing stocks last week and detail the reasons behind their gains.

To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with more than $2 billion in market capitalization.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels

10. Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC)

Fluence Energy jumped by 14.22 percent week-on-week as investors positioned their portfolios ahead of the results of its earnings performance in the first quarter of fiscal year 2026.

Next Wednesday, February 4, Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) is scheduled to release its financial and operating highlights for the first quarter ending December 2025, to be followed by a conference call before market open on Thursday, February 5, to elaborate on the results.

Previously, the company outlined its outlook for the full fiscal year 2026, with revenues targeted between $3.2 billion and $3.6 billion, and adjusted EBITDA of $40 million to $60 million.

Earlier this month, Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) received higher price targets from analysts at Morgan Stanley and RBC.

Morgan Stanley, for its part, raised its price target for the stock to $16 from $14 previously, while maintaining its “equal weight” rating.

Meanwhile, RBC gave a $12 fair value assessment, higher by 20 percent than the $10 it gave prior, while keeping its “sector perform” rating.

In other news, Fluence Energy Inc. (NASDAQ:FLNC) inked a long-term agreement with BrightNight and Cordelio Power for the supply of its Gridstack Pro energy storage solutions for their Pioneer Clean Energy Center joint venture project in Yuma County, Arizona.

The development features a 300 MW AC solar facility with a 300 MW/1,200 MWh battery energy storage system and is expected to provide firm, on-demand capacity for Arizona’s electricity needs.

9. Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE)

Lumentum Holdings saw its share prices jump by 15.52 percent week-on-week as investors loaded portfolios ahead of the results of its earnings performance, while cheering an investment firm’s higher price target for its stock.

According to the company, it is scheduled to announce its financial and operating highlights for the second quarter of 2026 after market close on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. A conference call will be held to discuss the results.

On Friday, Lumentum Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:LITE) received a $350 price target from Morgan Stanley, a marked upgrade from the $304 previously. However, it maintained an “equal weight” rating for its stock.

“With LITE up ~100 percent since FQ1 results in early November, it is of little surprise that the name was the highest volume for incremental investors as we closed out the year,” Morgan Stanley said in its coverage, adding that the stock move was primarily driven by a more bullish sentiment on earnings power given price hikes leading to better-than-expected margins, optical circuit switching (OCS) opportunities, and exposure to Google through transceivers and OCS.

Morgan Stanley said that investors are now turning more neutral ahead of the upcoming results on concerns about how much higher expectations can still go, particularly as it sees the company will remain “capacity constrained” in many categories.

8. Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD)

Brookdale Senior Living jumped by 15.83 percent week-on-week, thanks to a combination of strong preliminary earnings results and a 31 percent price target upgrade from an investment firm.

On Friday alone, the stock soared to a nine-year high of $15.06 before paring gains to finish the session just up by 3.45 percent at $15 apiece.

Earlier in the week, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD) said that it expects to report $3.2 billion in revenues for the full year, representing a 3 percent uptick from the $3.1 billion in 2024.

However, net loss is projected to be wider by 30 percent at $263 million versus $202 million a year earlier, amid a higher non-cash impairment charges of approximately $71 million versus only $8 million in 2024.

Adjusted EBITDA is targeted to increase by 19 percent to $458 million, or end at the midpoint of its previously announced guidance.

For 2026, Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD) is targeting to grow its revenue per available room to a range of 8 to 9 percent, while looking at an adjusted EBITDA of $502 million to $516 million.

Following preliminary results, RBC Capital raised its price target for Brookdale Senior Living Inc. (NYSE:BKD) to $17 from $13 previously, while maintaining an “outperform” rating for the stock.

7. Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX)

Seagate Technology saw its share prices jump to a new all-time high, capping off the week higher by 17.79 percent, thanks to a strong earnings performance in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026.

On Thursday, Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) hit its highest price of $457.84 before profit-taking persisted on Friday to drag its share prices down by 8.71 percent to $407.69 apiece.

Still, the company remained one of last week’s top-performing stocks, as investor sentiment was fueled by a 76 percent expansion in net income to $593 million from $336 million in the same period a year earlier. Revenues also jumped by 21.5 percent to $2.8 billion from $2.3 billion year-on-year.

“Seagate’s December quarter results exceeded our expectations on both the top and bottom line, setting new records for gross margin, operating margin, and non-GAAP EPS. This performance highlights our team’s strong operational execution, the durability of data center demand, and the ongoing ramp of our HAMR-based Mozaic products,” Chairman and CEO Dave Mosley was quoted as saying in a statement.

“As AI applications amplify the creation and economic value of data, modern data centers increasingly need storage solutions that combine performance and cost-efficiency at exabyte-scale. Our areal-density-driven product roadmap positions us to meet the evolving storage requirements and exabyte demand growth, while creating significant value for our customers and shareholders for years to come,” Mosley concluded.

In the third quarter ending March, Seagate Technology Holdings plc (NASDAQ:STX) is targeting revenues to hit $2.9 billion at the midpoint, plus or minus $100 million, as well as diluted EPS of $3.40, plus or minus $0.20.

6. Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE:LBRT)

Liberty Energy boasted an 18.28 percent gain week-on-week to hit an all-time high, thanks to an upbeat business outlook in the short-term period amid expectations of stronger power demand.

On Thursday, the stock clocked its highest price of $27.21 before profit-taking persisted on Friday to end the day down by 2.68 percent at $24.65 apiece.

Earlier in the week, Liberty Energy Inc. (NYSE:LBRT) CEO Ron Gusek underscored company expectations that power demand would jump by more than threefold over the next four years and that the group is “well-positioned to support growth.”

Gusek unveiled Liberty Energy Inc.’s (NYSE:LBRT) plans to deploy 3 gigawatts of power by 2029 in a bid to capture and support power demand.

The upbeat outlook overshadowed a disappointing earnings performance in 2025, with net income falling 53 percent to $147.87 million from $316 million in 2024. Revenues also dropped by 7.2 percent to $4 billion from $4.3 billion year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter alone, net income dropped by 74 percent to $13.69 million from $51.89 million, despite revenues breaking past the $1 billion level, at $1.04 billion, or 10 percent higher than the $943 million in the same period a year earlier.

5. Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NYSE:DECK)

Deckers Outdoor grew its share prices by 19.36 percent week-on-week, bolstered by a strong earnings performance, thanks to its brands Ugg and Hoka.

In an earnings call, Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NYSE:DECK) said that it grew its net income for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 by 5.3 percent to $481 million from $456.7 million in the same period last year, while net sales grew by 7.1 percent to $1.96 billion from $1.83 billion year-on-year.

Ugg contributed the bulk of the revenues at $1.3 billion, up 4.9 percent from $1.24 billion in the same comparable period, while net sales from Hoka rose by 18.5 percent to $628.9 million from $530.9 million.

Meanwhile, sales from other brands decreased by 55.5 percent to $23.2 million from $52.1 million.

Following the results, Deckers Outdoor Corporation (NYSE:DECK) raised its growth outlook for the full fiscal year, with net sales now expected to be in the range of $5.4 billion to $5.425 billion, versus $5.35 billion previously.

Outlook for diluted earnings per share was also lifted to $6.80 to $6.85, from $6.30 to $6.39 previously.

“UGG and HOKA each delivered high levels of full-price selling, resulting in strong gross margins. We are on track to deliver another incredible year, with profitable growth at two premium and differentiated brands that operate in expanding segments of the global marketplace,” Deckers Outdoor Corp. (NYSE:DECK) President and CEO Stefano Caroti said.

4. Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI)

Robert Half jumped by 21.14 percent week-on-week, as investors loaded portfolios following an analyst’s price target upgrade for its stock.

In its market report, Truist raised its price target for Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI) by 14 percent to $40 from $35 previously, while maintaining its “buy” recommendation, suggesting confidence for the company despite it reporting a dismal earnings performance last year.

During the period, Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI) said net income dwindled by 47 percent to $132.99 million from $251.6 million in 2024, while service revenues declined by 7 percent to $5.38 billion from $5.79 billion year-on-year.

In the fourth quarter alone, net profit dropped by 42 percent to $31.7 million from $54.29 million in the same period a year earlier, while service revenues dipped by 5.8 percent to $1.3 billion from $1.38 billion.

Despite a higher price target, Truist lowered its EPS expectations for the listed firm to $1.40 from $1.71 previously due to expectations of higher selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) costs for this year and the next. It also cut its EPS estimate for 2027 to $2.50 from $2.88 prior.

Robert Half Inc. (NYSE:RHI) is a global talent solutions company providing staffing recruitment, and consulting across a wide range of services, including finance, accounting, technology, legal, marketing, and administration.

3. Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK)

Sandisk capped off the trading week higher by 21.6 percent as investors gobbled up shares after reporting a 672 percent net income expansion and gunning for as much as a 183 percent revenue jump in the third quarter of the year.

In an updated report, Sandisk Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK) said that net profit surged to $803 million from only $104 million in the same period last year, while operating income climbed by 446 percent to $1.065 billion from $195 million.

Revenues, on the other hand, rose by 61 percent to $3.025 billion from $1.876 billion, with the bulk owed to the Edge segment at $1.678 billion, followed by consumer at $907 million, and data center at $440 million.

Data center revenues alone were driven by the strong adoption among AI infrastructure developers, semi-custom customers, and technology companies deploying AI at scale.

For the third quarter of the year, revenues are targeted at a range of $4.4 billion to $4.8 billion, or an implied expansion of 159 percent to 183 percent from the $1.695 billion reported in the same period a year earlier. Gross margins are expected to be at 64.9 percent to 66.9 percent.

2. Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI)

Applied Optoelectronics jumped by 22.09 percent week-on-week to hit a new all-time high, as investors placed bets over strong confidence for its business while positioning ahead of the results of its earnings performance for full-year 2025.

Based on its historical earnings reporting dates, Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) is expected to announce its financial and operating highlights on February 26, 2025.

For the quarter, Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) is targeting to generate revenues between $125 million and $140 million, or an implied growth of 25 to 40 percent from the $100 million revenues in the same quarter in 2024.

It also targets to narrow its net loss to a range of $2.8 million to $9 million, versus a net loss of $119.7 million in the same period a year earlier.

Meanwhile, Applied Optoelectronics Inc. (NASDAQ:AAOI) received an optimistic coverage from Zacks Research, saying that its laser transceivers are critical to the AI revolution “because they overcome the speed and bandwidth limitations of traditional copper cables, making them valuable for enabling the massive, low-latency data flow required from training and operating large AI models.”

“Additionally, with copper prices rising currently, these fiber optic cables are even more valuable,” it said.

1. Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV)

Viavi Solutions soared by 30.17 percent week-on-week despite ending Friday’s session on a weak note, as investors took heart from a corporate restructuring initiative that would result in cost savings of $30 million annually.

On Friday, the stock jumped to as high as $24.99, its highest in more than two decades, before giving up all gains to end the day down by 0.97 percent at $24.46 apiece.

Investors appeared to have welcomed its restructuring news to improve operational efficiencies, but this would result in the layoff of some 15 percent of its total workforce. It would also rationalize facilities and write off assets.

Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) said that it would incur $32 million in charges in connection with the employees’ severance payments.

The restructuring initiative is targeted for completion in June 2026.

In other news, Viavi Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:VIAV) swung to a net loss of $48.1 million in the second quarter ending December 2025, reversing a $9.1 million net income in the same period a year earlier. The figures came despite a 36 percent jump in net revenues for the same period, at $369.3 million versus $270.8 million year-on-year.

For the six-month period, net loss stood at $69.5 million, reversing a net income of $7.3 million in the same comparable semester. Revenues jumped by 31 percent to $668.4 million from $509 million.

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

READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires.

Disclosure: None. Insider Monkey focuses on uncovering the best investment ideas of hedge funds and insiders. Please subscribe to our free daily e-newsletter to get the latest investment ideas from hedge fund investor letters by entering your email below.

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Dr. Inan Dogan

Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

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Dr. Ian Dogan

Co-Founder and Research Director at Insider Monkey

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