Ten stocks capped off Friday’s trading boasting strong gains, defying a market bloodbath, as investors took path from a flurry of strong corporate earnings and upbeat outlooks, among others. Of the 10 in the list, six hit new record highs.
In contrast, Wall Street’s main indices all finished in the red, led by the Nasdaq, down 1.59 percent, followed by the S&P 500 losing 1.33 percent, and the Dow Jones, dropping 0.95 percent.
In this article, we spotlight the 10 top-performing companies on Friday and break down the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused on the companies with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko on Pexels
10. Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE:PBR)
Petroleo Brasileiro soared to a new two-year high on Friday after three straight days of decline, as investor sentiment was buoyed by its return to profitability and the distribution of $1.5 billion in dividends.
At intra-day trading, Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE:PBR) climbed to its highest price of $17.83 before paring gains to finish the session just up by 5.29 percent at $17.62 apiece.
In the fourth quarter last year, Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE:PBR) swung to a net income attributable to shareholders of $2.889 billion from a $2.78 billion net loss in the same period a year earlier. Sales revenues jumped by 13 percent to $23.6 billion from $20.8 billion year-on-year.
Petroleo Brasileiro SA (NYSE:PBR) attributed the increase to its excellent operational results, backed by an 11 percent jump in total oil and gas production, which offset a 14 percent decline in Brent crude prices.
Following the results, investment firm Morgan Stanley raised its price target to $20 from $17.50 previously and maintained an “overweight” rating for the stock, amid management signals that it would readjust prices regardless of international benchmarks while avoiding immediate volatility pass-through to domestic prices.
“We expect upward earnings revisions and remain OW (overweight),” it said.
9. Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR)
Equinor rallied for a third consecutive day on Friday to hit a new two-year high, mirroring the industry’s rally backed by the continued surging crude oil prices.
At intra-day trading, Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) jumped to its highest price of $33.64 before paring a few cents to finish the session just up by 5.76 percent at $33.59 apiece.
As of writing, WTI increased by 12.21 percent to $90.90 per barrel, while Brent crude was up by 8.86 percent at $92.98 per barrel amid the intensified war in the Middle East.
Last month, Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) announced a net income of $5.06 billion in full-year 2025, marking a 43 percent decline from the $8.8 billion in 2024. Total revenues and other income, on the other hand, inched up by 3 percent to $106.46 billion from $103.77 billion year-on-year.
For the fourth quarter alone, net income stood at $1.3 billion, lower than the $2 billion in the same period a year earlier. Total revenues declined by 8 percent to $25.3 billion from $27.65 billion year-on-year.
“With new fields on stream and strong operations, we deliver record-high production and competitive returns in 2025. We continue to allocate capital to further develop and maximise value from the Norwegian continental shelf. At the same time, we are delivering focused growth in our international oil and gas portfolio and building our integrated power business, now focusing on the execution of already-sanctioned projects,” he added.
For this year, Equinor ASA (NYSE:EQNR) is targeting to ramp up production by 3 percent year-on-year. It also announced a $1.5 billion share buyback program to boost shareholder value.
8. XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV)
XPeng rallied for a third consecutive day on Friday, as investors positioned portfolios ahead of the release of its earnings performance in the fourth quarter and full-year 2025.
According to the company, it is scheduled to release its financial and operating highlights for the said periods before market open on Friday, March 20. An earnings call will be held to discuss the results.
For the fourth quarter alone, XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) is targeting to report a 33.5 percent to 42.8 percent jump in total revenues to a range of 21.5 billion yuan to 23 billion yuan.
However, the company fell short of its vehicle delivery targets of 125,000 to 132,000 units, having turned over only 116,249 smart vehicles in the fourth quarter, based on its monthly reports for October, November, and December.
In the first two months of the year alone, XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) delivered a total of 35,267 units, of which 20,011 units were turned over in January, while 15,256 vehicles were distributed last month.
XPeng Inc. (NYSE:XPEV) is a smart electric vehicle company based in China targeting the technology-savvy middle-class markets.
7. JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ:JD)
JD rallied for a second day on Friday, jumping 6.12 percent to close at $27.03 apiece, after an investment firm reaffirmed its “buy” recommendation and price target for the stock.
In its market report, Benchmark maintained its rating and $38 price target for JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) following the results of its earnings performance last year, saying that the latter showed resiliency in the fourth quarter despite trade-in subsidy tapering and category headwinds.
In the full-year period, JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) said that it dropped its net income attributable to shareholders by 50 percent to $2.8 billion from $5.67 billion in 2024. However, total net revenues increased by 18 percent to $187.2 billion from $158.76 billion year-on-year.
In the fourth quarter alone, JD.com Inc. (NASDAQ:JD) swung to a net loss attributable to shareholders of $388 million from a $1.35 billion attributable net income in the same quarter a year earlier.
Total net revenues increased by 6 percent to $50.38 billion from $47.5 billion.
To support shareholder value, the company announced the distribution of dividends amounting to $0.5 per ordinary share and $1 per ADS to all holders on record as of April 9, 2026 (Beijing, Hong Kong, and New York time), payable on April 23 for ordinary shareholders, and on April 29 for ADS holders.
6. Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION)
Lionsgate Studios soared to a nearly two-year high on Friday, as investors took heart from its recently clinched partnership with Scentbird for the launch of a new fragrance inspired by one of its highest-grossing films globally.
At intra-day trading, Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION) climbed to its highest price of $11.02 before paring gains to finish the session just up by 6.71 percent at $10.66 apiece.
In a statement, Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION) and Scentbird said that they would offer on the Scentbird platform a Twilight Saga-inspired floral amber fragrance, with notes of decadent macadamia and creamy woods, to capture its fans and evoke its signature atmosphere.
“This collaboration with Scentbird brings The Twilight Saga to life in an immersive and experiential way, captivating fans and first-time discoverers through a scent experience designed to be both shared and collected,” said Lionsgate Studios Corp. (NYSE:LION) Consumer Products Director Debbie Olshan.
The Twilight Eau de Parfum will be available for a limited time through Scentbird via subscription and select à la carte formats.
The Twilight Saga is a five-series film series that has grossed more than $3.36 billion worldwide.
It is the listed firm’s second-highest-grossing film, next to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
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