Ten companies stood firmer on Thursday, bucking a mixed market sentiment, as investors loaded portfolios amid a flurry of macroeconomic catalysts including AI optimism, energy demand growth, and bullish analyst coverage, among others. Of the top-performing stocks, three notably notched new record highs.
Meanwhile, only the Dow Jones and the S&P 500 finished in the green, albeit the latter inched up by only 0.01 percent. The former, on the other hand, jumped 0.55 percent.
The tech-heavy Nasdaq was the sole loser, clocking a 0.44 percent loss.
Indices aside, we spotlight the 10 top performers on Thursday and detail the reasons behind their gains.
To come up with the list, we focused exclusively on stocks with a $2 billion market capitalization and 5 million shares in trading volume.
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10. APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA)
APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA) grew its share prices by 8.47 percent on Thursday to close at $25.37 apiece as investors took heart from an investment firm’s bullish outlook for the overall liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry amid the rapidly growing demand for power.
In a market report, Zacks Research said that investors seeking higher exposure in the energy industry should consider four companies in their portfolio, namely APA Corporation (NASDAQ:APA), Coterra Energy, Antero Resources, and W&T Offshore amid their leadership in the sector, saying that the industry is already entering a phase where demand growth is no longer speculative but tied to real, large-scale infrastructure.
“At the same time, gas-fired power generation is seeing a renewed push, driven by rising electricity needs from data centers, electrification, and industrial load growth. These demand sources are long-cycle in nature and require reliable baseload energy, positioning natural gas as a preferred fuel,” Zacks said.
Meanwhile, the research firm said that APA Corporation’s (NASDAQ:APA) asset base in the US, Egypt, and the North Sea, supported by an ongoing exploration in Suriname, offers multiple growth levers.
“Egypt’s natural gas acreage carries meaningful upside under improved pricing, while Suriname provides long-term exploration potential through a capital-light joint venture. Cost-saving initiatives and disciplined spending further support flexibility across cycles,” it said.
Zacks also highlighted APA Corporation’s (NASDAQ:APA) beating of the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings in three of the last four quarters, reflecting strong growth.
9. GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GDS)
GDS Holdings extended its winning streak for a third day on Thursday, jumping 8.61 percent to close at $41.75 apiece as investors took path from its subsidiary’s successful raising of $2 billion in fresh funds to finance its planned global expansion.
In a regulatory filing earlier this week, GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GDS) said that DayOne Data Centers Ltd. successfully entered into definitive agreements with US-based technology-focused investment firm Coatue, the Indonesia Investment Authority, as well as other institutional investors based in the US, Europe, and Asia for the sale of its Series C shares, aligning closely with its focus to expand in the European and Asia Pacific regions.
“The Series C financing will enable DayOne to accelerate the next phase of its global expansion. In Europe, the proceeds are expected to advance the development of DayOne’s Finland platform, centered on major hyperscale campuses in Lahti and Kouvola, which form the foundation of DayOne’s broader European strategy,” GDS Holdings Limited (NASDAQ:GDS) said.
“In Asia-Pacific, the capital will be deployed to support the continued scale-out of DayOne’s footprint across the SIJORI (Singapore–Johor–Riau Islands) region—comprising Singapore, Johor and Batam—as well as markets in Thailand, Japan and Hong Kong, enhancing DayOne’s ability to deliver high-density, AI-ready capacity with speed and sustainability,” it added.
The initiative followed the first two fundraising programs in 2024 covering Series A and B shares for a total of $1.9 billion.
It also earned the backing of Brookfield Asset Management and an unnamed sovereign investor for another 1 billion euros of debt facility.
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