Weekly Winners｜United Continental Rallied 20%; Walgreens Boots Alliance Surged 17%; Morgan Stanley Soared 9.6%

This week, which stocks lagged? Weekly Winners column keeps up with market trends, helping Tigers sort out the week's hottest sectors, stock winners and important news.

Below are top 10 S&P 500 stock gainers for the week ended Oct. 18:

United Continental shares rally 20% amid brighter revenue forecast

United Continental shares climbed this week, on news that the airline expects an increase of $3.1 billion in operating income by 2018.

The income will draw from both increased revenue and reduced costs, including installing “slimline seats” which allow for fitting more passengers on a given plane, and increased customer segmentation. The company also expects to make $300 million from reducing delays and increasing reliability.

Walgreens Boots Alliance rallied 17% this week on Q4 Earnings Beat, Turnaround Efforts

Walgreens on Tuesday reported fiscal fourth-quarter sales and adjusted profit that beat Wall Street’s expectations, as the company slashes costs in an attempt to steer itself out of a rough spot.

The retail drugstore chain also said it plans to close roughly 1,200 stores over the next three years, which includes 500 in fiscal 2025 alone. The company said those closures will be “immediately accretive” to its adjusted earnings and free cash flow.

Blackstone’s Credit Arm Is Now Top Business, Fueling Profits

Blackstone Inc. posted an increase in third-quarter profit as its credit arm was boosted by an influx of investor cash and became its biggest business by assets.

U.S.-listed shares of the company rose 13% this week.

Morgan Stanley's Bumper Earnings Power Stock to Record High

Morgan Stanley said Wednesday that its profit for the third quarter surged 32% from a year ago, lifted by more activity out of its investment bank, notably across fixed-income underwriting work for clients.

The results cap off a series of earnings from big U.S. banks that showed investment banking businesses are humming again after high interest rates prompted an industry-wide slowdown two years ago. Shares of Morgan Stanley rose 9.6% this week.