This week, which stocks lagged or dragged? 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 April 24:
An "Incredible Week" for Chip Makers
The PHLX Semiconductor Index rose 4.3% on Friday, extending its longest winning streak on record, based on data going as far back as May 1994, according to Dow Jones Market Data.
AMD shares soared 24.9% this week, attaining a market capitalization above $500 billion for the first time ever. That’s in part due to Intel’s validation of the broader CPU narrative.
Intel’s stock surged 23.6% on Friday, its largest one-day gain since 1987, and is up 20.5% this week. Intel topped Wall Street estimates and signaled a return to growth as the AI boom leads to demand for its central processing units.
Texas Instruments forecast second-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, anticipating a boost in demand for its analog chips amid the data center boom, sending its shares up 20.6% this week.
ON Semiconductor shares jumped 18.5% this week, hitting a 15-day winning streak.
Microchip Technology shares gained 13.6% this week, while NXP Semiconductors rose 13%.
United Rentals Stock Surges on Q1 Beat and Raise
United Rentals shares soared 22.4% this week, after the firm handily topped first-quarter earnings estimates and raised its full-year guidance amid strong growth in nonresidential construction and the mining sector.
The company reported first-quarter earnings of $9.71 a share, compared with $8.86 a share a year ago and well above Wall Street’s expectation of $8.95 a share. First-quarter revenue for the heavy machinery and equipment rental company grew by 7% to $3.98 billion, topping the analyst consensus view of $3.87 billion, according to FactSet.
TI Projects Upbeat Quarterly Results on Strong Data Center Chip Demand
Texas Instruments forecast second-quarter revenue and profit above Wall Street expectations on Wednesday, anticipating a boost in demand for its analog chips amid the data center boom.
Texas Instruments makes analog chips, which perform a range of functions, including regulating power systems and converting signals such as sound, temperature or light into digital data that can be processed by other semiconductors.
Tech firms have been spending aggressively to bolster their AI ambitions by constructing massive data center projects and buying large quantities of chips to run such infrastructure.
Intel Forecasts Second-Quarter Revenue Above Estimates
Intel forecast second-quarter revenue above Wall Street expectations on Thursday, underscoring booming demand for the company's server processors used for artificial intelligence in data centers.
The company expects revenue of between $13.8 billion and $14.8 billion, compared with an estimate of $13.07 billion, according to data compiled by LSEG. Intel’s second-quarter adjusted per-share profit guidance of 20 cents handily beat expectations of 9 cents a share.
After years of management blunders left the former icon of chipmaking without a meaningful foothold in the booming artificial-intelligence industry, CEO Lip-Bu Tan put a revival plan in place to shore up Intel's balance sheet through asset sales and layoffs.
Baker Hughes Tops Estimates, Says Oilfield Activity Hit by Middle East Disruptions
Oilfield services provider Baker Hughes beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit, as strong demand in its industrial and energy technology unit offset drilling weakness caused by disruptions in the Middle East. The shares rallied 15.3% this week.
A surge in electricity demand from data centers, along with investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), gas infrastructure and grid equipment, lifted orders in the IET unit.
First-quarter IET orders rose to $4.89 billion from $3.18 billion a year earlier.
GE Vernova Lifts 2026 Outlook as AI Boom Fuels Power Equipment Demand
GE Vernova raised its annual forecasts for revenue and adjusted core profit margin, betting on surging demand from data centers and grid infrastructure, sending its shares up 14.6% this week.
A sharp rise in electricity demand, particularly from power-hungry data centers tied to artificial intelligence, is boosting orders for gas turbines and grid equipment, strengthening the company's core businesses even as its wind unit struggles.
It expects revenue of $44.5 billion to $45.5 billion in 2026, compared with $44 billion to $45 billion earlier, and adjusted EBITDA margin of 12% to 14%, up from 11% to 13% earlier.
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