It's been a tough month for stocks. The S&P 500 notched its worst July performance since 2014, falling 0.1%.
These were the biggest gainers and laggards in the index this month:
The top performer in July was Cognizant Technology Solutions, with shares of the IT and consulting company gaining 43%. The stock jumped 11% on Wednesday after the company reported mixed second-quarter earnings, but raised its full-year profit outlook.
Accenture moved 33% higher in July as positive sentiment around the Dublin-based IT and consulting company picked up. Since mixed fiscal third-quarter earnings triggered the stock's worst single-day percentage decline on record on June 18, the stock has advanced 30%.
PayPal stock advanced 32% in July. Just months into its business turnaround, PayPal second-quarter earnings this week showed investors there's progress. The company highlighted improvement in several key metrics, among them transaction margin dollars, a measure of profitability.
Workday added 31% in July as several enterprise software providers benefited from the slumping artificial-intelligence trade. Shares of Workday, the human-resources software provider, booked an impressive winning streak from July 24 to July 29, surging 31% in that time frame. As the AI-trade reignited somewhat Thursday, Workday faltered 5.9% before moving higher once more on Friday.
Willis Towers Watson climbed 29% higher this month. Shares advanced 6.4% on Thursday after the insurance broker reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, maintained full-year guidance along with its long-term margin targets, and announced its AI "acceleration plan." Business momentum is picking up, according to management.
The biggest loser in the S&P 500 this month? Sandisk, which declined 47% in July. The stock was arguably the poster child of the AI selloff as it suffered its worst month on record. Sandisk has reaped the benefits of a severe industry shortage of NAND flash memory, but shares had little room left to run -- even counting the recent slide, they are still up more than fivefold this year.
Corning trailed close behind, falling 46%. The formerly red-hot AI infrastructure stock suffered its worst day in four months after earnings, as conservative guidance overshadowed solid second-quarter results. The company specializes in glass for cellphone and television screens, as well as optical fiber used in data centers.
KLA Corp. was off 39% in July. While the semiconductor equipment maker was already caught up in a broader sector selloff, second-quarter earnings only added to the pain. KLA's latest numbers modestly beat analysts' estimates -- but failed to impress a market that had set a high bar heading into the print.
Marvell Technology tumbled 37% this month. Another casualty of the dip in chip stocks, Marvell stock has more than doubled in 2026. The stock has benefitted from continued investment in AI networking, and positive trends around custom chips and cloud infrastructure. At the same time, this makes shares sensitive to changes in Big Tech spending plans.
Intel fell 35%. Although the chip maker posted strong second-quarter earnings last week, this wasn't enough to stop shares from falling. Intel was named a Barron's stock pick in mid-April; in spite of the recent selloff, shares have gained more than 40% since the recommendation was made.
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