20 stocks in the S&P 500 that gained the most in 2025

By Philip van Doorn Companies that added to huge gains the previous year included Robinhood, Palantir, Carvana and GE The S&P 500 was up 16.4% for 2025, following a 23.3% gain in 2024. Updated with year-end prices. Following another excellent year for the broad U.S. stock market, it is time to show a list of the best performers in the S&P 500, but also to put the market's gains into some perspective. All price changes in this article exclude dividends. The S&P 500 SPX was up 16.4% for 2025 through Tuesday's close, following gains of 23.3% in 2024 and 24.2% in 2023. In 2022, the index declined 19.4%, according to data provided by LSEG. So the four-year price change from the end of 2021 through 2025 43.6%. That made for a compound annual growth rate of 9.5% for the S&P 500 for the four-year period. Here is how the 11 sectors of the S&P 500 performed During 2025: For the second consecutive year, the S&P 500 Communications sector has been the best performer among the 11 sectors of the large-cap U.S. benchmark index. Here are the 20 stocks in the S&P 500 that showed the largest gains for 2025. The list is limited to stocks that have traded for the entire year. Two of the three current companies springing from the "old" General Electric made the list. GE is still, technically, General Electric (GE), "operating as GE Aerospace." The company completed the separation of GE Vernova (GEV) in April 2024, after having completed the separation of GE HealthCare Technologies (GEHC) in January 2023. Shares of GE HealthCare Technologies were up 4.9% for 2025. Intel (INTC) is on the list with an 84% gain for 2025 following a 27% decline in 2024. The latest of a slew of investments in the company during 2025 was Nvidia Corp.'s (NVDA) $5 billion purchase of Intel shares on Dec. 26. Palantir Technologies (PLTR) was the best performer among the S&P 500 during 2024, when the stock rose 340.5%. The stock added another 135% gain for 2025. Related: Tech's biggest bull lists his top 5 AI stocks for 2026, and Nvidia isn't one of them Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is on the list with a 173% gain for 2025, as Paramount continues its attempt to trump WBD's agreement to have its streaming and studios business acquired by Netflix (NFLX). One surprise on the list may be Tapestry's stock (TPR), as the parent of Coach and Kate Spade branded luxury accessories brands overcame tariff concerns and a cautious consumer to produce four straight quarters of year-over-year sales growth. Click on the tickers for more about each company, including news coverage, price ratios, ratings, estimates and financials. Read: Tomi Kilgore's guide to the wealth of information available for free on the MarketWatch quote page Don't miss: These stocks fell hard in 2025, but analysts see as much as 65% upside for them in 2026 -Philip van Doorn This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. (END) Dow Jones Newswires 01-01-26 0629ET