By Adam Sarhan,Contributor,Jemal Countess

Copyright forbes

WASHINGTON, DC – APRIL 30: Co-Founder and CEO for Palantir Technologies Alex Karp speaks onstage during Jacob Helberg at the Hill & Valley Forum 2025 on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Jacob Helberg)
Getty Images for Jacob Helberg

As we prepare for the fourth quarter of 2025, I find it very useful to look at the strongest stocks in 2025. I sort stocks on a year-to-date percent change basis. This exercise helps me easily spot “leading” stocks and it helps remove emotions from the decision making process. Also, it helps me find leading stocks and wait for proper buy points because many times, leading stocks tend to be in strong uptrends that can last several years. Of course, there’s a chance any and all of these stocks fall. It’s just a good exercise to see what the strongest stocks are in the market at any given time.

Here are the ten strongest mega-cap stocks (so far) in 2025:

1. Palantir (PLTR)

Palantir is the strongest performing mega cap stock in the market (as of this writing 9/30/25) on a year-to-date percent change basis. Palantir is a leading tech/AI stock that is growing rapidly. The company continued converting a large pipeline of government and commercial contracts into sustainable recurring revenue in 2025. Its platform-based approach is unique because it integrates data, analytics, and operational workflows. All that makes it sticky among large customers who increasingly treat Palantir as a mission-critical software partner. Expansion into vertical solutions and success in platform monetization (subscription plus consumption-based fees) contributed to stronger revenue visibility and improving operating leverage. As profitability metrics advanced, market skepticism diminished and the multiple expanded.

2. AppLovin (APP)

AppLovin is another monster stock in 2025. The company developed a mobile app ecosystem to help developers monetize their work. The company is ad-tech and mobile-software player that combines effective user-acquisition tools, a growing independent game publishing arm, and targeted monetization services to grow earnings by triple digits in each of the past 4 quarters. In 2025, the company benefited from robust mobile-ad demand, improvements in measurement and privacy-safe targeting, and a higher-margin mix of platform services. Strategic investments in creative optimization, in-app commerce, and cross-promotion improved ROI for advertisers and developers, boosting revenue per active user and driving solid margin improvements.

3. General Electric (GE)

General Electric’s (yes the giant industrial company) stock has soared this year. GE’s turnaround gained traction recently thanks in part to Trump’s made in America policies. GE is a leader in aviation, renewable-energy equipment, grid technologies, and many other important industries in our economy. The company has been able to focus on higher-value services and long-term service agreements which increased recurring revenue and smoothed cyclicality. Capital redeployment toward high-return businesses, debt reduction, and portfolio simplification enhanced investor confidence. Renewable and electrification tailwinds — particularly in gas turbines and wind-turbine services — supported a favorable outlook for orders and backlog conversion. All this has helped GE become one of the strongest performing mega cap stocks in 2025.

4. Oracle (ORCL)

Oracle’s stock is an absolute monster stock. The stock vaulted over 40% after its most recent earnings report. That move made Larry Ellison the richest man in the world, surpassing Elon Musk! Oracle’s recent pivot to multi-year cloud based services has been a huge win. The company has emphasized autonomous database capabilities and verticalized cloud stacks and all that led to massive earnings and revenue growth. Subscription and cloud services growth accelerated as enterprise customers migrated mission-critical workloads to Oracle’s Gen2 and industry-focused cloud offerings. All this has helped sales and revenue grow.

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5. Uber (UBER)

Uber has grown far beyond just being a ride-hailing app. Today, it’s a global platform that moves people, food, and goods across dozens of countries—and in 2025, the company really hit its stride. Uber leaned on a multi-pronged growth playbook: the rebound (and expansion) of ride-share demand, profitable scaling of its delivery and logistics businesses, and new ways to monetize the platform through dynamic pricing, subscription offerings, and enterprise partnerships have all helped the stocks rally. At the same time, driver utilization and overall platform efficiency improved, which boosted unit economics. International market recoveries added another layer of growth, while Uber’s heavy investment in routing technology, machine learning, and bundling rides with delivery helped expand margins and strengthen market share against local rivals.

6. RTX (RTX)

RTX, the aerospace and defense giant formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, has been steadily reshaping itself into a more focused industry leader. That transformation paid off in 2025. Global defense budgets remained elevated, aerospace supply chains continued to improve, and commercial aerospace services proved resilient—all of which fueled organic growth. RTX also leaned on its reliable aftermarket and services revenue, while operational efficiencies and selective divestitures helped strengthen margins. With strong free cash flow, the company was able to buy back stock and reduce debt—moves that reassured investors looking for balance sheet discipline during a year of economic uncertainty.

7. Broadcom (AVGO)

Broadcom has built a unique business that combines its world-class semiconductor products with a fast-growing software portfolio. That mix gives the company both steady hardware revenue and recurring, high-margin software income—a rare balance in the tech world. In 2025, Broadcom saw strong demand for networking gear, data center connections, and broadband and AI infrastructure. On the software side, margins have been stable and predictable. Broadcom has also benefited handsomely from the growth in AI.

8. Nvidia (NVDA)

Nvidia continued to dominate and remains a standout leader in the AI, Crypto, Graphics, and gaming space. Strong adoption of generative AI workloads across hyperscalers, enterprises, and cloud providers kept demand for Nvidia’s data-center GPUs extremely high. Nvidia is a great example of a leading stock that has been leading for years. If you look at a monthly chart of Nvidia, you’ll see a very impressive uptrend. There’s a strong chance this uptrend will continue as we head into Q4 2025 and beyond.

9. Goldman Sachs (GS)

Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s most influential investment banks, stood out from its peers in 2025. The firm saw stronger investment banking activity, steady inflows into its asset-management arm, and solid trading revenues. A rebound in mergers, acquisitions, and capital markets deals—especially in key regions—helped boost results. Goldman also secured lucrative advisory work on corporate restructurings and strategic acquisitions. On top of that, tight expense control and smarter use of capital drove higher returns and profitability. Its growing consumer and private-wealth businesses added another layer of stability, helping smooth out earnings in what’s often a cyclical industry.

10. Philip Morris International (PM)

Philip Morris International, best known for its iconic cigarette brands, has been reshaping itself into a broader smoke-free and nicotine-focused company. That transition gained real traction in 2025. The company’s heated tobacco and vaping products continued to win over consumers, driving growth even as traditional cigarette volumes declined. Strong demand for its IQOS platform and other reduced-risk products helped boost both revenue and margins. At the same time, Philip Morris managed costs tightly and generated solid cash flow, which supported dividends and buybacks—key priorities for investors. The result was a more balanced, forward-looking business model that’s less dependent on traditional tobacco sales.

Key themes tying these names together

Leadership in structural growth markets: AI compute, cloud, aerospace/defense, and mobile monetization.

Mix shifts to recurring, higher-margin revenues: software, services, aftermarket.

Strong cash generation: enabling buybacks, debt reduction, or M&A to increase shareholder returns.

Operational improvement and disciplined capital allocation: reduced execution risk and supported multiple expansion.

Risks and watch points

Macroeconomic sensitivity: Several names (GE, RTX, GS) remain cyclical and could see earnings pressure if growth slows.

Regulation and geopolitics: Defense, semiconductors, tobacco alternatives, and AI infrastructure face regulatory and cross-border risks that can affect revenue and margin outcomes.

Competition and execution: Fast-moving spaces (AI, cloud, ad-tech) require continual product execution; missteps could compress expected growth.

These are the 10 strongest performing mega cap stocks in 2025. For the most part, these companies are able to grow their earnings, revenue, and have predictable cash flow. While each stock carries company-specific risks, the ten strongest stocks in 2025 reflect the strongest mega cap stocks in 2025. Barring some unforeseen sell off, these stocks can continue to lead as we head into Q4 and beyond.

Disclaimer:

These are not buy ideas & no investment advice is being given.

Everything is for informational and educational purposes only.

Past performance is not indicative of future results.

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