Wednesday was one of those quirky market days where the broader indices couldn't quite find their footing—the Nasdaq dropped more than 100 points—but plenty of individual stocks had reason to celebrate. Sometimes the best stories happen when everyone else is looking the other way.
Leading the charge was Daktronics, Inc. (DAKT), which posted quarterly earnings that made analysts look a bit too conservative. The company reported earnings of 35 cents per share, comfortably ahead of the 27-cent consensus estimate. Revenue came in at $229.253 million, beating expectations of $214.077 million. Investors rewarded the performance, sending shares up 15.7% to $20.80.
The Day's Biggest Winners
But Daktronics wasn't even the top performer of the session. That honor went to Photronics, Inc. (PLAB), which absolutely exploded 44% to $37.00 after delivering better-than-expected fourth-quarter results and guiding first-quarter expectations above what analysts were anticipating. When you beat on both the past and the future in one announcement, good things tend to happen to your stock price.
Nextdoor Holdings, Inc. (NXDR) climbed 24.6% to $2.5050 after EMJ Capital's Eric Jackson took to social media to declare the company "The Most Mispriced Agentic-AI Platform of the 2020s." Nothing like a well-timed bullish call to get investors' attention.
Braze, Inc. (BRZE) rose 17.5% to $36.00 after raising its fiscal 2026 adjusted EPS and sales guidance. The boost came on the heels of third-quarter revenue that exceeded expectations, giving management confidence to upgrade their outlook.
Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. (PLAY) jumped 14% to $20.50 following its third-quarter results, proving that the arcade-restaurant concept still has some game left in it.
SuperX AI Technology Limited (SUPX) gained 13.8% to $19.63, while GE Vernova Inc. (GEV) climbed 11.8% to $699.59 after a corporate trifecta: raising its fiscal 2028 outlook, boosting its dividend, and expanding its share buyback authorization. That's how you tell shareholders you're feeling confident.
DBV Technologies S.A. (DBVT) gained 11.2% to $19.09, and Warby Parker Inc. (WRBY) rose 11% to $25.77.
Dyne Therapeutics, Inc. (DYN) gained 10.5% to $20.38 after announcing the pricing of an upsized $350.0 million public offering of common stock. ABIVAX Société Anonyme (ABVX) rose 8.6% to $133.24, while Olema Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (OLMA) gained 8.1% to $28.67.
The Middleby Corporation (MIDD) rose 6.3% to $137.15 after Jefferies analyst Saree Boroditsky upgraded the stock from Hold to Buy and raised the price target from $130 to $175. That's a meaningful vote of confidence.
Rounding out the winners, EchoStar Corporation (SATS) gained 5.6% to $98.80 after Morgan Stanley upgraded the stock from Equal-Weight to Overweight and lifted its price target from $82 to $110.