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Friday's Big Winners: Ironwood Surges 58% on Strong Guidance, Tech Stocks Rally

MarketDash Editorial Team
2 hours ago
U.S. markets pushed higher Friday with the Nasdaq up more than 1%. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals led the charge with a 57.7% surge after issuing bullish 2026 guidance, while Baidu jumped on spinoff news and Vertiv climbed following a Barclays upgrade.

Friday turned into one of those days where the bulls showed up in force. U.S. stocks pushed higher across the board, with the Nasdaq Composite leading the charge with a gain of more than 1%. But while the broader market rally was nice, the real action was happening in individual stocks where some names posted the kind of gains that make you double-check your screen.

Ironwood Steals the Show

The biggest winner of the session? That would be Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IRWD), which absolutely skyrocketed after delivering guidance that caught investors' attention in a big way.

The pharmaceutical company laid out its 2026 roadmap, projecting Linzess US net sales between $1.125 billion and $1.175 billion. Total revenue is expected to land in the $450 million to $475 million range, and here's the kicker: Ironwood expects adjusted EBITDA to top $300 million for the year. That's the kind of profitability forecast that gets people excited.

The market's response? Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD) shares rocketed 57.7% to close at $5.32. Not a bad day's work.

Other Notable Movers

Ironwood wasn't the only stock putting up impressive numbers Friday. Here's a look at some other big winners from the session:

Aimei Health Technology Co., Ltd (AFJK) surged 34.2% to $85.90, posting the second-largest gain of the day.

SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. (SLS) continued its hot streak, climbing 22.2% to $4.6050. This came after the stock had already gained 14% on Wednesday, so momentum traders were clearly paying attention.

Sable Offshore Corp. (SOC) jumped 20.2% to $10.94. The move came as Benchmark analyst Subash Chandra reiterated the stock with a Buy rating and maintained a $20 price target, suggesting there's still plenty of upside from current levels.

T1 Energy Inc. (TE) gained 17.7% to $7.86, while TROOPS, Inc. (TROO) added 16.8% to reach $3.7400.

Technology names also had a strong showing. SkyWater Technology, Inc. (SKYT) rose 16.1% to $21.09, and Critical Metals Corp. (CRML) picked up 12.2% to $7.79.

China's Search Giant Makes Moves

Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) climbed 12.1% to $146.57 after announcing plans for a proposed spinoff and Hong Kong listing of Kunlunxin, its non-wholly owned AI unit. It's a strategic move that could unlock value and give the AI business more visibility as a standalone entity.

Denison Mines Corp. (DNN) gained 10.3% to $2.9350 following news that the company is ready to commence construction of its flagship Phoenix ISR project, along with a capital cost update that apparently sat well with investors.

Tech Stocks Keep Climbing

The semiconductor and tech sector showed broad-based strength throughout the session.

Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) rose 10.1% to $261.28, while Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (CORT) gained 9.2% to $37.98.

Astera Labs, Inc. (ALAB) jumped 9.1% to $181.53, and semiconductor equipment giant ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) added 8.7% to reach $1,163.31.

Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC) picked up 8.4% to $21.45, showing that energy storage plays continue to attract investor interest.

Analyst Upgrades Drive Action

Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT) climbed 7.4% to $174.08 after catching an upgrade from Barclays. The firm moved its rating from Equal-Weight to Overweight and sweetened the deal by raising its price target from $181 to $200. When a major Wall Street firm upgrades you and raises the price target above where you're trading, the stock tends to follow.

Finally, Intel Corporation (INTC) gained 7.1% to $39.51, continuing its recent recovery as investors reassess the chipmaker's turnaround prospects.

All in all, Friday delivered the kind of broad-based gains that keep market participants optimistic heading into the next trading session. With tech leading the way and multiple sectors participating in the rally, it was a reminder that when sentiment turns positive, the gains can spread quickly across the market.

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Friday's Big Winners: Ironwood Surges 58% on Strong Guidance, Tech Stocks Rally

MarketDash Editorial Team
2 hours ago
U.S. markets pushed higher Friday with the Nasdaq up more than 1%. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals led the charge with a 57.7% surge after issuing bullish 2026 guidance, while Baidu jumped on spinoff news and Vertiv climbed following a Barclays upgrade.

Friday turned into one of those days where the bulls showed up in force. U.S. stocks pushed higher across the board, with the Nasdaq Composite leading the charge with a gain of more than 1%. But while the broader market rally was nice, the real action was happening in individual stocks where some names posted the kind of gains that make you double-check your screen.

Ironwood Steals the Show

The biggest winner of the session? That would be Ironwood Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IRWD), which absolutely skyrocketed after delivering guidance that caught investors' attention in a big way.

The pharmaceutical company laid out its 2026 roadmap, projecting Linzess US net sales between $1.125 billion and $1.175 billion. Total revenue is expected to land in the $450 million to $475 million range, and here's the kicker: Ironwood expects adjusted EBITDA to top $300 million for the year. That's the kind of profitability forecast that gets people excited.

The market's response? Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (IRWD) shares rocketed 57.7% to close at $5.32. Not a bad day's work.

Other Notable Movers

Ironwood wasn't the only stock putting up impressive numbers Friday. Here's a look at some other big winners from the session:

Aimei Health Technology Co., Ltd (AFJK) surged 34.2% to $85.90, posting the second-largest gain of the day.

SELLAS Life Sciences Group, Inc. (SLS) continued its hot streak, climbing 22.2% to $4.6050. This came after the stock had already gained 14% on Wednesday, so momentum traders were clearly paying attention.

Sable Offshore Corp. (SOC) jumped 20.2% to $10.94. The move came as Benchmark analyst Subash Chandra reiterated the stock with a Buy rating and maintained a $20 price target, suggesting there's still plenty of upside from current levels.

T1 Energy Inc. (TE) gained 17.7% to $7.86, while TROOPS, Inc. (TROO) added 16.8% to reach $3.7400.

Technology names also had a strong showing. SkyWater Technology, Inc. (SKYT) rose 16.1% to $21.09, and Critical Metals Corp. (CRML) picked up 12.2% to $7.79.

China's Search Giant Makes Moves

Baidu, Inc. (BIDU) climbed 12.1% to $146.57 after announcing plans for a proposed spinoff and Hong Kong listing of Kunlunxin, its non-wholly owned AI unit. It's a strategic move that could unlock value and give the AI business more visibility as a standalone entity.

Denison Mines Corp. (DNN) gained 10.3% to $2.9350 following news that the company is ready to commence construction of its flagship Phoenix ISR project, along with a capital cost update that apparently sat well with investors.

Tech Stocks Keep Climbing

The semiconductor and tech sector showed broad-based strength throughout the session.

Sandisk Corporation (SNDK) rose 10.1% to $261.28, while Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated (CORT) gained 9.2% to $37.98.

Astera Labs, Inc. (ALAB) jumped 9.1% to $181.53, and semiconductor equipment giant ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) added 8.7% to reach $1,163.31.

Fluence Energy, Inc. (FLNC) picked up 8.4% to $21.45, showing that energy storage plays continue to attract investor interest.

Analyst Upgrades Drive Action

Vertiv Holdings Co (VRT) climbed 7.4% to $174.08 after catching an upgrade from Barclays. The firm moved its rating from Equal-Weight to Overweight and sweetened the deal by raising its price target from $181 to $200. When a major Wall Street firm upgrades you and raises the price target above where you're trading, the stock tends to follow.

Finally, Intel Corporation (INTC) gained 7.1% to $39.51, continuing its recent recovery as investors reassess the chipmaker's turnaround prospects.

All in all, Friday delivered the kind of broad-based gains that keep market participants optimistic heading into the next trading session. With tech leading the way and multiple sectors participating in the rally, it was a reminder that when sentiment turns positive, the gains can spread quickly across the market.