The 25 best and 10 worst S&P 500 stocks of 2026 through the Nov 2 close, with dividends, how far each sits below its 2026 high, and how many of this year’s biggest winners have already given much of it back.
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Through the Nov 2, 2026 close, the best‑performing S&P 500 stock of 2026 is Moderna, up 648.8% including dividends, followed by Sandisk (+352.9%), Dell Technologies (+215.2%) and Micron (+192.3%); 13 of the top 25 are chip, hardware or AI data center companies under the rule below. The S&P 500 itself, through the SPY fund, returned 11.2% over the same stretch.
Moderna’s biggest jump came in one day: the stock rose 177% on Aug 19. Behind it, the list is a story of two trades. One is the hardware behind AI: memory (Sandisk, Micron), storage (Seagate, Western Digital, NetApp, Everpure), servers (Dell, Hewlett Packard Enterprise) and chips (AMD, Marvell). The other is oil refining: Marathon Petroleum, Valero and Phillips 66 all more than doubled. By sector, the top 25 holds 14 technology, 4 energy and 4 health care stocks.
| # | Company | Ticker | Sector | 2026 return | Below 2026 high | Chip / AI tag |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moderna | MRNA | Healthcare | +648.8% | −10.2% | — |
| 2 | Sandisk | SNDK | Technology | +352.9% | −54.0% | Yes |
| 3 | Dell Technologies | DELL | Technology | +215.2% | −33.2% | Yes |
| 4 | Micron Technology | MU | Technology | +192.3% | −31.3% | Yes |
| 5 | Marathon Petroleum | MPC | Energy | +167.7% | −11.3% | — |
| 6 | Valero Energy | VLO | Energy | +137.8% | −17.0% | — |
| 7 | Bloom Energy | BE | Industrials | +125.9% | −43.3% | Yes |
| 8 | Advanced Micro Devices | AMD | Technology | +118.0% | −28.1% | Yes |
| 9 | Phillips 66 | PSX | Energy | +117.6% | −7.5% | — |
| 10 | Seagate Technology | STX | Technology | +116.3% | −45.6% | Yes |
| 11 | Hewlett Packard Enterprise | HPE | Technology | +115.6% | −30.3% | Yes |
| 12 | CrowdStrike | CRWD | Technology | +106.3% | −13.3% | — |
| 13 | APA Corp. | APA | Energy | +105.3% | −7.6% | — |
| 14 | Marvell Technology | MRVL | Technology | +102.0% | −45.8% | Yes |
| 15 | Western Digital | WDC | Technology | +96.8% | −54.6% | Yes |
| 16 | Palo Alto Networks | PANW | Technology | +90.9% | −16.2% | — |
| 17 | Lumentum | LITE | Technology | +85.7% | −39.6% | Yes |
| 18 | Texas Instruments | TXN | Technology | +77.9% | −8.2% | Yes |
| 19 | NetApp | NTAP | Technology | +75.7% | −22.5% | Yes |
| 20 | Illumina | ILMN | Healthcare | +72.8% | −22.9% | — |
| 21 | Nucor | NUE | Basic Materials | +71.6% | at its high | — |
| 22 | Everpure | P | Technology | +69.8% | −27.5% | Yes |
| 23 | Charles River Laboratories | CRL | Healthcare | +69.7% | −10.0% | — |
| 24 | Target | TGT | Consumer Defensive | +66.5% | −6.8% | — |
| 25 | DaVita | DVA | Healthcare | +63.5% | −22.9% | — |
| S&P 500 (SPY fund) | SPY | Index | +11.2% | −3.5% | ||
| S&P 500 Equal Weight (RSP fund) | RSP | Index | +16.2% | −0.9% |
“2026 return” is the total return from the Dec 31, 2025 close to the Nov 2, 2026 close, with dividends reinvested. “Below 2026 high” compares the Nov 2 close with the highest close from Jan 2 through Nov 2, 2026. These are price facts, not a view on any stock.
Most of them. Take the 50 S&P 500 stocks with the biggest 2026 gain at their own 2026 high; each was up at least 81.3% at that point, and the median was up 134.7%. By the Nov 2 close, 38 of the 50 were 20% or more below that high, 29 were 30% or more below, and 27 had given back more than half of their peak gain. The median of the group is now up 59.3%, 32.0% under its high. Only 30 of the 50 are still in this year’s top 50.
The give‑back has one shape. 22 of the 50 peaked in June 2026, and 21 of those are now 20%+ below their high. 28 of the 38 round‑trips carry the chip / AI tag above. Intel is the clearest case: up 282.0% at its Jun 22 high, up 62.5% now, 57.5% below the peak.
| Company | Gain at 2026 high | High date | 2026 return now | Below 2026 high |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandisk | +883.6% | Jun 25 | +352.9% | −54.0% |
| Western Digital | +333.5% | Jun 18 | +96.8% | −54.6% |
| Intel | +282.0% | Jun 22 | +62.5% | −57.5% |
| Marvell Technology | +272.8% | Jun 4 | +102.0% | −45.8% |
| Corning | +193.0% | Jun 29 | +41.5% | −51.7% |
| Applied Materials | +182.0% | Jun 30 | +46.3% | −48.1% |
| Ciena | +168.1% | Jun 2 | +21.6% | −54.6% |
| KLA | +148.9% | Jun 30 | +26.5% | −49.2% |
| Coherent | +131.3% | Jun 2 | +8.3% | −53.2% |
| Akamai Technologies | +84.7% | May 13 | −0.6% | −46.2% |
Across all 499 members, 151 are 20% or more below their 2026 high and the median member is 10.6% below it; the index fund is 3.5% below its Oct 6 high. A big year and a deep fall from the peak often sit side by side. How far the long‑run winners fell on the way is in how much the big winners fell along the way.
Slightly more than half. 260 of the 499 members (52.1%) returned more than the S&P 500 fund’s 11.2%. The median stock is up 12.3% and the average 16.7%. In 2026 the giants are the ones lagging, so the typical stock is ahead of the cap‑weighted index. For why beating the index is usually hard, see why most investors can’t beat the S&P 500.
| S&P 500 members, Dec 31, 2025 – Nov 2, 2026 | Value |
|---|---|
| S&P 500 fund (SPY), total return | +11.2% |
| Equal‑weight fund (RSP), total return | +16.2% |
| Median member | +12.3% |
| Members that beat SPY | 260 of 499 (52.1%) |
| Members up / down | 352 / 146 |
| Up 100% or more | 14 |
| Up 50% or more | 42 |
| Down 20% or more | 43 |
| Down 30% or more | 25 |
AppLovin is the worst, down 66.0%, followed by Reddit (−60.4%) and Fair Isaac (−57.2%). Four of the bottom 10 are software or internet companies (AppLovin, Reddit, Fair Isaac, Intuit), the mirror image of the hardware rally at the top.
| # | Company | Ticker | Sector | 2026 return | Below 2026 high |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 499 | AppLovin | APP | Technology | −66.0% | −65.8% |
| 498 | RDDT | Communication Services | −60.4% | −64.9% | |
| 497 | Fair Isaac (FICO) | FICO | Technology | −57.2% | −56.5% |
| 496 | Boston Scientific | BSX | Healthcare | −53.5% | −55.1% |
| 495 | CoStar Group | CSGP | Real Estate | −52.7% | −52.6% |
| 494 | Lululemon Athletica | LULU | Consumer Cyclical | −48.1% | −50.0% |
| 493 | Intuit | INTU | Technology | −46.1% | −45.3% |
| 492 | Insulet | PODD | Healthcare | −46.0% | −48.6% |
| 491 | Charter Communications | CHTR | Communication Services | −44.6% | −53.5% |
| 490 | Aptiv | APTV | Consumer Cyclical | −41.9% | −50.1% |
This study does not test next‑year returns. A stock that tripled can keep going or fall hard, and this year’s list already shows both inside ten months. The question of buying after a big run is tested in buying after a big run, and what long‑run winners shared before they won is in what the biggest stock winners had in common. Points investors often weigh (education, not advice):
Data. Exent’s count on daily closes from the Dec 31, 2025 close to the Nov 2, 2026 close. Returns are total returns, with dividends reinvested; the 2026 high is the highest dividend‑adjusted close from Jan 2 through Nov 2, 2026, not the intraday high. Figures may differ slightly from quote pages that show price only.
Members. The current S&P 500 list (as of Oct 20, 2026). 499 of its 503 lines have closes on both dates: two 2026 spin‑offs and one October listing have no Dec 31 close, and Kenvue has no close after Oct 30. Using today’s list means stocks that left the index during 2026 are not counted, which leans the numbers toward this year’s survivors. It also includes stocks added to the index during 2026; part of their gain may have come before they joined. Both share classes of Alphabet, Fox and News Corp are counted as listed.
Chip / AI tag. The industry rule plus the named list above, applied the same way to every member. Sectors are standard sector labels from company profiles.
All figures describe the past. This is not a forecast and not a recommendation for any stock.
This page looks back. Which stocks Gems ranks highest today, and why, is for members: $1.95 for a 3-day trial.
Among S&P 500 members, Moderna, up 648.8% with dividends from the Dec 31, 2025 close to the Nov 2, 2026 close. Sandisk (+352.9%), Dell Technologies (+215.2%) and Micron (+192.3%) follow. Moderna rose 177% in one day on Aug 19.
Through Nov 2, 2026, 260 of 499 members (52.1%) beat the S&P 500 fund (SPY), which returned 11.2% with dividends. The median member is up 12.3% and the equal-weight fund (RSP) 16.2%. This calculation does not attribute the difference.
Partly. 13 of the 25 best S&P 500 stocks of 2026 are chip, hardware or AI data center companies, mostly memory, storage and server makers. But many are 30% or more below their 2026 highs, and the biggest AI names lagged: Nvidia is up 8.6% and Alphabet down 10.7%.
This study does not test next-year returns. Of the 50 S&P 500 stocks with the biggest gains at their 2026 highs, 38 are already 20% or more below those highs. History of buying after big runs is mixed; past returns are not a forecast.
AppLovin, down 66.0% from the Dec 31, 2025 close to the Nov 2, 2026 close, followed by Reddit (−60.4%) and Fair Isaac (−57.2%).
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Educational content, not investment advice. Examples are illustrative; past performance does not guarantee future results.