Given that the second half of the year has been defined by volatility (especially in growth stocks) and worries about artificial intelligence, you’d think the best-performing large-cap stocks would be lucky to have eked out single- or barely double-digit gains.
But the fact of the matter is, the headline indexes have all put together another solid year, with the Dow up 14.3%, the Nasdaq up 22.2% and the S&P 500 up 17.7%.
And for as much ink as has been spilled over the Magnificent 7 stocks, the best-performing large-cap stocks have left all of them in the dust.
In fact, none of those seven stocks even made the following top 20 list, which sports a surprisingly high barrier to entry: Every single name on this list has returned 200% (or more) in 2025 alone.
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Here they are, in descending order of their year-to-date (YTD) returns.
The 20 Best-Performing Large-Cap Stocks by YTD Returns
1. Regencell Bioscience (RGC): 19,892%
2. Abivax (ABVX): 1,799%
3. Sandisk (SNDK): 569%
4. Sibanye Stillwater (SBSW): 365%
5. EchoStar (SATS): 365%
6. Lumentum (LITE): 361%
7. IREN Ltd. (IREN): 329%
8. Hecla Mining (HL): 316%
9. Bloom Energy (BE): 311%
10. AST SpaceMobile (ASTS): 305%
11. Western Digital (WDC): 294%
12. Oklo Inc. (OKLO): 289%
13. AngloGold Ashanti (AU): 288%
14. Bitmine Immersion (BMNR): 278%
15. Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI): 248%
16. D-Wave Quantum (QBTS): 247%
17. IAMGOLD Corp. (IAG): 245%
18. Guardant Health (GH): 235%
19. Coeur Mining (CDE): 230%
20. Micron Tech (MU): 228%
Regencell (RGC) is the hands-down winner, having trounced the performance of every other stock on this list. The company is a biotech focused on using Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat ADHD and autism. The company doesn’t generate any revenue, and the full-year earnings release saw the company’s auditor question whether the company can even remain a going concern.
Even setting aside the YTD returns, that’s a lot of red flags.
The second name on this list is also a biotech. Abivax took off like a rocket back in July following positive Phase 3 data for its ulcerative colitis drug obefazimod. The company is currently conducting a 44-week trial that should generate results sometime in Q2 of next year, and if those are positive, regulatory filings should follow in the second half.
Thematically, there are a handful of clear trends in this list as well.
It includes a number of gold stocks which, obviously, have been on an impressive run due to the solid performance of gold all year.
There are also a few space-focused names (AST SpaceMobile and EchoStar), one of which has been a big winner for Cabot Stock of the Week subscribers.
You’ll also find D-Wave Quantum, one of the leaders of the quantum computing trend.
Lastly, it’s clear that the AI/data center trend still has legs to it, as both Western Digital and Sandisk made it to the top 20 due to insatiable demand for data storage.
Given their incredible performance this year, it’s safe to say that some of these names will start heading in the other direction. That being said, there are some that are still showing solid momentum, even after tripling in the last 12 months alone.
And if you’re curious about which of them still have upside going forward, you may want to consider subscribing to Cabot Top Ten Trader, where you’ll not only find a few familiar names from this list but also a fresh batch of stocks that are just getting started.
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*This post has been updated from a previously published version to reflect current market conditions.
