Past years: 2025
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Over 2026 so far, 53% of the 4,359 ranked companies are higher and the median move was +1.7%; Energy led on median (+15.8%) and Communication Services lagged (-8.0%). The S&P 500 fund (SPY) moved +7.83% between its Dec 31, 2025 and Nov 6, 2026 closes. A company that began trading during the period is measured from its first close, over a shorter window.
Among the 4,359 NYSE, Nasdaq and NYSE American stocks currently eligible for this ranking, MGRT (Mega Fortune Company Limited) has the highest gain in 2026 so far with +1,502%. Following are MRNA (+762%) and BUUU (+719%).
This ranking shows the top performing US stocks and biggest stock gainers of 2026, calculated from January 1st to the most recent trading day. See which stocks delivered the highest returns this year.
Year-to-date performance shows which names have led so far this year. Gains use split-adjusted closing prices, so a stock split does not show up as a move; they measure price change only, and dividends are not added back.
Among the 4,359 NYSE, Nasdaq and NYSE American stocks currently eligible for this ranking, MGRT (Mega Fortune Company Limited) has the highest gain in 2026 so far with +1,502%. It is followed by MRNA (+762%) and BUUU (+719%). These are the largest gains in this ranking rather than recommendations.
Every figure runs from January 1, 2026 to the most recent trading day, measured on split-adjusted closing prices, so a split inside the year contributes nothing to the number. The window has a fixed start rather than a rolling one, which is what separates this board from the 52-week ranking: each year has its own board, so a year's page keeps its figures once the year closes, while the 52-week figures keep rolling forward.
4,359 companies with a market capitalization above $100 million traded on NYSE, Nasdaq and NYSE American, each with at least one trading day inside 2026. A company needs only one close inside the year to qualify here, whereas the 52-week board needs a close a full year back, which is why this board admits more companies than that one: every company listed during 2026 appears here and cannot appear there.
Because that company's return did not accrue over the whole period. A symbol whose current trading history began inside 2026, through a recent listing or a relisting, has no January price to measure from, so its figure runs from the day that history begins and the dagger says so. Reading such a row as a year-to-date return would compare a partial window against full ones.
The five highest-gaining companies sit in Technology, Healthcare and Industrials, with the leader MGRT in Technology. That describes the top of this list, not a sector ranking: the board orders individual companies by their own price change, and the market-context strip under the table reports the median move of each sector's ranked companies, across NYSE, Nasdaq and NYSE American.
Year-to-date (YTD) performance measures how much a stock's price has changed since January 1st of the current year. This metric is valuable for several reasons:
Several factors can influence a stock's year-to-date performance:
See exactly how much a YTD top performer would have returned on your investment with our Stock Return Calculator. Planning regular investments? The DCA Calculator shows how dollar-cost averaging into these stocks would have performed.
