Thursday was one of those days where good news from individual companies couldn't save the broader market from its own anxieties. Even with Nvidia's strong quarterly performance making headlines, investors spent most of the day nursing losses. The culprit? A robust jobs report showing 119,000 new non-farm payrolls in September, which threw cold water on hopes for a December rate cut. Traders now see a 64% chance the Fed will keep rates exactly where they are.
The damage was spread pretty evenly across the major indexes. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 0.8% to close at 45,752.26. The S&P 500 had it worse, dropping 1.56% to 6,538.76, while the Nasdaq took the biggest hit with a 2.16% slide to 22,078.04.
But amid the sea of red, a handful of stocks managed to capture the attention of retail traders and institutional investors alike. Here's what made them stand out.
Walmart Inc. (WMT)
Walmart (WMT) was the day's big winner, with shares rocketing 6.46% higher to close at $107.11. The stock touched an intraday high of $107.91 and dipped to $102.68 before settling near the top of its range. For context, Walmart's 52-week range spans from $79.81 to $109.58.
The retail giant delivered exactly what Wall Street wanted: a clean beat across the board. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $0.62, topping the $0.60 consensus estimate, while revenue climbed 5.8% to $179.5 billion. But the real story was in the growth drivers. Global e-commerce surged 27%, showing that Walmart's digital transformation isn't just buzzwords on an investor presentation. Even more impressive was the 53% jump in advertising revenue, as the company continues building out its retail media business.
Management felt confident enough to raise its fiscal 2026 guidance for both EPS and revenue. And in a move that caught some by surprise, Walmart announced plans to shift its stock listing from the NYSE to Nasdaq in December 2025.
Intuit (INTU) had a more complicated day. Shares fell 2.03% during regular trading to $637.44, moving between a high of $664.54 and a low of $637.44. The stock's 52-week range is $532.65 to $813.48. But after the closing bell, sentiment shifted, and shares climbed 3.23% to $658 in after-hours trading.
The financial software company reported first-quarter revenue of $3.89 billion, comfortably beating analyst estimates of $3.76 billion. Intuit continues to lean heavily into its AI-driven strategy, which management says remains a key growth engine for the business.
The initial market reaction was likely tied to guidance. For the second quarter, Intuit expects revenue growth of 14% to 15% and adjusted earnings per share between $3.63 and $3.68—below the $3.83 consensus estimate. For the full fiscal 2026, the company maintained its revenue outlook at $21 billion to $21.19 billion and forecast adjusted earnings of $22.98 to $23.18 per share, roughly in line with what analysts were expecting.
Gap (GAP) shares declined 1.79% during regular trading, closing at $23.06 after hitting a high of $24.20 and a low of $23.01. The stock's 52-week range is $16.99 to $29.29. But like Intuit, Gap saw renewed interest after hours, with shares jumping 5.25% to $24.27.
The apparel retailer reported third-quarter earnings of 62 cents per share, beating the analyst estimate of 59 cents. Revenue came in at $3.94 billion, ahead of the $3.91 billion consensus. The earnings beat was enough to boost investor confidence even as the broader market struggled.
Gap also raised its fiscal 2025 revenue forecast to a range of $15.36 billion to $15.4 billion, slightly above the $15.32 billion estimate. Not a huge increase, but in this environment, any upward revision counts as good news.
SanDisk Corporation (SNDK)
SanDisk (SNDK) had the kind of day that makes momentum traders nervous. Shares plummeted 20.33% to $195.96, trading as high as $254.60 and as low as $192.62. The stock's 52-week range is an eye-popping $27.90 to $284.76.
The selloff came amid speculation about SanDisk's potential inclusion in the S&P 500. The company's market cap has climbed to around $40 billion following a staggering 585% rally over the past six months. That kind of growth has positioned SanDisk as a serious contender for inclusion in the index, which could impact other candidates like Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy) when the S&P conducts its next reshuffle on December 5.
But here's the twist: analysts suggest SanDisk's volatile, AI-driven surge might actually give the committee pause. The company's size and rapid ascent could delay not just its own inclusion, but Strategy's chances as well. Index committees tend to prefer stability, and a 585% six-month rally is the opposite of that.
Moderna, Inc. (MRNA)
Moderna (MRNA) shares dropped 7.53% to $22.36, after peaking at $24.91 earlier in the session. The stock hit a low of $22.32, which also happens to be its 52-week low. Not exactly the kind of milestone companies celebrate.
The biotech company laid out an ambitious roadmap for the next few years, targeting up to 10% revenue growth in 2026 and planning to expand its seasonal vaccine lineup from three products to six by 2028. Moderna expects readouts from nine Phase 2/3 oncology trials and aims to cut GAAP operating expenses by about $500 million annually as it works toward cash breakeven in 2028.
To shore up its balance sheet, Moderna secured a $1.5 billion credit facility from Ares Management, with milestones attached. The plan sounds solid on paper, but the market clearly wasn't impressed—at least not on Thursday.
For what it's worth, market data indicates Walmart stock currently ranks in the 40th percentile for value, placing it somewhere in the middle of the pack when compared to retail giants like Amazon and Costco.
