Software and cloud-related equities led U.S. stock movers on Thursday, with gains concentrated in large-cap technology names. Palantir Technologies advanced 4.72% and Salesforce climbed 21.73%, while Alibaba’s U.S.-listed shares fell 3.76%.
Among mega-cap stocks, Intel rose 2.76% and Broadcom gained 3.47%, offsetting Alibaba’s decline. The broader software sector showed strength, with Veeva Systems up 16.35% following a second-quarter revenue and earnings beat and raised full-year guidance. MicroStrategy added 11.88%, while Synopsys gained 10.81% after a rating upgrade from Baird.
Security software names also posted notable gains. CrowdStrike rose 19.1% and SentinelOne advanced 10.78%, reflecting continued investor appetite for cybersecurity plays. Okta surged 28.51% after reporting quarterly earnings and revenue that exceeded estimates and issuing upbeat fiscal 2027 guidance.
Mid-cap movers included NVDL, which gained 17.06%, while Tenable Holdings rose 13.46%. On the downside, Healthequity dropped 12.2% and Nexa Resources fell 10.78%. Small-cap stocks saw mixed performance, with MSTU up 23.51% and Build-A-Bear Workshop plunging 28.95% despite an earnings beat, as weak guidance weighed on sentiment.
SMJ International Holdings led decliners, dropping 87.42%, while Hyperliquid Strategies gained 18.69%.
