3 stocks that posted big gains during volatile markets

The recent stock market volatility with the dramatic swings between gains and losses may be unnerving to investors, but some companies have seen huge appreciation in their share values. As of Friday morning, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had surged above its 25,000 point milestone and was up 1.6% year-to-date, regrouping from the recent sell-off. While the Dow is barely positive for the year, some of its component stocks posted much bigger gains. Companies leading the pack in terms of year-to-date gains include Boeing (NYSE:BA), Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO) and Nike (NYSE:NKE). Boeing Boeing was the top performing Dow component stock in 2017, and it continued these gains into 2018. While the company’s shares did take a bit of a hit during the sell-off, they quickly regrouped. On Friday, shares were up over 20% for the year. (hyperlink our Boeing 2017 recap) Boeing had record earnings in 2017, building upon high demand for its aircraft. The optimism extended into 2018, and in early February, at the Singapore airshow, the company announced services orders valued at more than $900 million. Cisco Systems

Cisco Systems is riding high on earnings optimism, with the company positing its first rise in quarterly revenue for its fiscal second quarter. Results surpassed analysts’ expectations and the board increased its buyback program by $25 billion. Through Friday, Cisco’s shares had gained 15%, year-to-date. Nike Nike’s investors participated in the stock sell-off, with shares declining from $68.83 to $62.46 at their low point. Friday afternoon, shares were trading just above $68 apiece, having recouped most of their lost value. Year-to-date, the company’s stock has gained more than 9%. Activist investor Bill Ackman reported Wednesday that he acquired 5,836,020 Nike shares. As an activist investor, Ackman becomes a major shareholder in a company so that he can push for change.