The third quarter of 2025 is officially in the books, and there were some surprise winners and losers among stocks during the July through September period.
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Among the best-performing stocks in Q3 was AppLovin (APP), which was the top stock in the benchmark S&P 500 index, having risen 104% over the past three months. AppLovin’s success is all the more impressive when one considers that the company, which focuses on mobile app development, was only added to the S&P 500 earlier in September of this year.
Another top performer during the quarter was data-storage company Western Digital (WDC), whose stock climbed 84% to $120.06 per share, lifted higher by a surge in demand for hard disk drives at data centers. Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) was the third-best performer in the S&P 500 during Q3, soaring 65% largely on takeover speculation.
The Biggest Losers
On the flipside, the worst-performing stock in the S&P 500 index during the third quarter was information technology advisory firm Gartner (IT), whose share price fell 36% after the company cut its full-year revenue forecast. There are also concerns about artificial intelligence (AI) disrupting Gartner’s business model that relies on an army of IT consultants.
Another notable loser during Q3 was Molina Healthcare (MOH), whose share price sank 35% after the company lowered its full-year guidance by 10%. FactSet Research (FDS) saw its share price also decline 35% after the company’s financial results missed expectations. And Align Technology (ALGN) sank 34% after the Invisalign maker’s second-quarter earnings and revenue fell short of estimates.
Is APP Stock a Buy?
The stock of AppLovin has a consensus Strong Buy rating among 19 Wall Street analysts. That rating is based on 16 Buy and three Hold recommendations issued in the last three months. The average APP price target of $624.83 implies 13.04% downside from current levels.
