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Top S&P 500 stocks for May 2025: 20 ranked by returns, margins & growth

The 20 best-performing S&P 500 stocks this month, ranked by returns, profitability, free cash flow, and growth potential.

While we adhere to strict editorial guidelines, partners on this page may provide us earnings.


With over 500 publicly traded giants in the S&P 500, determining which companies stand out depends heavily on how you define "top." Some investors look for size, others prioritize growth, profitability, or financial resilience. In this ranking, we've taken a balanced, quantitative approach — analyzing key financial indicators like revenue growth, free cash flow, net income, and net cash positions.

The goal is to highlight companies that are not only leaders in their sectors but are also demonstrating strong fundamentals heading into mid-2025. This list isn’t about stock price movements alone — it’s about identifying well-rounded performers across core metrics.

  • How we chose the top S&p 500 stocks

    +

    We chose this top 20 list by analyzing the entire S&P 500 using a mix of financial performance, profitability, and growth metrics. Rather than focusing on just one data point, we used a composite score that blends several key factors.

    The factors include how much each stock has returned over the past year (including dividends), how efficiently a company turns revenue into free cash flow, how well it uses capital (via return on invested capital), and whether it's sitting on more cash than debt. We also looked at how quickly each company is growing—both in terms of revenue and earnings.

    Each company was scored across these areas, weighted by importance, and ranked against its peers. The top 20 that emerged from this process are leaders not only in stock performance, but also in operational and financial strength. This gives a well-rounded picture of which companies are truly excelling as of May 2025.

Top S&P 500 stocks in rank order

Rank
Company Name
Ticker Symbol
Market Cap
Stock Price
Revenue
GICS Sector
Revenue Growth
Net Income
FCF
Net Cash
1
NVIDIA Corporation
NVDA
2,777.21B
113.82
130.50B
Technology
114.20%
72.88B
60.85B
32.94B
2
Alphabet Inc.
GOOGL
1,992.69B
164.21
359.71B
Communication Services
13.07%
111.00B
74.88B
66.83B
3
Amazon.com, Inc.
AMZN
1,978.36B
186.35
650.31B
Consumer Discretionary
10.08%
65.94B
20.81B
-63.39B
4
Meta Platforms, Inc.
META
1,506.76B
599.27
170.36B
Communication Services
19.37%
66.64B
52.31B
20.71B
5
Broadcom Inc.
AVGO
943.78B
200.72
54.53B
Technology
40.30%
10.07B
20.73B
-57.27B
6
Eli Lilly and Company
LLY
737.45B
821.46
49.00B
Healthcare
36.38%
11.11B
3.74B
-34.92B
7
Netflix, Inc.
NFLX
482.62B
1,134.06
40.17B
Communication Services
15.00%
9.27B
7.45B
-9.05B
8
Salesforce, Inc.
CRM
261.58B
272.63
37.90B
Technology
8.72%
6.20B
12.43B
1.96B
9
General Electric Company
GE
222.81B
208.94
39.68B
Industrials
8.82%
6.99B
4.19B
-7.71B
10
ServiceNow, Inc.
NOW
202.44B
978.05
11.47B
Technology
21.01%
1.54B
3.68B
8.53B
11
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
AMD
162.58B
100.59
25.79B
Technology
13.69%
1.64B
2.41B
2.81B
12
Arista Networks Inc
ANET
113.48B
90.38
7.00B
Technology
19.50%
2.85B
3.68B
8.24B
13
Lam Research Corporation
LRCX
94.54B
73.91
17.14B
Technology
20.33%
4.66B
3.79B
966.38M
14
KLA Corporation
KLAC
91.68B
693.29
11.55B
Technology
20.33%
3.70B
3.51B
-2.06B
15
Cadence Design Systems, Inc.
CDNS
84.38B
309.03
4.87B
Technology
19.55%
1.08B
1.38B
430.22M
16
Constellation Energy Corporation
CEG
77.79B
248.27
23.57B
Utilities
-5.42%
3.75B
-5.06B
-5.97B
17
Monolithic Power Systems, Inc.
MPWR
30.15B
629.76
2.39B
Technology
30.58%
1.83B
-
1.03B
18
Tyler Technologies, Inc.
TYL
23.69B
549.34
2.19B
Technology
9.96%
289.91M
593.36M
167.30M
19
Super Micro Computer, Inc.
SMCI
19.20B
32.17
20.82B
Technology
125.01%
1.44B
-2.17B
-523.01M
20
West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc.
WST
15.17B
211.11
2.90B
Healthcare
-1.12%
467.20M
306.90M
96.80M

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20 Top S&P 500 Stocks, Explained One by One

Twenty standout companies from the S&P 500, each chosen for their market relevance, growth story, or sector leadership. Each profile includes the company’s industry, GICS sector, a concise business overview, and a recent performance highlight. Together, these snapshots offer a timely view of where these companies are now—and why they’re worth watching.

1. NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA)

  • Industry: Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: NVIDIA is a global leader in graphics processing units (GPUs) and AI computing platforms, powering advancements in gaming, data centers, and autonomous vehicles.
  • Recent Performance: Surpassed Microsoft and Apple to become the world's most valuable company, driven by AI chip demand.

2. Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL)

  • Industry: Interactive Media & Services
  • GICS Sector: Communication Services
  • Overview: Alphabet is the parent company of Google, overseeing ventures in search, advertising, cloud computing, and more.
  • Recent Performance: Strong earnings with a P/E ratio of 16.91, reflecting solid profitability.

3. Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN)

  • Industry: Broadline Retail
  • GICS Sector: Consumer Discretionary
  • Overview: Amazon is a global e-commerce giant with a dominant cloud platform, AWS, and ventures in various sectors.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to lead in online retail and cloud services.

4. Meta Platforms, Inc. (META)

  • Industry: Interactive Media & Services
  • GICS Sector: Communication Services
  • Overview: Meta owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, focusing on social networking and AI technologies.
  • Recent Performance: Reported Q1 2025 revenue of $42.3B, a 16% YoY increase, with net income up 35% to $16.7B.

5. Broadcom Inc. (AVGO)

  • Industry: Semiconductors
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Broadcom designs and supplies a broad range of semiconductor and infrastructure software solutions.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to expand through strategic acquisitions and product innovation.

6. Eli Lilly and Company (LLY)

  • Industry: Pharmaceuticals
  • GICS Sector: Health Care
  • Overview: Eli Lilly is a leading pharmaceutical company known for its innovative treatments in diabetes and oncology.
  • Recent Performance: Strong pipeline and market momentum suggest continued growth.

7. Netflix, Inc. (NFLX)

  • Industry: Entertainment
  • GICS Sector: Communication Services
  • Overview: Netflix is a pioneer in streaming services, offering a vast library of films and series worldwide.
  • Recent Performance: Maintains a strong global subscriber base with ongoing content expansion.

8. Salesforce, Inc. (CRM)

  • Industry: Application Software
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Salesforce provides customer relationship management software and enterprise applications.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to lead in AI-driven CRM solutions.

9. General Electric Company (GE)

  • Industry: Aerospace & Defense
  • GICS Sector: Industrials
  • Overview: After restructuring, GE focuses on aerospace, energy, and healthcare sectors.
  • Recent Performance: Completed a major split into three distinct public companies: GE Aerospace, GE Vernova, and GE Healthcare.

10. ServiceNow, Inc. (NOW)

  • Industry: Systems Software
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: ServiceNow offers a cloud-based platform for digital workflows and enterprise operations.
  • Recent Performance: Recognized for innovation in automating business processes.

11. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)

  • Industry: Semiconductors & Semiconductor Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: AMD develops high-performance computing and graphics solutions.
  • Recent Performance: Expanding presence in data centers and gaming sectors.

12. Arista Networks Inc (ANET)

  • Industry: Communications Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Arista provides scalable networking solutions for large data centers and cloud computing environments.
  • Recent Performance: Achieved the #1 market position in the 100/200/400G ports market.

13. Lam Research Corporation (LRCX)

  • Industry: Semiconductor Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Lam Research supplies wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to innovate in etch and deposition technologies.

14. KLA Corporation (KLAC)

  • Industry: Semiconductor Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: KLA provides process control and yield management systems for the semiconductor industry.
  • Recent Performance: Supports all phases of wafer and integrated circuit production.

15. Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (CDNS)

  • Industry: Application Software
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Cadence offers software, hardware, and IP for electronic design, enabling innovation in various industries.
  • Recent Performance: Applies Intelligent System Design strategy across multiple sectors.

16. Constellation Energy Corporation (CEG)

  • Industry: Electric Utilities
  • GICS Sector: Utilities
  • Overview: Constellation provides clean energy solutions, focusing on nuclear, solar, and wind power generation.
  • Recent Performance: Leading supplier of carbon-free energy in the U.S.

17. Monolithic Power Systems, Inc. (MPWR)

  • Industry: Semiconductors
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Monolithic Power designs integrated power semiconductor solutions for various applications.
  • Recent Performance: Known for high-performance analog and mixed-signal ICs.

18. Tyler Technologies, Inc. (TYL)

  • Industry: Application Software
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Tyler provides integrated software solutions for the public sector, including local governments and schools.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to expand its footprint in public sector technology solutions.

19. Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI)

  • Industry: Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals
  • GICS Sector: Information Technology
  • Overview: Supermicro develops high-performance server and storage solutions for data centers and cloud computing.
  • Recent Performance: Recognized for energy-efficient computing solutions.

20. West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc. (WST)

  • Industry: Health Care Equipment
  • GICS Sector: Health Care
  • Overview: West Pharmaceutical provides innovative solutions for injectable drug administration.
  • Recent Performance: Continues to support global health initiatives with advanced delivery systems.
  • What are the top 20 companies in the S&P 500?

    +

    The top 20 S&P 500 stocks, based on strong returns, profit margins, and growth, include companies like NVIDIA, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Broadcom, and Eli Lilly. These firms lead in sectors like tech, healthcare, and communication.

  • What are the top 7 stocks in the S&P 500?

    +

    As of May 2025, the top 7 stocks by a mix of market cap, growth, and profitability are NVIDIA, Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Broadcom, Eli Lilly, and Netflix.

  • What are the top 10 holdings in the S&P 500?

    +

    A $1000 investment in the S&P 500 in 2015 would be worth around $3,200 today, assuming dividends were reinvested—a return of over 200%.

  • What are the top 10 holdings in the S&P 500?

    +

    The S&P 500’s largest holdings by market cap typically include Apple, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Amazon, Alphabet, Meta, Berkshire Hathaway, Eli Lilly, Broadcom, and JPMorgan Chase.

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