Weekly Winners | PayPal Surges Over 22% on Positive News; Energy and Blue Chips Rally to Lead Gains

This week, which stocks led the S&P 500 higher? The Weekly Winners column tracks market-moving trends, highlighting the strongest sector momentum, top-performing stocks, and key thematic drivers behind price action.

Below are the top 10 S&P 500 gainers for the week ended July 17:

Stripe and Advent Form Alliance to Launch $53B Joint Bid for PayPal

Online payment giant Stripe has formed a strategic alliance with renowned private equity firm Advent to issue a joint takeover bid for the digital payments company. The proposed deal is valued at a staggering $53 billion. Market analysts note that while this offer significantly exceeds PayPal's recent low share price, it still falls short of the trading averages seen over the past few years. As PayPal’s board evaluates the proposal, this move has effectively kicked off a bidding process that could attract more potential buyers.

Cintas' financial results exceeded expectations

Cintas posted adjusted EPS of $1.29 in its fourth fiscal quarter, beating the consensus market estimate of $1.24 and representing an 18.35% year-over-year increase. Revenue came in at $2.905 billion, exceeding analysts’ forecast of $2.873 billion.

Valero Energy Authorizes New $5B Share Repurchase Program

According to SEC filings, Valero's board approved the $5 billion buyback in addition to the $1.4 billion remaining under its existing program as of June 30, significantly expanding total repurchase capacity. The company also maintained its quarterly dividend at $1.20 per share, payable August 31. The massive buyback signals management confidence in future cash flows and is expected to positively impact per-share metrics.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz Lift Marathon Petroleum’s Share Price

Middle East geopolitical tensions intensified as Iran reportedly instructed Houthi forces to stand by for a potential blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, while Hormuz Strait transit volumes dropped sharply.

Meanwhile, multiple investment banks raised price targets on Marathon Petroleum in quick succession. Citigroup lifted its target from $257 to $303 while maintaining a Neutral rating; Jefferies raised to $335 from $296 with a Buy rating; and UBS adjusted to $321 from $280. The FactSet consensus mean target now stands at $295.31 with an average Overweight rating.

Several Institutions Have Raised Their Target Price for Palo Alto Networks

Capital One upgraded the stock from Equalweight to Overweight, raising its target price from $307 to $421. Tigress Financial Partners maintained its Buy rating while lifting its 12-month target from $265 to $430. Baird also adjusted its target to $400 from $320, maintaining an Outperform rating. These actions followed recent upgrades from Citigroup (target raised to $400), Needham ($425), Wells Fargo ($420), and Arete (from $185 to $433). FactSet data shows an average analyst rating of Overweight with a mean target price of approximately $337.

Tensions in the Strait of Hormuz boosted shares of Phillips 66

Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, while U.S. forces carried out sustained strikes against Iran. Heightened tensions underpinned crude oil prices and refining margins.

Phillips 66 has also benefited from a series of analyst upgrades in recent weeks. BMO Capital raised its price target to $220 on July 13, while Jefferies lifted its target to $207 on July 10. The stock has gained approximately 56% year-to-date, with its next earnings report scheduled for August 5, where consensus expects EPS of $7.68.

Better-than-expected earnings from Travelers fueled gains in its stock

Travelers posted second-quarter net income of $2.21 billion, or $10.26 per diluted share; core income rose 44% to $2.16 billion, or $10.04 per share.

Return on equity was 27.1%; core ROE was 24.9%.

Combined ratio improved 6.7 percentage points to 83.6%; catastrophe losses fell to $518 million pre-tax.

Net investment income increased 14% to $883 million after-tax; net written premiums were $11.53 billion.

$1.58 billion was returned to shareholders, including $1.31 billion of share repurchases.

Crowdstrike to Acquire XM Cyber Intellectual Property from Schwarz Digits Unit

CrowdStrike signed a definitive agreement to acquire XM Cyber’s intellectual property from Schwarz Digits as it expands its European partnership.

Deal covers more than 45 patents plus proprietary source code; excludes XM Cyber revenue or customers.

XM Cyber will continue operating as a standalone business under an IP license from CrowdStrike.

Transaction expected to close in the second half of CrowdStrike’s fiscal 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.

Analysts are bullish on C.H. Robinson's stock performance

C.H. Robinson Worldwide has an average rating of overweight and mean price target of $205.25, according to analysts polled by FactSet.

Market Theme: Energy and blue-chip stocks led market gains

A key highlight of this week's rankings was the dominance of energy and blue-chip stocks.

News of a takeover offer for PayPal boosted market trading interest. Additionally, tensions in the Strait of Hormuz lifted energy stocks.

Companies delivering strong earnings also saw significant gains over the past week.

Conclusion

This week's price action reinforced a clear market structure: during the correction in AI and chip stocks, capital flowed into high-performing stocks and energy stocks. Going forward, continued attention should be paid to the situation in Iran and earnings reports.