Top 5 Stock With the Fastest Growth in 2021 | RoboMarkets Blog (2024)

2021 was a year full of events – neither the pandemic nor the acceleration of winding up the aggressive economy support programme by the Fed made it less successful for the US stock market.

The best evidence is the growth of the US stock indices, with the major ones posting double-digit gains in 2021: the (US500) went up 26.6%, the NASDAQ Composite (NAS100) gained 20.7%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (US30) saw 18.7% growth.

Today we present a list of companies the stocks of which demonstrated the most prominent growth in 2021. The list includes Destination XL Group Inc., Lightwave Logic Inc., AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., Aehr Test Systems, and GameStop Corp.

For the above Top 5, we have picked shares traded on the NASDAQ and the NYSE. The growth was calculated as the percentage difference between the opening price on 4 January and the closing price on 31 December 2021.

1. Destination XL Group — 2067.9%

This is a big retailer of men's wear and shoes of larger sizes. The company was founded in 1976, and its headquarters are in Canton, Massachusetts. According to the website of Destination XL Group, the company currently has 227 stores in the US and Canada.

Destination XL Group sells online and offline not only their own brands – Casual Male XL®, Destination XL®, LivingXL®, ShoesXL®, and Rochester Clothing® – but also items by other well-known trademarks.

In 2021, the shares of Destination XL Group Inc. (NASDAQ: DXLG) skyrocketed 2067.9% from $0.26 to $5.68. This development can be explained by the fact that Americans and Canadians started shopping more during the pandemic.

2. Lightwave Logic — 1,500%

The company was founded in 1997, and its main office is in Englewood, Colorado. Lightwave Logic, Inc. creates electro-optic polymers that provide for fast data transmission.

The company's target markets are data processing centres and high-performance computing equipment. According to Lightwave Logic's estimation, the market of electro-optic components will have grown to $80 billion by 2030.

The demand for innovative solutions for faster data transmission was pushing the shares of the company upwards during the whole year. As such, in 2021, Lightwave Logic, Inc. (NASDAQ: LWLG) stock surged from $0.93 to $14.88, which translates into a 1,500% growth.

3. AMC Entertainment Holdings — 1136.4%

The company, founded in 1920 by the Dubinsky brothers, is the owner of the largest cinema chains in the world. According to the information on its website, AMC Entertainment Holdings currently owns 380 cinema houses.

In 2021, thanks to the activity of investors from Reddit and Robinhood users, the shares of AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc. (NYSE: AMC) recorded a 1136.4% growth. The shares began the year at the price of $2.2 and ended it at $27.2.

Moreover, the softening of the quarantine measures and the mass vaccination in the US meant cinemas could get back to operating again. This had a positive impact on the business of AMC Entertainment Holdings.

However, these measures did not help AMC Entertainment Holdings enough, so the shares kept declining.

4. Aehr Test Systems — 867.2%

The company designs, produces, and sells innovative testing and reliability systems for logic and optic equipment, as well as integrated memory chips. Aehr Test Systems was registered in 1977. Its head office is in Fremont, CA.

Patented Aehr Test Systems technology is used for testing semiconductors for cars, mobile and computing devices, and designing silicon photonics devices.

In 2021, the share price of Aehr Test Systems (NASDAQ: AEHR) grew by 867.2%. When trades opened last year, the share price was $2.5, and at the closing time on 31 December 2021, it had already reached $24.18.

The high demand for semiconductors test systems had a positive influence on Aehr Test Systems. Consequently, the company reported all-time high results for two quarters in a row.

5. GameStop — 681%

The US retail chain selling game consoles, computer games, and game accessories was founded in 2000. The company had almost never developed an online business, so quarantine restrictions put it on the verge of bankruptcy.

However, the situation was reversed by investors from the WallStreetBets subreddit, mentioned above. They made the shares of GameStop Corp. (NASDAQ: GME), which started the year at $17.25, reach $483 on 28 January 2021.

This was a record for GameStop stock. Over last year, the prices grew by 681%. Apart from the agitation created by Reddit users, the shares of the company were pushed upwards by the information that GameStop was actively developing its online segment, and was planning to enter the NFT market.

Companies that prospered during the COVID-19 pandemic

When the pandemic began, stock indices went down, yet timely support measures taken by governments worldwide calmed exchanges down. This enabled certain shares to recover and grow.

In 2021, the most noticeable growth was demonstrated by the shares of companies such as Destination XL Group Inc., Lightwave Logic Inc., AMC Entertainment Holdings Inc., Aehr Test Systems, and GameStop Corp.

The main factors that fueled the growth of the mentioned shares are the high purchasing activity of people on quarantine, the demand for innovative technology, and concerted action of private investors in social networks.

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This material and the information contained therein are for informational purposes only and should in no way be construed as providing investment advice for the purposes of the Investment Companies Act 87 (I) 2017 of the Republic of Cyprus, or any other form of personal advice or recommendation relating to certain types of transactions in certain types of financial instruments.