Buy 5 High-Flying Non-Tech Nasdaq-Listed Stocks of H1 to Gain in H2

U.S. stock markets have suffered a setback in 2025 after the artificial intelligence (AI)-driven astonishing bull run of 2023 and 2024. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite witnessed an astonishing rally of 43.4% and 28.6%, respectively, in 2023 and 2024. However, with just a week of trading left to close the first half of 2025, the tech-laden Nasdaq Composite is up just 0.9% year to date.Despite the index’s poor performance, several large-cap non-tech stocks listed on the Nasdaq Composite have skyrocketed year to date. A handful of these stocks currently carry a favorable Zacks Rank with more than 20% returns year to date. At this juncture, investing in these stocks should prove fruitful. We recommend five such stocks, namely, Sprouts Farmers Market Inc. SFM, Royal Gold Inc. RGLD, Thomson Reuters Corp. TRI, Woodward Inc. WWD and Exelixis Inc. EXEL. Each of our picks carries either a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks year to date.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchSprouts Farmers Market Inc.Zacks Rank #1 Sprouts Farmers’ focus on product innovation, e-commerce, expansion of private label offerings and targeted marketing with everyday great pricing bodes well. SFM has been lowering operational complexity, optimizing production, improving in-stock position and updating to smaller-format stores. These efforts helped SFM post better-than-expected fourth-quarter 2024 results, wherein both top and bottom lines grew year over year. Buoyed by the performance, Sprouts Farmers provided a decent 2025 view. SFM expects net sales to rise between 10.5% and 12.5% with comps anticipated to increase in the range of 4.5-6.5%. SFM’s strong sales growth, margin expansion and disciplined financial management position it as a compelling investment opportunity. Sprouts Farmers has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 13.7% and 35.5%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 9% over the last 60 days.Royal Gold Inc.Zacks Rank #1 has been benefiting from its solid streaming agreements. RGLD maintains a strong balance sheet, which is likely to drive growth in the upcoming quarters. RGLD is focused on allocating its strong cash flow to dividends, debt reduction and new businesses. Gold prices are currently hovering around $3,400 per ounce as U.S. tariff policies and heightened geopolitical conflicts in the Middle-East continue to drive safe-haven demand. Silver has also gained on the back of the recent expansion seen in the U.S. manufacturing sector. This rise in metal prices will boost RGLD’s results in the coming quarters.Royal Gold has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 24.1% and 35.9%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.6% over the last 30 days.Thomson Reuters Corp.Zacks Rank #2 Thomson Reuters operates as a content and technology company in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. TRI operates through five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax and Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. TRI is a leading provider of value-added information and technology to users in the fields of law, tax, accounting, financial services, higher education, reference information, corporate training and assessment, scientific research and healthcare.Thomson Reuters has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 3.2% and 4.2%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 1.3% over the last 60 days.Woodward Inc.Zacks Rank #2 Woodward has been benefiting from strength in the Aerospace and Core Industrial (power generation, oil & gas, and marine transportation) units. Aerospace is riding on strong defense demand and a robust commercial after-market, partially offset by softer commercial OEM (owing to Boeing work stoppage) and defense after-market sales. A rise in smart defense spending is expected to drive defense OEM sales of WWD. Confident of navigating tariffs and current market conditions, WWD raised the lower end of its sales and earnings guidance and reaffirmed its full-year outlook for other metrics. WWD’s Industrial business segment has been gaining from solid demand for power generation and continued requirement for primary and backup power for data centers. Higher investment in gas-powered generation to support grid stability is another tailwind. Woodward has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 3.7% and 2.1%, respectively, for the current year (ending September 2025). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 0.3% over the last 30 days.Exelixis Inc.Zacks Rank #2 Exelixis reported better-than-expected first-quarter 2025 results. EXEL’s lead drug, Cabometyx, continues to be the leading tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). The drug's use in combination with Opdivo in the first-line setting is driving demand. EXEL also raised its annual sales guidance based on strong demand for the drug in the first quarter.  The recent label expansion of the drug in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors should boost its sales. The pipeline progress has been impressive as EXEL looks to expand its oncology portfolio beyond Cabometyx.Exelixis has an expected revenue and earnings growth rate of 7.4% and 30.5%, respectively, for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for current-year earnings has improved 1.6% over the last 30 days.Zacks Names #1 Semiconductor StockIt's only 1/9,000th the size of NVIDIA which skyrocketed more than +800% since we recommended it. NVIDIA is still strong, but our new top chip stock has much more room to boom.With strong earnings growth and an expanding customer base, it's positioned to feed the rampant demand for Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Internet of Things. Global semiconductor manufacturing is projected to explode from $452 billion in 2021 to $803 billion by 2028.See This Stock Now for Free >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI): Free Stock Analysis Report Exelixis, Inc. (EXEL): Free Stock Analysis Report Woodward, Inc. (WWD): Free Stock Analysis Report Royal Gold, Inc. (RGLD): Free Stock Analysis Report Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc. (SFM): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks