It was a strong yet erratic first half of the year for stocks. Some of our Club holdings staged brilliant comebacks from their 2025 lows. Others fell even further, ultimately forcing us to exit one frustrating position. Despite Iran war volatility, resurgent inflation, and AI disruption concerns, the S & P 500 still managed to jump roughly 9.5% year to date. As of Tuesday’s close, the broad-market index in 2026 hit 24 all-time highs. The Nasdaq , which gained almost 13% year to date, clinched 20 records. Among the 35 stocks in our portfolio, 18 of them outperformed the S & P 500 year to date. Intel (up 278%), Arm Holdings (up nearly 224%), and Corning (up almost 192%) went parabolic. Eight of them ended the first half in the red. Two stocks — Honeywell Aerospace and FedEx Freight — were recent spinoffs, so we couldn’t calculate their 2026 performances. Back in December, we identified five stocks — Palo Alto Networks , Eaton , Starbucks , Nike , and Amazon —primed for a rebound in 2026. Here is our midyear scorecard as of Tuesday’s closing prices. Winners Palo Alto Networks up 85.1% What had once weighed on the cybersecurity stock sent it higher as 2026 progressed. Earlier this year, Palo Alto and fellow Club name CrowdStrike were crushed by concerns about AI disrupting enterprise software. We said all along that cyber stocks should not have dropped with the rest of the group. The introduction of Anthropic’s Mythos and its ability to spot system vulnerabilities renewed enthusiasm for cybersecurity, and the stocks came roaring back. We booked profits on Palo Alto at record highs on Tuesday. Another factor holding back Palo Alto late last year was worries about pricey acquisitions, such as CyberArk. That also proved unfounded. In Palo Alto’s most recent earnings report, CyberArk annual recurring revenue jumped 27% year over year. (Palo Alto shares rose again Wednesday, hitting an intraday all-time high.) Eaton up 33.8% Investors finally appreciated just how strong of an AI play Eaton has become. The industrial company is a beneficiary of increased hyperscaler spending because it makes electrical solutions used to support AI data centers. Last year, the stock flatlined despite big data center order growth. We’re glad it finally turned a corner. Our other data center power play is GE Vernova , which makes natural gas turbines that can be used to generate off-grid energy. GEV stock jumped almost 80% year to date. Starbucks up 21.4% Shares of the coffee giant erased losses seen in 2025 as CEO Brian Niccol’s turnaround plan chugged along. The company successfully improved the cafe experience, increased traffic, and got comparable-store sales rising again. It’s been a gradual recovery, but we’re still believers because of Niccol’s track record. He worked some serious magic at Chipotle , where he was CEO before taking the Starbucks job. Laggards Nike down 35.6% This one was so bad that we exited on Wednesday. We’ve been disappointed in Nike for some time, but a muted earnings report Tuesday evening pushed us over the edge. This retailer can’t seem to fix its China problems. It’s never easy to realize a 40% loss on a position. But sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. We’d rather make the money back in another stock instead of waiting on a catalyst. (Nike shares did drop shortly after Wednesday’s open but reversed higher during the session.) Amazon up 3.3% While finishing in the green for the first half (and rising modestly on Wednesday), Amazon did not keep up with the S & P 500’s year-to-year advance. Shares have pulled back periodically, along with other hyperscalers, on concerns about whether the company can generate a return on investment from all its AI spending. Still, there is no denying that Amazon’s cloud business is a juggernaut. The company’s custom silicon is solid, too. (See here for a full list of the stocks in Jim Cramer’s Charitable Trust.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust’s portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.
We thought these 5 stocks could make a 2026 comeback. Here’s our midyear scorecard
