Best- and Worst-Performing Stocks of 2024

Amid another year of solid performance in the stock market, AppLovin APP performed best in the Morningstar US Large-Mid Cap Index. The mobile app technology company surged over 700% in 2024 after posting a nearly 300% gain in 2023.

MicroStrategy MSTR and Palantir Technologies PLTR, which each gained over 300%, took second and third place in 2024. Tech companies dominated the year, driving the Morningstar US Technology Index to a 36.2% gain, outpacing the US Large-Mid Index, which climbed 25.1%.

Best-Performing Stocks of 2024

• AppLovin APP
• MicroStrategy MSTR
• Palantir Technologies PLTR
• Vistra Energy VST
• Robinhood HOOD

Healthcare companies Walgreens Boots Alliance WBA and Moderna MRNA top the list of the worst performers. The sector struggled in 2024. The Morningstar US Healthcare Index ended the year up 2.7%—the lowest return of any sector except basic materials.

Worst-Performing Stocks of 2024

• Walgreens Boots Alliance WBA
• Intel INTC
• Moderna MRNA
• Sirius XM Holdings SIRI
• Celanese CE

All data in this article is sourced from Morningstar Direct.

Metrics for the Best-Performing Stocks

AppLovin

• Sector: Technology
• Industry: Software - Application
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

AppLovin fell 3.8% in December, though shares were still up 712.6% for the year. Shares are 22.5% below their last high on Dec. 6, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 1 star.

MicroStrategy

• Sector: Technology
• Industry: Software - Application
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

MicroStrategy fell 25.3% over the past month, but shares were still up 358.5% for the year. Shares are 46.7% below their last high on Nov. 21, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 2 stars.

Palantir Technologies

• Sector: Technology
• Industry: Software - Infrastructure
• Economic Moat: Narrow

Palantir rose 12.7% in December, bringing the stock up 340.5% over the past year. Shares are 10.8% below their last high on Dec. 24, 2024. The stock has a Morningstar Rating of 1 star and trades at a 260% premium to its fair value estimate of $21 per share.

Vistra Energy

• Sector: Utilities
• Industry: Utilities - Independent Power Producers
• Economic Moat: None

Vistra fell 13.6% over the past month but was still up 261.3% for the year. Shares are 18.3% below their last high on Nov. 22, 2024. The stock has a Morningstar Rating of 1 star and is trading at a 165% premium to its fair value estimate of $52 per share.

Robinhood

• Sector: Financial Services
• Industry: Capital Markets
• Economic Moat: Not Rated

Robinhood fell 0.7% in December but was still up 192.5% for the year. Shares are 15% below their last high on Dec. 16, 2024. The company’s stock has a quantitative Morningstar Rating of 2 stars.

Metrics for the Worst-Performing Stocks

Walgreens Boots Alliance

• Sector: Healthcare
• Industry: Pharmaceutical Retailers
• Economic Moat: None

Walgreens rose 3.4% in December, but shares were still down 61.4% over the past year. Shares are 65.5% below their last high on Jan. 2, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars and is trading at a 53% discount to its fair value estimate of $20 per share.

Intel

• Sector: Technology
• Industry: Semiconductors
• Economic Moat: None

Intel fell 16.6% over the past month and is down 59.6% from one year ago. Shares are 60.1% below their last high on Jan. 25, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 3 stars and is trading at a 5% discount to its fair value estimate of $21 per share.

Moderna

• Sector: Healthcare
• Industry: Biotechnology
• Economic Moat: None

Moderna fell 3.4% in December, leaving the stock down 58.2% for the year. Shares are 75.6% below their last high on May 24, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars and is trading at a 71% discount to its fair value estimate of $141 per share.

Sirius XM Holdings

• Sector: Communication Services
• Industry: Entertainment
• Economic Moat: None

Sirius XM fell 15.4% over the past month and declined 56.9% over the past year. Shares are 59.9% below their last high on Jan. 2, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 4 stars and is trading at a 24% discount to its fair value estimate of $30 per share.

Celanese

• Sector: Basic Materials
• Industry: Chemicals
• Economic Moat: Narrow

Celanese fell 5.5% in December and declined 54.6% over the past year. Shares are 59.8% below their last high on March 28, 2024. The company’s stock has a Morningstar Rating of 5 stars and is trading at a 54% discount to its fair value estimate of $150 per share.

Companies that are not formally covered by a Morningstar analyst are statistically matched to analyst-rated companies, allowing our models to calculate a quantitative star rating.