These Were the 2 Best-Performing Stocks in the Nasdaq-100 in July 2025

Key Points

• The Nasdaq-100 climbed by 3.3% in July, and is now up 8.3% year to date.

• AMD and Synopsys were the leading performers within the index in July.

• Both companies saw gains of more than 20% and there could be more ahead.

• 10 stocks we like better than Advanced Micro Devices ›

Last month was another solid one for the Nasdaq-100 index. All told, it advanced by 3.3%, bolstering the index's excellent year-to-date performance of 8.3%. However, some stocks significantly outperformed the index in the month of July. In fact, two stocks were able to notch monthly returns that were 6x what the index produced.

Let's take a closer look at those two stocks and see why they logged such terrific performances.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue »

Image source: Getty Images.

Advanced Micro Devices

First up is Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD). This stock advanced by a staggering 29.5% in the month of July, topping all other companies within the Nasdaq-100, and bringing AMD shares back within range of the stock's all-time high.

The company designs and sells microprocessors, including graphics processing units (GPUs), which are integral to the growing artificial intelligence (AI) economy.

AMD shares surged in July as the company continues to enjoy strong momentum from its "Advancing AI" event held in June. There, the company announced a series of AI initiatives designed to challenge Nvidia's control of the lucrative AI chips market.

Looking ahead, according to consensus estimates compiled by Yahoo! Finance, sell-side analysts expect AMD to generate $32.1 billion in revenue this year, up 24.5% from last year.

Synopsys

Next up is Synopsys (NASDAQ: SNPS), which recorded a monthly return of 21.4%.

Synopsys is another company with deep ties to the AI economy. Its semiconductor design software is critical for chip designers like AMD and Nvidia. Consequently, investors are bullish on Synopsys' prospects. The company has averaged double-digit revenue growth over the last five years as demand for semiconductor design software has remained robust.

As for the future, analysts think there is plenty of additional growth ahead for the company. According to consensus estimates compiled by Yahoo! Finance, Synopsys is expected to report $7.4 billion in revenue this year, up 21% year over year.

Should you invest $1,000 in Advanced Micro Devices right now?

Before you buy stock in Advanced Micro Devices, consider this:

The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Advanced Micro Devices wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.

Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $619,036!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,092,648!*

Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,026% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 180% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.

See the 10 stocks »

*Stock Advisor returns as of August 4, 2025

Jake Lerch has the following options: long August 2025 $150 calls on Advanced Micro Devices. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices and Synopsys. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.