These Were the 3 Top-Performing Stocks in the Nasdaq Composite in August 2025

Key Points

• Intel received an investment from the U.S. government and SoftBank.

• Applovin's revenue increased by 77% year over year in the second quarter.

• IDEXX Laboratories' strong second quarter caused the company to raise its full-year guidance.

• 10 stocks we like better than Intel ›

The Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC) is one of the U.S. stock market's three major indexes, along with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones. It contains virtually every stock listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange and has been the best-performing index of the three over the past decade by a significant margin.

August was a strong month for the index, with a 1.58% increase. Leading the way were Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Applovin (NASDAQ: APP), and IDEXX Laboratories (NASDAQ: IDXX). All three companies finished the month up at least 21%.

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Data by YCharts.

Intel's good month was influenced heavily by the U.S. government announcing an investment in the company that would give it a roughly 10% equity stake. It also got a bump from a $2 billion investment from SoftBank. These investments aim to give Intel a boost to help the U.S. have a strong domestic semiconductor manufacturing company that can compete with companies like Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Applovin benefited from a strong second-quarter earnings report that shed light on the growth of its ad-tech business. Its overall revenue increased 77% year over year to $1.26 billion, and net income increased 164% to $820 million. Maybe more impressive is the fact that its earnings per share (EPS) almost tripled to $2.39.

IDEXX Laboratories also had a good second quarter, beating estimates and raising its full-year revenue and earnings guidance. Its revenue increased 11% year over year to $1.1 billion, and it raised its full-year guidance by around $90 million to $4.2 billion-$4.28 billion.

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Stefon Walters has positions in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AppLovin, Intel, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing. The Motley Fool recommends Idexx Laboratories and recommends the following options: short August 2025 $24 calls on Intel and short November 2025 $21 puts on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.