- Young investors snapped up Apple, Tesla, and Disney stock during the pandemic.
- Nio and Ford were also popular among millennials, researchers determined using Robinhood data.
- GameStop was excluded as its surge in popularity risked skewing the study's results.
Millennials' favorite stocks over the past year include Apple, Tesla, Ford, and Pfizer, according to a study by DailyFX.
The financial-news website turned to Robinhood to figure out which companies were most popular among young investors. DailyFX looked at data from the trading app - whose users are predominantly aged 18 to 35 - for the 12-month period to April 1, 2021.
Millennials piled into several stocks that were hammered by pandemic-related travel restrictions and lockdowns, including Disney, Delta Air Lines, and Carnival, the cruise operator. GameStop was excluded from the study as it risked skewing the results, given the frenzied buying of the stock during the Reddit-fuelled trading frenzy in January.
Here are the top 10 stocks that millennials put their money into during the COVID-19 crisis, ranging from electric-car makers and airlines to healthcare firms:
10. Disney
John Raoux/AP
Ticker: DIS
Market Cap: $323 billion
Disney lost nearly $5 billion last year when its theme parks were shuttered due to the spread of coronavirus, but its stock has since rebounded as visitors flocked back to its entertainment venues.
9. Nio
Photo by Zhe Ji/Getty Images
Ticker: NIO
Market Cap: $72 billion
Seven-year-old Nio, one of the most successful EV startups to come out of China, is a major disruptor in the global car market.
8. Delta Air Lines
Markus Mainka/Shutterstock.com
7. Carnival Corporation
Reuters
Ticker: CCL
Market Cap: $27 billion
Carnival, the world's biggest cruising company, saw future bookings jump 45% in the second-quarter as Americans were raring to spend lavishly again on cruises.
6. Pfizer
Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images
Ticker: PFE
Market Cap: $260 billion
The COVID-19 vaccine has driven Pfizer's revenue 61% higher in the second-quarter to nearly $19 billion. That figure is expected to grow as its vaccine for children gets approved, and a booster shot is explored.
5. American Airlines
AP
Ticker: AAL
Market Cap: $13 billion
American Airlines, a major US air carrier, emerged from the pandemic by re-establishing routes as leisure travel picked up in the summer.
4. Ford
Alanis King
Ticker: F
Market Cap: $54 billion
Ford plans to boost investment in electric-vehicle spending and aims to have 40% of its global sales to be fully electric by 2030, with its cross-town rival GM going fully EV by 2035.
3. General Electric
SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images
Ticker: GE
Market Cap: $116 billion
US conglomerate General Electric's stock is up 23% so far this year, and 101% higher in the past 12 months.
2. Tesla
Reuters
Ticker: TSLA
Market Cap: $699 billion
Tesla's stock is up 20,000% since it went public in 2010, making some believe it may be highly overvalued. Analysts and investors think the EV-maker's production capacity, demand from China, and its "full self-driving" mode justifies its stock price.
1. Apple
Apple
Ticker: AAPL
Market Cap: $2.4 trillion
Apple delivered a "gold-medal"performance in the third quarter despite a global chip shortage, posting a 50% surge in iPhone sales compared with the same period last year.