5 High-Momentum Stocks With A 'Golden Cross' Buy Signal

Momentum is back in the stock market in a big way, and investors are digging into speculative assets like meme stocks and crypto with a fervor not seen since 2021.

However, while short squeezes and YOLO trading dominate social media, there are still numerous stocks flashing traditional bullish signals. These can pay off with much less risk of the kind of 40% drop OPEN saw earlier this week, after the stock’s meme hype fizzled.

Even better, you don’t need to be a technical wizard to understand the bullish undertones on some of these stock charts. Today, we’re focusing on stocks with a Golden Cross, one of the most heavily used bullish trading signals.

It happens when a stock’s 50-day moving average crosses above its 200-day moving average. Golden Crosses often form during a steady uptrend, often causing an additional upswing in stock price once the market identifies the signal.

Here are five stocks flashing the buy signal thanks to a Golden Cross.

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Datadog Inc.

Datadog DDOG is an SaaS data analysis darling from a previous bull market, but it’s once again making noise following a 58% gain over the last three months. The company reported record revenue of $762 million in Q1 2025, representing year-over-year (YOY) growth of more than 24%. This impressive growth is why Datadog’s Benzinga Edge Growth score is 96.01, the highest of any entry on our list today.

DDOG is also our first entry on this list because its chart shows several promising signals. An uptrend that began in April has finally brought the stock price back over the 50-day and 200-day moving averages, a gain of more than 60% in just three months. While it might be tempting to take profits here, the appearance of a Golden Cross and the Relative Strength Index (RSI) retreating under 70 indicates that more upside could be on the horizon.

NXP Semiconductors NV 

Semiconductor stocks have led this market rally, driven by seemingly endless demand for AI capital expenditures. While NVDA and AMD dominate most chip headlines, NXP NXPI has been quietly demonstrating solid growth, consistently beating analyst expectations. The company reported earnings on Monday, and while revenue growth slowed YOY, EPS and revenue results both bested expectations. The Q3 revenue guidance of $3.15 billion prompted analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald and Needham & Company to raise their price targets to $250, suggesting potential future upside of more than 10% from current levels.

NXPI shares have been steadily grinding upward since late April, but only recently have bullish patterns begun to emerge on the stock chart. The price didn’t break above the 200-day MA until late May, and now a Golden Cross has triggered a significant volume spike of buyers. An upbeat earnings call can only add to the bullish energy, and the Benzinga Edge Growth score of 91.72 indicates higher prices are on the way for this stock.

Northrop Grumman Corp. 

Defense conglomerate Northrop Grumman NOC is riding fundamental and technical tailwinds as it seeks to break out of a tight range. The company reported earnings on Tuesday, July 22, and while it posted a slight miss on both EPS and revenue, the full-year guidance figures grabbed investors’ attention, and the stock finished the day up over 9%. Compared to Lockheed Martin Corp LMT, which dropped more than 10% following earnings, Northrop appears to be in the driver’s seat for large-cap defense contractors.

NOC shares were already up 10% year-to-date (YTD) before this earnings release, but the path to this gain has been anything but straightforward. The stock gyrated around the 50- and 200-day MAs for most of May and June before finally breaking both levels at the start of July. The MACD confirmed this uptrend, and with a Golden Cross triggering a large post-earnings move, this stock could surge higher in the next few sessions. The Benzinga Edge Growth score of 88.60 also indicates more upside ahead.

United Rentals Inc. 

The largest equipment rental supplier in the country, United Rentals URI, reports earnings after the market close on Wednesday, and is looking to build on last quarter’s report that saw revenue growth of 6% YOY and strong margins of 45%. The adjusted EBITDA of $1.7 billion was also a record for United Rentals.

The chart is sending some conflicting information about the next move after earnings, but we continue to lean bullish based on recent trends. The stock formed a Golden Cross earlier this month, although this resulted in the RSI spiking over 70, and investors took profits following the post-tariff runup from April. But now that the RSI is comfortably back under 70 with the stock price still firmly above the 50-day and 200-day MAs, any upside earnings surprise will likely trigger another wave of bullish activity.

AMETEK Inc. 

AMETEK AME is a large-cap industrial firm that’s undergone more transformations than a Decepticon. The company planted its roots as a metal and machine shop in 1930 in the Philadelphia suburb of Berwyn and has since evolved into a conglomerate of 40 different industrial businesses, specializing in electronic parts and automated systems. AMETEK went shopping again this month, acquiring FARO Technologies in an all-cash deal worth $920 million and adding it to the Ultra Precision Technologies Division. FARO focuses on 3D imaging and measurement, which has been a key area of focus for AMETEK following its acquisitions of Virtek and Creaform. The stock is down 1.5% YTD, but up over 14% in the last three months, and the daily chart shows a distinct area of interest.

AME shares quickly recovered from the Liberation Day tariff selloff, but have now been stuck in a tight range since early May. However, the consolidation could be coming to an end now that a Golden Cross has formed, and the RSI indicates an upswing would have plenty of room to run. The Benzinga Edge Growth score of 95.62 hints at more upside potential as well. AMETEK has a catalyst coming up when it reports Q2 2025 earnings on July 31 and will look to build on a Q1 release that saw EPS beat expectations but revenue fall slightly short of expectations.

Editorial content from our expert contributors is intended to be information for the general public and not individualized investment advice. Editors/contributors are presenting their individual opinions and strategies, which are neither expressly nor impliedly approved or endorsed by Benzinga.

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