The Magnificent Seven stocks had a first quarter to forget, with all seven components of the well-known basket of U.S. companies suffering lower share prices to start 2026. Here's a look at the performance and what could happen next.
Magnificent Seven Stock Performance Q1 2026
It was a rough first quarter for the Magnificent Seven stocks with lower share prices and high volatility. The lower prices come after all seven traded higher in 2025.
Here are the first quarter performances by company:
- Apple Inc (NASDAQ:AAPL): -6.4%
- Amazon.com Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN): -7.1%
- NVIDIA Corporation (NASDAQ:NVDA): -7.6%
- Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOGL): -8.8%
- Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META): -10.7%
- Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA): -15.1%
- Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT): -21.7%
The quarter was led by Apple stock, which lost about 6.4% in the first three months of the year. Four of the seven stocks posted a single-digit decline, while three saw double-digit losses in their share price.
Microsoft led the way on the other side with a 21.7% decline, losing over a fifth of its value from the previous year.
For comparison, here was the performance for the seven stocks in 2025:
- GOOGL: +65.2%
- NVDA: +34.8%
- TSLA: +18.6%
- MSFT: +15.5%
- AAPL: +11.5%
- META: +10.2%
- AMZN: +4.8%
When looking at the 2025 performance and the first quarter, Apple and Amazon may stand out as the companies that had some of the worst returns in 2025, but are seeing the best performances of the seven stocks in 2026.
On the other side of the comparisons, 2025's best Magnificent Seven stocks, Alphabet, Nvidia and Tesla, rank fourth, third, and sixth, respectively, for first-quarter performance.
What's Next for the Magnificent Seven Stocks?
The U.S. attack on Iran and geopolitical events have overshadowed the stock market and sent major indexes and individual stocks down in the first quarter of 2026.
Quarterly results from big technology companies have led to volatile shares with investors focused on items like AI growth, job cuts and increased Capex.
Nvidia highlighted its $1 trillion opportunity for AI chips at a company event in the first quarter. Commentary that would have sent the stock higher in 2025 was mostly overshadowed by the major global tension in the Middle East.
Benzinga previously asked some experts what they thought about the Magnificent Seven stocks for 2026.
Roundhill Investments CEO Dave Mazza said Alphabet had the best setup for 2026.
"Alphabet stands out. It came into 2026, in a clear uptrend, is making new highs, and is already outperforming," Mazza said.
As for other stocks from the index that could perform well in 2026, Mazza highlights two stocks that didn’t beat the S&P 500 in 2025.
“The two most interesting setups are Apple and Microsoft. Both have been under pressure and are sitting near important support levels. If they’re going to respond, this is where it is most likely to happen. Neither company has lost strategic relevance, so the risk-reward is starting to look better.”
While the year's not over, this looks like a potential two out of three right with Apple and Alphabet among the best, while Microsoft is the worst.
Roundhill Investments is the company behind the Roundhill Magnificent Seven ETF (BATS:MAGS), which provides investors with exposure to all seven stocks in one ETF.
In an interview with Benzinga in September 2025, Freedom Capital Markets Chief Market Strategist Jay Woods said investors should stick with what's working for 2026
Woods highlighted Alphabet and Tesla as his favorite Magnificent Seven stocks for 2026. Based on the first quarter, this looks like a mixed score, with Alphabet among the best Magnificent Seven stocks, while Tesla was one of the biggest laggards.
“I love Alphabet over the long term. That’s one you put away,” Woods told Benzinga.
With nine more months to go, the Magnificent Seven stock performance could look completely different months from now and at the end of the year.
Benzinga will continue to closely follow the earnings reports of the Magnificent Seven stocks and what investors and analysts see going forward.
Image via Shutterstock
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