These Were The 20 Most Searched Tickers On Benzinga In The First Quarter: Did Your Favorite Stock Make The List?

The first three months of 2022 are in the books, bringing the first quarter to a close. Investors were faced with many macro events, including rising inflation and the war in Ukraine. Benzinga was a source for many investors, providing access to news and trading tools for investors and traders alike.

Each month, Benzinga provides readers with a look at what the 20 most searched tickers were on the company's platform. 

For reference, here are the top ten most searched tickers in the months of January, February and March from previous coverage. Here’s a look back at the stocks and ETFs that were the most searched on Benzinga Pro in the first three months of 2022. 

1. SPDR S&P 500 Trust SPY

YTD Return: -5.5%

52-Week Range: $403.38 to $479.98

Price: $451.42

The ETF covering the S&P 500 Index was the most searched ticker on Benzinga Pro for the first quarter. After ranking as the eighth most searched ticker on Benzinga in 2021, the SPDR S&P 500 Trust topped the searches for each of the first three months in 2022. The ticker is often used to provide macro news and market outlooks to investors.

2. Tesla Inc TSLA

YTD Return: -9.8%

52-Week Range: $546.98 to $1,243.49

Price: $1,082.18

Tesla, which was the most searched ticker on Benzinga Pro in 2021, ranked second in each of the first three months of 2022. The company saw the opening of a Gigafactory in Berlin and increased interest in electric vehicles with rising oil and gas prices. Tesla is also considering a stock split, which sent shares higher in the first quarter. The electric vehicle giant is expected to report quarterly earnings in April and will open a Gigafactory in Texas in April, two events that could continue to see high interest in the name.

3. NVIDIA Corp NVDA

YTD return: -11.7%

52-Week Range: $134.59 to $346.47

Price: $265.84

Nvidia has climbed up the list and ended the quarter in third place. Nvidia was the 12th most searched ticker on Benzinga Pro in all of 2021. The stock was the seventh most searched ticker in January before climbing to third place in both February and March.

4. Apple Inc AAPL

YTD Return: -4.2%

52-Week Range: $122.25 to $182.94

Price: $174.34

Apple ranked fourth among top searched tickers in the first quarter. The company was ranked in the top five in each of the first three months, with a third place finish in January and fifth place in February and March. The company unveiled new products at its Peak Performance event in March and also won an Academy Award in the “Best Picture” category for “CODA.”

5. Meta Platforms FB

YTD Return: -33.6%

52-Week Range: $185.82 to $384.33

Price: $224.85

Social media platform company Meta Platforms has seen shares fall in the first quarter due to disappointing earnings and some investors questioning the company’s decision to devote capital and resources to the metaverse sector. Meta Platforms was the thirteenth most searched ticker on Benzinga in 2021 and was not in the top 10 in the month of January. A strong fourth place showing in February and coming in 12th place in March helped boost the ticker to the top five for the first quarter.

Related Link: Top 10 Most Searched Tickes On Benzinga Pro In 2021

6. Advanced Micro Devices AMD

YTD Return: -28.1%

52-Week Range: $72.50 to $164.46

Price: $108.18

Semiconductor stock Advanced Micro Devices ranked 10th among tickers for 2021 and has found its way into the top ten for the first quarter of 2022 with rankings of 12th, 6th and 9th respectively in the first three months of 2022.

7. Invesco QQQ ETF QQQ

YTD Return: -9.9%

52-Week Range: $316.00 to $408.71

Price: $361.85

The second ETF to make the list is one dedicated to tracking the Nasdaq 100 Index, providing exposure to some of the largest technology and high-growth stocks. The ETF ranked ninth in both January and February for searches before dropping to 14th place in March.

8. Amazon.com Inc AMZN

YTD Return: -4.0%

52-Week Range: $2,671.45 to $3,772.08

Price: $3,271.20

Ecommerce giant Amazon reported quarterly earnings in February and announced a 20-for-1 stock split for shares. The company was among the top 20 most searched tickers in each of the first three months of 2022 to land in eighth place for the first quarter. The highest Amazon ranked was seventh in the month of February.

9. AMC Entertainment Holdings AMC

YTD Return: -12.0%

52-Week Range: $8.31 to $72.62

Price: $23.34

Movie theater company AMC Reported fourth quarter financial results in early March, with revenue and earnings per share both coming in ahead of street consensus estimates. AMC has seen its ranking among most searched tickers improve in each of the first three months of 2022 going from 15th place to 13th place to 8th place in the first three respective months of 2022.

10. Moderna Inc MRNA

YTD Return: -24.8%

52-Week Range: $122.01 to $487.49

Price: $176.74

Biotech company Moderna cracked the top ten searched tickers with a strong seventh place ranking in the month of March. The ticker ranked in the top 20 in both January and February at 16th and 19th place respectively.

Honorable Mentions: The following tickers ranked as the next 10 most searched tickers on Benzinga Pro for the first quarter of 2022.

Microsoft Corp MSFT

Ford Motor Co F

Alibaba Group Holding BABA

Digital World Acquisition Corp DWAC

SoFi Technologies SOFI

Imperial Petroleum IMPP

Mullen Automotive MULN

Peloton Interactive PTON

Vinco Ventures Inc BBIG

Lucid Group LCID

Key Takeaways: Of the top ten ranked tickers, only four (SPY, TSLA, NVDA, AAPL) ranked among the top ten searched in each of the first three months. Meta Platforms was the only top ten searched ticker that cracked the top ten for the quarter that didn’t rank in the top 20 in all three months.

Of the honorable mention names, Ford, Alibaba, Digital World Acquisition and Peloton all ranked in the top twenty searched tickers for two of the three months. The other six ranked in the top twenty for only one month, with several ranking in the top ten for a one-month period.

Several stocks that appeared in the top ten in previous months failed to crack the top ten searched tickers for the quarter, including Affirm Holdings AFRM and Hycroft Mining Holding HYMC.

Four of the most searched tickers in 2021 on Benzinga Pro failed to crack the top twenty searched tickers in the first quarter of 2022. This list includes Nio Inc NIO, GameStop Corp GME, Palantir Technologies PLTR and Ocugen Inc OCGN.

Disclosure: Author is long SOFI and LCID.