Why These 2 Hot Nasdaq Stocks Are Soaring Friday

Stocks have been in a holding pattern most of this week, and Friday was no exception for the Nasdaq Composite (NASDAQINDEX: ^IXIC). As of 2 p.m. EST, the Nasdaq was right at the unchanged mark, with most other major market benchmarks giving up minimal amounts of ground in preparation for the three-day weekend.

Yet that doesn't mean that every stock on the Nasdaq was stuck in neutral. Shares of Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) and Coherent (NASDAQ: COHR) were among the best performers on the exchange on Friday, with one stock benefiting from capitalizing on a huge opportunity while the other got even more interest in the mergers and acquisitions arena.

Shares of Illumina were higher by 14%. The genetic sequencing and diagnostics specialist reported financial results late Thursday that made shareholders quite pleased to see the current favorable environment for the company.

Source Fool.com