On Thursday, major U.S. indices closed higher, with the $Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI.US)$ increasing by 1.4% to 40,563.06, the S&P 500 rising 1.6% to 5,543.22, and the NASDAQ climbing 2.3% to 17,594.50.

These are the top stocks that gained the attention of retail traders and investors throughout the day:

$Amazon (AMZN.US)$.com Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN)

Amazon shares rose by 4.40% to close at $177.59. The stock benefited from strong consumer spending data and an upbeat outlook from $Walmart (WMT.US)$ Inc. Amazon's stock performance was also influenced by the latest retail sales data, which showed a 1% month-over-month increase in July, surpassing economist expectations.

$AST SpaceMobile (ASTS.US)$ Inc. (NASDAQ:ASTS)

AST SpaceMobile shares surged by 50.70% to close at $31.36, following the company's announcement of its second-quarter financial results. Despite reporting a larger-than-expected loss, the company revealed plans to launch five satellites in early September.

$Cingulate (CING.US)$ Inc. (NASDAQ:CING)

Cingulate shares soared by 159.46% to close at $4.80 after the company was granted a European Patent for its lead asset, CTx-1301, used in the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The patent expands Cingulate's intellectual property portfolio to include up to 30 European territories.

$Applied Materials (AMAT.US)$ Inc. (NASDAQ:AMAT)

Applied Materials shares increased by 5.06% to close at $211.83 after the company reported third-quarter financial results that exceeded analyst estimates for both revenue and EPS. This marks the ninth consecutive quarter that Applied Materials has surpassed analyst estimates.

$Tesla (TSLA.US)$ Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA)

Tesla shares rose by 6.34% to close at $214.14. The stock benefited from stronger-than-expected retail sales, which potentially signals increased consumer demand and confidence, possibly boosting expectations for higher vehicle sales.