These 6 Nasdaq Stocks Are Among the Year's Biggest Gainers

Several Nasdaq stocks have shown consistent gains in 2014, outperforming the Nasdaq Composite that has gained nearly 14% this year.

As of Dec. 18, the Nasdaq's gains are almost double that of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and three percentage points more than the S&P 500 Index.

The Nasdaq is still associated with tech stocks, but not as much as it used to be. Of the approximately 2,500 Nasdaq stocks, about 44% are from the tech industry. That's down from 57% at the end of 2009. To get an idea of the Nasdaq stocks leading the charge above other indexes, here are six of 2014's biggest gainers…

Six of the Most Successful Nasdaq Stocks This Year

TriQuint Semiconductor (Nasdaq: TQNT) – TriQuint Semiconductor designs, manufactures and supplies RF modules and components for the semiconductor industry. TQNT will be merging with RF Micro Devices Inc. to form 'Qorvo'. It was recently announced that the two companies now have all the necessary approvals to move forward with their merger, which is set to take place on Dec. 31, 2014.

TQNT has experienced a year-to-date gain of 313%, going from $8.31 at the start of the year to $25.97 by closing on Dec 5.

RF Micro Devices Inc. (Nasdaq: RFMD) – The merger between RFMD and TriQuint Semiconductor will offer growth opportunities in the mobile device, network infrastructure, and aerospace/defense sectors.

So far, the designer and manufacturer of high-performance semiconductor components has year-to-date gains of 321%, going from $4.85 at the start of the year to $15.59 by closing on Dec 5.

Skyworks Solutions Inc. (Nasdaq: SWKS) – Skyworks Solutions is most recognized as Apple's radio frequency chip supplier.

This Nasdaq stock has experienced year-to-date gains of 256%, starting at $27.40 in January and closing at $70.23 by the end of Dec 5.

Money Morning Members, keep reading to learn more about Nasdaq's most successful stocks of 2014. After all, these are the ones leading the pack into a profitable New Year…