The 52-Week-High List: 14 S&P 500 Names On Thursday
As of Thursday, November 12, there are 14 S&P 500 stocks trading at their 52-week highs.
At about $1.26 trillion in market value, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 12.1% over the past month and up 18.7% over the past year. By sector, Health Care leads the list with 5 of the 14 names. For context, the S&P 500 is down 1.6% over the past month, including dividends.
The Ten Largest At New Highs
The table below shows the 10 largest of the 14 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D Return |
1W Return |
1M Return |
1Y Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BRK-B | $1,262.0 Bil | 0.3% | 3.1% | 12.1% | 18.7% |
| JNJ | $683.2 Bil | 1.1% | 4.1% | 11.7% | 49.6% |
| COST | $484.9 Bil | 0.4% | 2.5% | 11.4% | 20.2% |
| PGR | $136.8 Bil | 0.8% | 1.0% | 10.3% | 14.0% |
| ADP | $122.1 Bil | 0.5% | 0.3% | 9.8% | 24.2% |
| WM | $97.4 Bil | 1.6% | 1.2% | 13.1% | 22.1% |
| RSG | $77.5 Bil | 1.5% | 1.4% | 12.7% | 23.6% |
| GWW | $70.6 Bil | 1.1% | 3.7% | 13.1% | 60.1% |
| CAH | $64.5 Bil | 0.2% | 3.9% | 12.3% | 37.1% |
| FAST | $63.7 Bil | 0.1% | 5.0% | 7.4% | 37.5% |
The Businesses Behind The Largest New Highs
Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) trades at 16.4 times trailing earnings and grew revenue 9.6% over the last twelve months.
Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) trades at 42.4 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 7.8% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 25.7%.
Across the list, one-month moves range from +4.5% for WR Berkley (WRB) to +22.4% for Edwards Lifesciences (EW).
Over the past year, the median name here is up 24.2%.
Before chasing any name on this list, ask what the company itself expects next. Our Guidance Momentum screen surfaces the stocks whose managements just raised their own outlooks.
Chasing Highs Is A Reflex. Owning Strength Is A System
A 52-week-high list is seductive: everything on it has been going right. But buying a stock because it is at its high is buying a price, and prices revert; what persists is the quality underneath the run.
The Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio is built to own that quality before and after it makes headlines: roughly 30 businesses selected for consistent cash generation, strong margins, and resilient balance sheets, sized and rebalanced with rules. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Admire the list; own the system.