Small Cap Stocks At 52-Week Highs: Tuesday’s Full List
Today’s list of market leaders shows a sharp divide between steady growth and explosive, high-risk runs.
On Tuesday, 41 Small Cap stocks from the Russell 3000 reached their 52-week highs. This is a selective list, not a broad market rally, as the S&P 500 returned just 1.9% over the last month. The largest company making a new high is Henry Schein (HSIC), with a market value of about $10.0 billion.
The list is concentrated in a few areas, led by Biotechnology and Regional Banks with 4 names each. But the central question is what kind of strength the market is rewarding: the steady 8.3% one-month gain of a giant like HSIC, or the 149.7% surge from a name like Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (CRNX). Below are the names hitting new highs.
The Full List, Largest First
- Where The Buying Ran Strongest: 26 S&P 500 Stocks At 52-Week Highs
- Where The Buying Ran Strongest: 16 Mid Cap Stocks At 52-Week Highs
- 5 S&P 500 Stocks Hit 52-Week Lows On Tuesday
- S&P 500 Movers | Winners: CRWD, GS, CVNA | Losers: IBM, BIIB, HCA
- Market Movers | Winners: BRKH, NXTC, VEEE | Losers: LESL, MTNB, IBM
- Where The Selling Ran Deepest: 16 Stocks At 52-Week Lows
The table below shows the 10 largest of the 41 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D % Chg |
1W % Chg |
1M % Chg |
1Y % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HSIC | $10.0 Bil | 1.3% | 0.1% | 8.3% | 18.4% |
| NUVL | $9.8 Bil | 0.0% | 0.2% | 0.4% | 53.2% |
| APGE | $9.3 Bil | 0.1% | 0.3% | 49.7% | 251.2% |
| CRNX | $8.7 Bil | 0.0% | 0.2% | 149.7% | 162.2% |
| JXN | $8.5 Bil | 0.9% | 11.6% | 12.7% | 44.8% |
| ETSY | $8.0 Bil | 3.1% | 7.0% | 19.6% | 43.5% |
| HXL | $7.7 Bil | 2.7% | 1.8% | 4.6% | 74.8% |
| TRNO | $7.5 Bil | 1.2% | 3.4% | 7.6% | 26.7% |
| HR | $7.3 Bil | 0.4% | 1.2% | 1.9% | 36.8% |
| PBF | $7.1 Bil | 6.0% | 25.7% | 48.0% | 119.9% |
A new high can signal very different business realities.
Henry Schein (HSIC) represents one kind of strength. The largest name on the list trades at 25.3 times trailing earnings, supported by revenue that grew 5.6% over the last twelve months and a positive operating margin of 5.6%. This is a picture of a mature business earning its higher valuation.
In contrast, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals (CRNX) shows a different profile. The stock posted the list’s strongest one-month run, up 149.7%. That move coincides with revenue growth of 2277.5% over the last twelve months, but also a deeply negative operating margin of -3020.3%. The price reflects extreme top-line expansion, not current profitability.
A high price is a starting point, not a conclusion.
A 52-week-high list is a useful screen for what is working in the market. Strength often persists. But a new high is simply a price, not a verdict on the quality of the underlying business.
The disciplined move is to treat this list as a starting point for research. The names here have the market’s attention. The essential work is to determine if the business fundamentals can sustain it.
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, which is the momentum that tends to have staying power.
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 all major indices – the S&P 500, S&P Mid-cap, and Russell 2000. Admire the list; own the system.