7 Large Cap Stocks Hit 52-Week Highs On Friday
A short list of market leaders diverges from the broader index, with notable strength in technology and energy.
Technology Hardware, Storage & Peripherals placed 2 names on today’s list. As of Friday, September 11, 7 Large Cap US and Canada-listed stocks in the Trefis coverage universe are trading at their 52-week highs. The largest company on the list is Chevron (CVX), with a market value of about $421.7 billion.
The list is small, and all 7 names are S&P 500 members, even as the index itself has returned -1.1% over the last month. But does a new high always come with a high price, or are some of these businesses still growing into their valuations?
The Full List, Largest First
Here are all 7 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
This screen covers US and Canada-listed stocks in the Trefis coverage universe. Large Cap here means a market value above $40 billion.
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D % Chg |
1W % Chg |
1M % Chg |
1Y % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CVX | $421.67 Bil | 0.6% | 1.3% | 9.8% | 41.0% |
| DELL | $368.17 Bil | 12.0% | 9.9% | 17.1% | 361.6% |
| VZ | $210.94 Bil | 1.3% | 0.0% | 7.7% | 24.3% |
| COP | $166.67 Bil | 0.2% | 1.2% | 8.6% | 50.2% |
| VLO | $114.78 Bil | 1.3% | 5.3% | 18.2% | 151.5% |
| HPE | $82.89 Bil | 12.4% | 14.1% | 5.6% | 159.3% |
| HUM | $49.2 Bil | 2.3% | 0.8% | 5.4% | 52.0% |
Which name has the numbers to back its run?
Dell Technologies (DELL) stands out. The stock has gained 17.1% over the last month. Over the last twelve months, its revenue grew 49.0% with an operating margin of 9.6%, and it now trades at 32.2 times trailing earnings.
For comparison, a different kind of giant on the list, Verizon Communications (VZ), trades at 13.0 times trailing earnings. Its revenue grew 1.4% over the last twelve months, with an operating margin of 20.5%.
So how should an investor use this list?
A list of stocks at their highest price of the past year is a map of where capital has been rewarded. Strength can be a persistent signal, and it is rarely wise to bet against it without a reason.
But a 52-week high is a price point, not a final judgment on a business. The disciplined next step is always the same: to look past the price and check if the underlying revenue and earnings growth justify the new level.
A new high tells you what the market already believes. The harder question is which of these runs management itself is underwriting. Our Guidance Momentum screen tracks exactly that: stocks where the company raised its own forward numbers.
One more pattern worth noticing: 3 of the 7 names are Energy stocks. When a whole group is making new highs together, an energy ETF like XLE, which holds 3 of these names, is one way to own part of the group’s strength without betting on which single name leads it from here.
New Highs Fade. Discipline Compounds
Some of the names on this list will keep setting highs for years, and some are at the top of their run right now. Sorting one from the other, name by name, every day, is the work most investors never keep up with.
That sorting is what the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio does systematically: about 30 quality businesses screened for the fundamentals that sustain a run, held with rules instead of excitement. It has a track record of outpacing a benchmark that combines the S&P 500, the S&P MidCap 400, and the Russell 2000. Use the high list for ideas; use the portfolio for the compounding.