6 Large Cap Stocks Just Made New 52-Week Highs
As of Thursday, October 8, there are 6 Large Cap US and Canada-listed stocks in the Trefis coverage universe trading at their 52-week highs. Large Cap here means a market value above $40 billion.
At about $481.9 billion in market value, AbbVie (ABBV) is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 8.6% over the past month and up 20.6% over the past year. Energy contributed the most names, 3 of the 6. For context, the S&P 500 is up 1.8% over the past month, including dividends.
Every Name On The List
The table below lists all 6 names this screen surfaced, largest first, with one-day, one-week, one-month and one-year returns:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D Return |
1W Return |
1M Return |
1Y Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABBV | $481.9 Bil | 0.4% | 4.8% | 8.6% | 20.6% |
| PM | $312.4 Bil | 4.1% | 7.5% | 8.9% | 34.3% |
| MPC | $133.9 Bil | 4.8% | 10.3% | 16.0% | 145.9% |
| VLO | $130.5 Bil | 4.6% | 8.7% | 14.1% | 177.8% |
| PSX | $112.9 Bil | 3.7% | 6.6% | 8.0% | 119.0% |
| TEAM | $51.5 Bil | 4.0% | 7.2% | 14.5% | 35.6% |
What Sits Behind The Biggest New Highs?
AbbVie (ABBV) trades at 76.4 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 10.4% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 33.9%.
Philip Morris International (PM) trades at 28.7 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 8.9% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 37.7%.
Across the list, one-month moves range from +8.0% for Phillips 66 (PSX) to +16.0% for Marathon Petroleum (MPC).
The median stock on the list is up 77.3% over the past year.
5 of the 6 names are also S&P 500 members.
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.
One more pattern worth noticing: 3 of the 6 names are Energy stocks. When a whole group is making new highs together, an energy ETF like XLE, which holds 3 of the 3 largest of them, is one way to own part of the group’s strength without betting on which single name leads it from here.
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.