11 Large Cap Stocks Just Made New 52-Week Highs
As of Monday, October 12, there are 11 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.
Microsoft (MSFT), with a market value of about $4.02 trillion, is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 9.2% over the past month and up 4.4% over the past year. Information Technology contributed the most names, 4 of the 11. For context, the S&P 500 is up 2.0% over the past month, including dividends.
The 10 Largest, By Market Cap
The table below shows the 10 largest of the 11 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D Return |
1W Return |
1M Return |
1Y Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSFT | $4,018.6 Bil | 1.1% | 3.0% | 9.2% | 4.4% |
| V | $732.1 Bil | 1.0% | 5.3% | 5.1% | 13.1% |
| XOM | $718.6 Bil | 1.9% | 5.0% | 3.7% | 56.9% |
| ABBV | $497.3 Bil | 1.7% | 5.8% | 9.3% | 25.6% |
| PM | $314.7 Bil | 0.4% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 33.3% |
| SHOP | $232.1 Bil | 4.9% | 11.9% | 39.2% | 9.4% |
| SU | $86.7 Bil | 1.8% | 6.9% | 6.8% | 87.7% |
| MET | $64.4 Bil | 1.9% | 3.4% | 3.1% | 25.7% |
| TEAM | $52.5 Bil | 0.5% | 5.6% | 15.6% | 40.6% |
| HUM | $52.0 Bil | 0.4% | 7.3% | 5.8% | 50.8% |
Strong Prices, But How Strong Are The Businesses?
Microsoft (MSFT) trades at 30.0 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 17.8% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 46.8%.
Visa (V) trades at 32.4 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 14.4% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 65.6%.
Across the list, one-month moves range from +3.1% for MetLife (MET) to +39.2% for Shopify (SHOP).
The median stock on the list is up 33.3% over the past year.
8 of the 11 names are also S&P 500 members.
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.
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.