Where The Buying Ran Strongest: 21 S&P 500 Stocks At 52-Week Highs
A mix of sprinting tech and steady industrial giants populate today’s list of market leaders.
Zebra Technologies (ZBRA) has gained 38.1% over the last month, a run that dwarfs the S&P 500’s +2.9% return over the same period. As of Friday, August 7, it is one of 21 S&P 500 stocks trading at their 52-week highs.
The list also includes industrial giants like Eaton (ETN) and Parker Hannifin (PH), raising the question of whether this is a cluster of individual breakouts or a broader theme. The names below show the full picture.
The 10 Largest, By Market Cap
- Karman Stock: 7 Straight Green Days, Up 28%
- 5 Green Days In A Row: Unity Software Stock Is Up 36%
- A 7-Day Winning Streak Has Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Stock Up 38%
- A 7-Day Winning Streak Has Eaton Stock Up 24%
- A 7-Day Winning Streak Has ATI Stock Up 28%
- Rocket Lab Stock Climbs 41% On A 7-Day Winning Streak
The table below shows the 10 largest of the 21 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D % Chg |
1W % Chg |
1M % Chg |
1Y % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMGN | $221.9 Bil | 1.5% | 6.7% | 13.0% | 48.7% |
| ETN | $174.2 Bil | 0.4% | 8.3% | 10.8% | 27.0% |
| PH | $135.5 Bil | 0.4% | 10.0% | 13.1% | 55.4% |
| ABNB | $106.5 Bil | 17.4% | 17.5% | 21.2% | 36.5% |
| MMM | $95.1 Bil | 1.2% | 3.8% | 17.7% | 23.5% |
| ROST | $81.4 Bil | 0.4% | 1.7% | 15.7% | 75.7% |
| URI | $72.7 Bil | 0.0% | 7.7% | 6.8% | 36.2% |
| TGT | $67.9 Bil | 1.8% | 3.6% | 13.2% | 48.3% |
| GRMN | $59.9 Bil | 3.0% | 5.8% | 27.1% | 37.3% |
| FAST | $59.5 Bil | 2.0% | 8.7% | 12.5% | 13.2% |
Industrial names on the list show very different profiles.
Eaton (ETN), for instance, has gained 10.8% over the last month and trades at 45.5 times trailing earnings, supported by revenue that grew 15.5% over the last twelve months.
Parker Hannifin (PH) has seen a similar one-month gain of 13.1%, but its valuation is different. It trades at 38.9 times earnings with revenue growth of 6.0% and an operating margin of 20.9%.
A stock’s new high is a reason to look closer, not a reason to buy.
A 52-week high means the stock is at its strongest price of the last year, and that strength can often persist. But price is not a verdict on the business itself.
The disciplined next step is to ask whether the company’s performance justifies the new valuation. A check of revenue growth and operating margin is where that work begins.
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 the three major indices – the S&P 500, S&P Mid-cap, and Russell 2000. Admire the list; own the system.