8 S&P 500 Stocks Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday
A short list of stocks at their highest price of the year is concentrated in just two areas of the market.
As of Monday, September 21, there are 8 S&P 500 stocks trading at their 52-week highs. The largest company on the list is Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), with a market value of about $1004.5 billion. Its stock has gained 31.1% over the last month, while the S&P 500 returned +1.7%.
The list is heavily concentrated. Information Technology accounts for 4 names and Health Care for 3 names. When nearly all of the market’s strongest price action is found in just two sectors, what does that signal about the broader tape?
The Complete 52-Week-High List
Here are all 8 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D % Chg |
1W % Chg |
1M % Chg |
1Y % Chg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMD | $1,004.53 Bil | 9.9% | 24.7% | 31.1% | 289.8% |
| CRWD | $253.07 Bil | 4.9% | 5.9% | 31.0% | 98.4% |
| TMO | $244.4 Bil | 1.1% | 7.4% | 5.1% | 37.4% |
| FTNT | $128.46 Bil | 3.2% | 3.0% | 16.2% | 116.4% |
| WBD | $77.34 Bil | 10.8% | 9.6% | 9.1% | 64.7% |
| A | $45.67 Bil | 3.5% | 10.3% | 3.6% | 27.9% |
| FFIV | $25.53 Bil | 4.2% | 9.4% | 19.1% | 35.7% |
| TECH | $11.32 Bil | 0.1% | 0.3% | 0.4% | 37.5% |
Which names show a business that earns its new high?
The companies reaching new highs show very different profiles. Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) trades at 156.1 times trailing earnings. Its revenue grew 39.5% over the last twelve months, and its operating margin was 15.7%.
In contrast, Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO) trades at 35.1 times trailing earnings. Its revenue grew 7.2% over the last twelve months, and its operating margin was 18.3%. One is a story of high growth and a very high multiple. The other shows more modest growth and a lower valuation.
How should a disciplined reader treat this list?
A 52-week high is a starting point, not a conclusion. It signals that a stock’s price has been strong, and that strength can often persist. But a price is not a verdict on the business itself.
The disciplined move is to ask whether the underlying fundamentals justify the new price level. A high is an invitation to do the work, not a sign that the work is already done.
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: 4 of the 8 names are Information Technology stocks. When a whole group is making new highs together, a technology ETF like XLK, 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.
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.