40 S&P 500 Stocks Hit 52-Week Highs On Monday

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As of Monday, November 2, there are 40 S&P 500 stocks trading at their 52-week highs.

At about $1.20 trillion in market value, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 10.6% over the past month and up 16.2% over the past year. For context, the S&P 500 is down 2.3% over the past month, including dividends.

Photo by ArtsyBee on Pixabay

 
The Ten Largest At New Highs

The table below shows the 10 largest of the 40 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
 

Tickers Market
Cap
1D
Return
1W
Return
1M
Return
1Y
Return
BRK-B $1,198.2 Bil 2.5% 1.4% 10.6% 16.2%
V $800.3 Bil 2.9% 5.3% 18.0% 24.3%
MA $575.8 Bil 3.1% 7.3% 19.3% 19.6%
KO $412.4 Bil 1.9% 3.4% 11.9% 42.6%
PFE $174.8 Bil 0.5% 3.0% 10.3% 35.1%
CB $142.3 Bil 1.3% 3.4% 11.5% 34.3%
MAR $109.9 Bil 4.3% 5.5% 16.0% 60.1%
MRSH $97.8 Bil 2.4% 5.5% 20.8% 17.5%
REGN $97.8 Bil 3.6% 19.0% 30.7% 47.7%
ECL $86.5 Bil 1.8% 6.7% 12.7% 21.3%

The Businesses Behind The Largest New Highs

Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) trades at 14.0 times trailing earnings and grew revenue 10.4% over the last twelve months.

Visa (V) trades at 35.4 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 +4.1% for Fastenal (FAST) to +35.3% for Roper Technologies (ROP).

The median stock on the list is up 29.6% over the past year.

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.

Strength Is A Clue. It Is Not A Plan

A stock at its 52-week high has momentum on its side, and momentum is a real force. It is also the most crowded signal in the market, and what separates a run that lasts from one that tops is usually the business underneath.

Checking that business, across thousands of names, is how the Trefis High Quality (HQ) Portfolio is assembled: roughly 30 companies that pass the quality screens, rebalanced on 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. Let the highs point; let the discipline decide.