15 Mid Cap Stocks Just Made New 52-Week Highs
As of Thursday, November 5, there are 15 Mid Cap US and Canada-listed stocks in the Trefis coverage universe trading at their 52-week highs. Mid Cap here means a market value between $10 billion and $40 billion, the upper figure excluded.
At about $38.6 billion in market value, WEC Energy (WEC) is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 14.7% over the past month and up 9.4% over the past year. Utilities contributed the most names, 6 of the 15. For context, the S&P 500 is down 5.7% over the past month, including dividends.
The Ten Largest At New Highs
The table below shows the 10 largest of the 15 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:
| Tickers | Market Cap |
1D Return |
1W Return |
1M Return |
1Y Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEC | $38.6 Bil | 0.2% | 3.2% | 14.7% | 9.4% |
| FTS | $31.4 Bil | 0.4% | 5.3% | 15.4% | 25.3% |
| AWK | $30.3 Bil | 1.9% | 7.2% | 19.7% | 22.2% |
| WRB | $29.9 Bil | 0.4% | 5.3% | 10.4% | 6.9% |
| CPAY | $29.3 Bil | 6.8% | 12.3% | 11.1% | 71.2% |
| TW | $26.8 Bil | 0.4% | 7.3% | 18.8% | 22.3% |
| FWONA | $25.0 Bil | 9.5% | 16.5% | 13.0% | 9.1% |
| EVRG | $20.2 Bil | 1.4% | 2.3% | 8.9% | 17.4% |
| BF-B | $14.2 Bil | 0.9% | 10.4% | 19.4% | 17.1% |
| BJ | $14.2 Bil | 0.3% | 5.5% | 16.0% | 23.4% |
Strong Prices, But How Strong Are The Businesses?
WEC Energy (WEC) trades at 21.3 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 8.1% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 24.8%.
Fortis (FTS) trades at 16.7 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 4.1% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 28.4%.
Across the list, one-month moves range from +8.9% for Evergy (EVRG) to +19.7% for American Water Works (AWK).
The median stock on the list is up 22.2% over the past year.
6 of the 15 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: 6 of the 15 names are Utilities stocks. When a whole group is making new highs together, a utilities ETF like XLU, which holds 3 of the 6 largest of them, is one way to own part of the group’s strength without betting on which single name leads it from here.
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.