48 Large Cap Stocks Just Made New 52-Week Highs

As of Wednesday, November 4, there are 48 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.

Apple (AAPL), with a market value of about $5.09 trillion, is the largest company on the list; its stock is up 4.8% over the past month and up 30.4% over the past year. Financials contributed the most names, 17 of the 48. For context, the S&P 500 is down 1.6% over the past month, including dividends.

The Biggest Names On The List

The table below shows the 10 largest of the 48 names, sorted by market capitalization, with returns over four windows:

Strong Prices, But How Strong Are The Businesses?

Apple (AAPL) trades at 38.5 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 15.1% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 33.0%.

Microsoft (MSFT) trades at 28.9 times trailing earnings, grew revenue 17.9% over the last twelve months and earned an operating margin of 47.1%.

Across the list, one-month moves range from +4.8% for Apple (AAPL) to +35.9% for Roper Technologies (ROP).

Over the past year, the median name here is up 28.6%.

45 of the 48 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.

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.