There are 84 stocks in the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index which trade for more than $100 a share. The best known are Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), However, they are far from the best performing, based on returns over the last year.
A quick look at the top five stocks traded over $100 based on one-year share performance:
Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE: LMT). A bit of surprise given ongoing cutbacks in U.S. military spending. Its shares have risen nearly 63% over the last year to $163.90. Its market cap has reached $52 billion. Its revenue declined in 2013 to $45.3 billion from $47.1 billion in 2012. Net income rose, however, to $3 billion from $2.7 billion. Lockheed shareholders continue to hope that arms build-ups overseas and non-military products, including satellites, will contribute to growth.
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Shares of Wynn Resorts Ltd. (NASDAQ: WYNN) have risen 70% in the last year to $221.68. The gambling company has a market cap of $22 billion. The price of the stock has mostly been driven by its expansion into Macau. Wynn plans to open a new 1,700 room resort in the Chinese city in 2016.
Helmerich & Payne (NYSE:HP)’s ticker is often confused with that of Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HPQ). But the oil and gas drilling company has been much more successful than the tech company. Helmerich shares have risen 80% in the last year to $107.67. The company has a market cap of $11.6 billion. Most of its success is based on the U.S. drilling boom. That, in turn, owes its gains to the race to recover shale oil and gas.
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Finally, shares of audio company Harman International Industries Inc. (NYSE: HAR) have risen 133% to $111.34, putting its market cap at $7.5 billion. Harman recently raised its revenue forecast for the year which ends June 30, and it expects the number to reach $5.3 billion. Much of its success is due to renewed demand for car audio systems in Europe, where vehicle sales have been down since the start of the recession.
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