Now that stocks have surged to all-time highs yet again in 2019, and with the start of 2020 rapidly approaching, investors need to look back over what has been working and what has not. The Dow was up 20% and the S&P 500 was up 25% year-to-date. Some companies are up far higher — some with exponential gains.
24/7 Wall St. has broken out the leaders from each of the sectors to see which stocks have been the best performers in 2019. We set a floor of a $2 billion market cap to avoid the high-flying noise companies that may be all sizzle and little meat in a few years from now. We also limited our screen to one company per sector to avoid featuring all biotechs that most people haven’t heard of. Companies which are known to being acquired were also not included in the screen as their growth story, at least for new investors, has likely already played out.
Additional color has been added on each, and consensus data comes from Refinitiv. Here are ten stocks that have seen a gain of close to 150% as a floor and over 400% at the high-end of gains in 2019.
Arrowhead Pharma – Up 445% YTD
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: ARWR) was last seen as the top performing biotech outfit in the companies with a market cap above $2 billion. Arrowhead was last seen up 445% year-to-date and up 400% from this time in 2018. Shares had already been up big, but after the recent earnings report its shares shot up from under $50 to over $67 and its market cap is now over $6 billion.
Roku – Up 400% YTD
Roku, Inc. (NASDAQ: ROKU) was last seen up over 400% year-to-date, and it is up almost 300% from this time a year ago. Having an O-T-T offering may be getting crowded, but with an arms-dealer business model where it will sell and bundle anything it is still working and adding customers.
Enphase – Up 350% YTD
Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) may show up as a semiconductor equipment and materials stock in a screen, but the company is into semiconductor-based microinverters that convert energy for solar modules. With a market cap of only $2.5 billion, its shares have surged by just over 350% so far in 2019 and it’s up 305% from this time in 2018. At $21.50, it’s up from a 52-week low of $4.53 and it still has a $30 consensus analyst target price from Refinitiv.
Sea – Up Over 230% YTD
Sea Limited (NYSE: SE) is doing incredibly well and even a $1 billion convertible note offering did not harm its shares. The company has ties to Tencent and offers digital entertainment, ecommerce, an entertainment platform for mobile and online games, eSports and so on in Asia. Most Americans may not have even heard of it, but Sea Limited is up 233% so far in 2019 and is up almost 200% from this time a year ago.
Nevro – Up 185% YTD
Nevro Corporation (NYSE: NVRO) may not be a household name, but the medical device maker makes the Senza spinal cord stimulation system as a neuromodulation platform to treat chronic pain. Its market cap is still just $3.5 billion and its shares have risen over 185% so far in 2019 and the stock is up 175% from a year ago.
Carvana – Up Over 180% YTD
Carvana Company (NYSE: CVNA) is the new car dealerships you may have seen with the multi-story glass “vending machine” look, but it also specializes in online sales and delivery for car buyers that know what they want. The company’s stock has surged 183% year-to-date and was last seen up 105% from this time in 2018.
Snap – Up 180% YTD
Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) got off to a rough start and the so-called “camera company” that is still a social media network has recaptured much of the post-IPO ground that was lost. Snap shares were last seen up 180% so far in 2019 and up over 135% from this time a year ago.
Lattice Semi – Up 175% YTD
Lattice Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: LSCC) is the top performing chip stock of the ones above $2 billion in market cap. A gain of 175% from the start of 2019 is impressive enough, but it’s up over 235% from this time a year ago and it’s $19.16 share price is up from a 52-week low of $5.59 and the Refinitiv consensus analyst price target is up at $21.43.
TopBuild – Up 150% YTD
TopBuild Corporation (NYSE: BLD) has blown the markets away in building products from insulation, windows, garage doors and many other products. it now has a $3.7 billion market cap, and its shares were last seen up about 150% year-to-date and up 123% from this time last year. Even after peaking above $112 for a new high its consensus analyst target price is above $116 and Deutsche Bank recently said it’s worth $129.
Coupa Software – Up Over 140% YTD
Coupa Software Inc. (NASDAQ: COUP) is one of the cloud players focusing on business spending to connect customers and suppliers. It now sports a $9.6 billion market cap, and the $153.50 recent share price still has a consensus analyst target price of $161.16. Coupa Software shares were last seen up 144% year-to-date and up an even more impressive 162% from a year ago.
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