After a shaky finish to 2018 that caused worry among investors, U.S. equities are on track to close out 2019 with strong performance.
The S&P 500 Index was up about 25% as of December 11, and with lower volatility than in 2018, investors were treated to a relatively stable, calm movement upward throughout the year. Yet risks do remain, with analysts fretting about slowing profit growth, the U.S.-China trade war, Brexit and a possible global economic slowdown.
Some U.S. equities stood out above the crowd. The following companies, in ascending order, have been the top performers in 2019, according to Bloomberg data. The percentage gains for each company were as of Nov. 30.
20. Tyson Foods (Class A)
68.3%
The global corporation, based in Springdale, Ark., is the world's second-largest processor and marketer of chicken, beef, and pork.
19. Celgene Corp.
68.9%
This integrated global biopharmaceutical company develops therapies for the treatment of cancer and inflammatory diseases through solutions in protein homeostasis, immuno-oncology, epigenetics, immunology and neuro-inflammation.
18. Apple Inc.
69.4%
The technology company has remained a top performer despite concerns about the market saturation of its iconic, revenue-generating iPhone.
17. Qorvo Inc.
71.6%
This semiconductor company is seen as one of the potential beneficiaries of emerging 5G broadband networks.
16. Leidos Holdings Inc.
72.3%
Leidos provides technology and engineering services and solutions to the defense, intelligence, civil and health markets.
15. Keysight Technologies Inc.
72.4%
This measurement company provides electronic design and test instruments and systems and related software and software design tools used in the design, development, manufacture, installation, deployment and operation of electronics equipment.
14. Global Payments Inc.
75.6%
Offers payment and digital commerce solutions for credit cards, debit cards, electronic payments and check-related services.
13. MSCI Inc. (Class A)
75.8%
The company is a global provider of a variety of stock market indexes, as well as portfolio analysis tools.
12. Coty Inc. (Class A)
75.9%
The multinational cosmetics company has been a strong performer in the luxury niche of the industry.
11. Applied Materials Inc.
76.8%
The company provides manufacturing equipment, services and software to the global semiconductor, display and related industries.
10. ANSYS Inc.
78.2%
Its engineering simulation software and services are used by engineers, designers, researchers and students across a range of industries and academia including aerospace and defense, automotive, industrial equipment, electronics, biomedical, energy, materials and chemical processing, and semiconductors.
9. KLA Corp.
83.1%
Formerly known as KLA-Tencor Corp., the company supplies process control and yield management solutions for the semiconductor and related nanoelectronics industries.
8. Arconic Inc.
83.6%
The metals engineering and manufacturing company is reaping benefits from growth in the aerospace and automotive markets, analysts say.
7. Copart Inc.
86.3%
The company offers online auctions and vehicle remarketing services in the U.S. and overseas.
6. Chipotle Mexican Grill
88.5%
The restaurant chain has bounced back from outbreaks of foodborne illnesses at its establishment in recent years that threatened its brand.
5. Target Corp.
89.2%
Analysts say this company, the eighth-largest retailer in the U.S., is proof that brick-and-mortar retailers can still be successful in the age of Amazon.
4. MarketAxess Holdings Inc.
91.1%
It operates an electronic trading platform enabling fixed-income market participants to trade corporate bonds and other types of fixed-income instruments using its trading technology. Institutional investors and broker-dealer firms are among the users of this trading platform.
3. Lam Research Corp.
96.0%
As a supplier of wafer fabrication equipment and services to the semiconductor industry, the company designs, manufactures, markets, refurbishes and services semiconductor processing systems that are used in the fabrication of integrated circuits.
2. Xerox Holdings Corp.
97.0%
People only think of it as a photocopier company, but Xerox's technology was crucial to the development of personal computers.
1. Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
112.1%
This global semiconductor manufacturer produces chips for a host of end uses from desktop computers and servers to game consoles and professional graphics.
