The 20 best-performing stocks of 2020 according to reliable analysts
These stocks were not cherry-picked in hindsight: they are the ones the method would have selected using only info known by end of 2019 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +14% · vs S&P 500 +16% · -2.0 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALRM Alarm.Com, Inc. | +141% |
| 2 | NFLX Netflix | +67% |
| 3 | EVR Evercore | +47% |
| 4 | OLN Olin Corporation | +42% |
| 5 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +39% |
| 6 | DHI D. R. Horton | +31% |
| 7 | EXPE Expedia Group | +22% |
| 8 | TEX Terex | +17% |
| 9 | SCHW Charles Schwab Corporation | +12% |
| 10 | DD DuPont | +11% |
| 11 | ELV Elevance Health | +6% |
| 12 | THC Tenet Health | +5% |
| 13 | KFY Korn/Ferry International | +3% |
| 14 | NRG NRG Energy | -5% |
| 15 | AORT Artivion | -13% |
| 16 | FLR Fluor | -15% |
| 17 | NNN NNN Reit | -24% |
| 18 | AIG American International Group | -26% |
| 19 | BA Boeing | -34% |
| 20 | RES RPC, Inc. | -40% |
⚡ JPI Risk + +12% · vs S&P 500 +16% · -4.3 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALRM Alarm.Com, Inc. | +141% |
| 2 | PYPL PayPal | +117% |
| 3 | DFIN Donnelley Financial Solutions, Inc. | +62% |
| 4 | MU Micron Technology | +40% |
| 5 | LEN Lennar | +37% |
| 6 | EXPE Expedia Group | +22% |
| 7 | TEX Terex | +17% |
| 8 | DLTR Dollar Tree | +15% |
| 9 | DD DuPont | +11% |
| 10 | THC Tenet Health | +5% |
| 11 | KFY Korn/Ferry International | +3% |
| 12 | CI Cigna | +2% |
| 13 | NRG NRG Energy | -5% |
| 14 | FLR Fluor | -15% |
| 15 | O Realty Income | -16% |
| 16 | NNN NNN Reit | -24% |
| 17 | BA Boeing | -34% |
| 18 | RES RPC, Inc. | -40% |
| 19 | FANG Diamondback Energy | -48% |
| 20 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | -51% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2021?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +14% | +16% |
| 2021 | +33% | +27% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +52% | +47% |
💡 The takeaway — you have to accept the average or down years and stay in the method (sell, rebuy the newly recommended names). Whoever panics after a bad year misses the rebound. Discipline > emotion.
📊 See the full 11-year backtest → 🎯 Stocks to buy today →
FAQ
What were the best stocks to buy in 2020?
Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 stocks selected in early 2020 returned +14.2% on average over 12 months, vs 16.2% for the index. The best was ALRM (Alarm.Com, Inc.) at +141%. See the full list above.
How were these 2020 stocks chosen?
With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2019 (price targets from analysts with a real reliability track record on their sector), then held 12 months. A point-in-time backtest, not a hindsight pick.
Does this method actually work?
Over 11 years (2015-2025), the JPI Fair method returned +19.8%/yr vs +11.5% for the S&P 500 — +8.3 points a year, beating the index in 8 of 11 years. But it's lumpy (down years in 2018 and 2022) and risk-adjusted the edge is thinner. A quality signal, not a guarantee.
What is JPI Invest?
JPI Invest aggregates analyst recommendations across the entire S&P 500 (plus the S&P MidCap 400), replays them against real prices and measures who predicts best — on results, not reputation. Instead of taking a price target at face value, you see each analyst's track record on each stock.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 11 years, from cautious to aggressive
- 💬 AI assistant: ask anything about any stock, with the numbers
- 📊 Portfolio tracking + 🔔 price alerts by email