The 20 best-performing stocks of 2021 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 2020 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +33% · vs S&P 500 +27% · +6.4 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SYNA Synaptics | +200% |
| 2 | DKS Dick's Sporting Goods | +105% |
| 3 | CCS Century Communities, Inc. | +87% |
| 4 | TOL Toll Brothers | +67% |
| 5 | ECPG Encore Capital Group, Inc. | +60% |
| 6 | GPI Group 1 Automotive, Inc. | +49% |
| 7 | MTH Meritage Homes Corporation | +47% |
| 8 | GFF Griffon Corporation | +40% |
| 9 | REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | +31% |
| 10 | FHN First Horizon | +28% |
| 11 | GILD Gilead Sciences | +25% |
| 12 | CRM Salesforce | +14% |
| 13 | FDX FedEx | 0% |
| 14 | BIIB Biogen | -2% |
| 15 | SKYW SkyWest, Inc. | -2% |
| 16 | HALO Halozyme | -6% |
| 17 | BA Boeing | -6% |
| 18 | HTLD Heartland Express, Inc. | -7% |
| 19 | SBRA Sabra Health Care REIT | -22% |
| 20 | OLLI Ollie's Bargain Outlet | -37% |
⚡ JPI Risk + +42% · vs S&P 500 +27% · +14.9 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | DKS Dick's Sporting Goods | +105% |
| 2 | CCS Century Communities, Inc. | +87% |
| 3 | TOL Toll Brothers | +67% |
| 4 | PEN Penumbra, Inc. | +64% |
| 5 | WFC Wells Fargo | +59% |
| 6 | DHI D. R. Horton | +57% |
| 7 | GPI Group 1 Automotive, Inc. | +49% |
| 8 | MTH Meritage Homes Corporation | +47% |
| 9 | KNX Knight-Swift | +46% |
| 10 | GM General Motors | +41% |
| 11 | GFF Griffon Corporation | +40% |
| 12 | AXP American Express | +35% |
| 13 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +32% |
| 14 | REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | +31% |
| 15 | FHN First Horizon | +28% |
| 16 | GILD Gilead Sciences | +25% |
| 17 | USB U.S. Bancorp | +21% |
| 18 | CRM Salesforce | +14% |
| 19 | BIIB Biogen | -2% |
| 20 | BA Boeing | -6% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2022?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +33% | +27% |
| 2022 | -11% | -19% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +18% | +3% |
💡 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 2021?
Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 stocks selected in early 2021 returned +33.4% on average over 12 months, vs 27.0% for the index. The best was SYNA (Synaptics) at +200%. See the full list above.
How were these 2021 stocks chosen?
With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2020 (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