The 20 best-performing stocks of 2024 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 2023 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +10% · vs S&P 500 +23% · -13.2 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | +135% |
| 2 | CNK Cinemark Holdings, Inc. | +120% |
| 3 | LQDT Liquidity Services, Inc. | +88% |
| 4 | LNTH Lantheus Holdings | +44% |
| 5 | GTLS Chart Industries | +40% |
| 6 | TNL Travel + Leisure Co. | +29% |
| 7 | SUPN Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. | +25% |
| 8 | CPRX Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Partners, Inc. | +24% |
| 9 | OMCL Omnicell | +18% |
| 10 | XNCR Xencor Inc | +8% |
| 11 | OGN Organon & Co. | +4% |
| 12 | HGV Hilton Grand Vacations | -3% |
| 13 | PRVA Privia Health Group, Inc. | -15% |
| 14 | RCUS Arcus Biosciences, Inc. | -22% |
| 15 | TALO Talos Energy, Inc. | -32% |
| 16 | DAR Darling Ingredients | -32% |
| 17 | APTV Aptiv | -33% |
| 18 | CELH Celsius Holdings | -52% |
| 19 | MRNA Moderna | -58% |
| 20 | SEDG SolarEdge | -85% |
⚡ JPI Risk + +4% · vs S&P 500 +23% · -19.2 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | +135% |
| 2 | DAL Delta Air Lines | +50% |
| 3 | GM General Motors | +48% |
| 4 | LNTH Lantheus Holdings | +44% |
| 5 | GTLS Chart Industries | +40% |
| 6 | PYPL PayPal | +39% |
| 7 | C Citigroup | +37% |
| 8 | CPRX Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Partners, Inc. | +24% |
| 9 | OMCL Omnicell | +18% |
| 10 | XNCR Xencor Inc | +8% |
| 11 | WBD Warner Bros. Discovery | -7% |
| 12 | PFE Pfizer | -8% |
| 13 | RCUS Arcus Biosciences, Inc. | -22% |
| 14 | TALO Talos Energy, Inc. | -32% |
| 15 | DAR Darling Ingredients | -32% |
| 16 | APTV Aptiv | -33% |
| 17 | ALB Albemarle Corporation | -40% |
| 18 | PCRX Pacira BioSciences, Inc. | -44% |
| 19 | MRNA Moderna | -58% |
| 20 | SEDG SolarEdge | -85% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2025?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | +10% | +23% |
| 2025 | +40% | +16% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +54% | +43% |
💡 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 2024?
Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 stocks selected in early 2024 returned +10.1% on average over 12 months, vs 23.3% for the index. The best was UAL (United Airlines Holdings) at +135%. See the full list above.
How were these 2024 stocks chosen?
With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2023 (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