Portfolios by year2015

The 20 best stocks of 2015 according to reliable analysts

3 JPI methods (Light / Fair / Risk +) · selected early January 2015, held 12 months · real return · S&P 500 · Updated 2026-07-08
In short — in early 2015, the 3 JPI methods (based on the most reliable analysts, ≥2 who beat their sector) would each have selected 20 S&P 500 stocks, held 12 months. Real results: 🟢 Light 0% · 🎯 Fair +6% · ⚡ Risk+ +6% — vs -1% for the S&P 500. Best selection (Fair): SBUX (Starbucks) at +46%.

These stocks were not cherry-picked in hindsight: they are the ones the method would have selected using only info known by end of 2014 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.

🟢 JPI Light +0% · vs S&P 500 -1% · +0.7 pts

#Stock12-month return
1GPN Global Payments+60%
2SBUX Starbucks+46%
3NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+21%
4ACGL Arch Capital Group+18%
5HII Huntington Ingalls Industries+13%
6DHR Danaher Corporation+8%
7CHD Church & Dwight+8%
8T AT&T+2%
9IDXX Idexx Laboratories-2%
10AFL Aflac-2%
11BRO Brown & Brown-2%
12BAX Baxter International-4%
13HAL Halliburton-13%
14FDX FedEx-14%
15PPG PPG Industries-14%
16SLB Schlumberger-18%
17ODFL Old Dominion-24%
18PNR Pentair-25%
19CSX CSX Corporation-28%
20PCAR Paccar-30%

🎯 JPI Fair +6% · vs S&P 500 -1% · +6.5 pts

#Stock12-month return
1SBUX Starbucks+46%
2VLO Valero Energy+43%
3KR Kroger+30%
4NKE Nike, Inc.+30%
5NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+21%
6ACGL Arch Capital Group+18%
7MPC Marathon Petroleum+15%
8ROST Ross Stores+14%
9DHR Danaher Corporation+8%
10CHD Church & Dwight+8%
11TJX TJX Companies+3%
12MCHP Microchip Technology+3%
13IDXX Idexx Laboratories-2%
14BAX Baxter International-4%
15HAL Halliburton-13%
16PPG PPG Industries-14%
17DOV Dover Corporation-14%
18EXC Exelon-25%
19PNR Pentair-25%
20CSX CSX Corporation-28%

⚡ JPI Risk + +6% · vs S&P 500 -1% · +6.8 pts

#Stock12-month return
1GPN Global Payments+60%
2SBUX Starbucks+46%
3KR Kroger+30%
4NKE Nike, Inc.+30%
5NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+21%
6ACGL Arch Capital Group+18%
7EBAY eBay Inc.+16%
8MPC Marathon Petroleum+15%
9CHD Church & Dwight+8%
10TJX TJX Companies+3%
11MCHP Microchip Technology+3%
12SHW Sherwin-Williams-1%
13IDXX Idexx Laboratories-2%
14AFL Aflac-2%
15BRO Brown & Brown-2%
16PPG PPG Industries-14%
17WSM Williams-Sonoma, Inc.-23%
18ODFL Old Dominion-24%
19CSX CSX Corporation-28%
20HPQ HP Inc.-35%

What if you'd kept following the method in 2016?

In short — not every year is positive: this is not a miracle method. 2015 shows it — the JPI Fair method returned +6%, better than the S&P 500 (-1%). But the method replays every year: in 2016, the 20 newly recommended stocks returned +16%. Outcome if you kept going (accept 2015, then buy the 2016 picks): +23% over 2 years — vs +9% for the S&P 500.
YearJPI FairS&P 500
2015+6%-1%
2016+16%+10%
2-year cumulative (if you kept going)+23%+9%

💡 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.

💡 Read it honestly: one good year proves nothing — the method also has down years (2018, 2022). The real judge is the 11-year backtest. Price returns, excluding dividends and fees. Not a buy recommendation.

📊 See the full 11-year backtest → 🎯 Stocks to buy today →

📅All years · 2016 →

FAQ

What were the best stocks to buy in 2015?

Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2015 returned +5.7% on average over 12 months, vs -0.8% for the index. The best was SBUX (Starbucks) at +46%. See the full list above.

How were these 2015 stocks chosen?

With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2014 (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 +26%/yr vs +12.6% for the S&P 500 — double the market. But it's lumpy (drawdowns 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.

Explore JPI Invest for free → How it works: the method →

⚠️ Educational analysis, not investment advice. Point-in-time backtest on recomputed Yahoo data, universe = stocks still in the index (survivorship bias). Past performance does not predict the future. · Updated 2026-07-08
JPI AI Analyst AI assistant · JPI Invest
Answers based on the tool’s data · not financial advice · full version (free)