Portfolios by year2021

The 20 best stocks of 2021 according to reliable analysts

3 JPI methods (Light / Fair / Risk +) · selected early January 2021, held 12 months · real return · S&P 500 · Updated 2026-07-08
In short — in early 2021, 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 +28% · 🎯 Fair +23% · ⚡ Risk+ +34% — vs +27% for the S&P 500. Best selection (Fair): ODFL (Old Dominion) at +84%.

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 Light +28% · vs S&P 500 +27% · +1.2 pts

#Stock12-month return
1ODFL Old Dominion+84%
2DHI D. R. Horton+57%
3DELL Dell Technologies+51%
4TSLA Tesla, Inc.+50%
5UNH UnitedHealth Group+43%
6EXC Exelon+37%
7AAPL Apple Inc.+34%
8VRT Vertiv+34%
9EBAY eBay Inc.+32%
10TGT Target Corporation+31%
11REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals+31%
12MCHP Microchip Technology+26%
13CSX CSX Corporation+24%
14VST Vistra Corp.+16%
15LULU Lululemon Athletica+13%
16HWM Howmet Aerospace+12%
17SRE Sempra+4%
18BDX Becton Dickinson+1%
19WMT Walmart+0%
20CLX Clorox-14%

🎯 JPI Fair +23% · vs S&P 500 +27% · -4.0 pts

#Stock12-month return
1ODFL Old Dominion+84%
2RJF Raymond James Financial+57%
3DELL Dell Technologies+51%
4TSLA Tesla, Inc.+50%
5SHW Sherwin-Williams+44%
6EXC Exelon+37%
7ISRG Intuitive Surgical+32%
8REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals+31%
9MCHP Microchip Technology+26%
10GILD Gilead Sciences+25%
11CSX CSX Corporation+24%
12SRE Sempra+4%
13MNST Monster Beverage+4%
14PCAR Paccar+2%
15BDX Becton Dickinson+1%
16WMT Walmart+0%
17FDX FedEx0%
18BIIB Biogen-2%
19CRWD CrowdStrike-3%
20BA Boeing-6%

⚡ JPI Risk + +34% · vs S&P 500 +27% · +6.5 pts

#Stock12-month return
1MRNA Moderna+143%
2ODFL Old Dominion+84%
3NDAQ Nasdaq, Inc.+58%
4RJF Raymond James Financial+57%
5DELL Dell Technologies+51%
6TSLA Tesla, Inc.+50%
7SHW Sherwin-Williams+44%
8GM General Motors+41%
9EXC Exelon+37%
10ISRG Intuitive Surgical+32%
11MCHP Microchip Technology+26%
12CSX CSX Corporation+24%
13VST Vistra Corp.+16%
14SRE Sempra+4%
15MNST Monster Beverage+4%
16PCAR Paccar+2%
17BDX Becton Dickinson+1%
18WMT Walmart+0%
19FDX FedEx0%
20CRWD CrowdStrike-3%

What if you'd kept following the method in 2022?

In short — not every year is positive: this is not a miracle method. 2021 shows it — the JPI Fair method returned +23%, better than the S&P 500 (+27%). But the method replays every year: in 2022, the 20 newly recommended stocks returned -23%. Outcome if you kept going (accept 2021, then buy the 2022 picks): -5% over 2 years — vs +3% for the S&P 500.
YearJPI FairS&P 500
2021+23%+27%
2022-23%-19%
2-year cumulative (if you kept going)-5%+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.

💡 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 →

📅← 2020 · All years · 2022 →

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 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2021 returned +23.0% on average over 12 months, vs 27.0% for the index. The best was ODFL (Old Dominion) at +84%. 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 +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)