Portfolios by year2024

The 20 best stocks of 2024 according to reliable analysts

3 JPI methods (Light / Fair / Risk +) · selected early January 2024, held 12 months · real return · S&P 500 · Updated 2026-07-08
In short — in early 2024, 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 +19% · 🎯 Fair +49% · ⚡ Risk+ +24% — vs +23% for the S&P 500. Best selection (Fair): APP (AppLovin) at +713%.

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 Light +19% · vs S&P 500 +23% · -4.4 pts

#Stock12-month return
1CIEN Ciena+88%
2TPR Tapestry, Inc.+78%
3TTD Trade Desk (The)+63%
4GM General Motors+48%
5AMZN Amazon+44%
6APH Amphenol+40%
7CRWD CrowdStrike+34%
8NCLH Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings+28%
9PANW Palo Alto Networks+23%
10MSFT Microsoft+12%
11FDX FedEx+11%
12INCY Incyte+10%
13FANG Diamondback Energy+6%
14EFX Equifax+3%
15DPZ Domino's+2%
16MCD McDonald's-2%
17WYNN Wynn Resorts-5%
18MGM MGM Resorts-22%
19SLB Schlumberger-26%
20MRNA Moderna-58%

🎯 JPI Fair +49% · vs S&P 500 +23% · +25.7 pts

#Stock12-month return
1APP AppLovin+713%
2UAL United Airlines Holdings+135%
3WMT Walmart+72%
4GE GE Aerospace+64%
5ETR Entergy+50%
6C Citigroup+37%
7CRWD CrowdStrike+34%
8PANW Palo Alto Networks+23%
9J Jacobs Solutions+23%
10FDX FedEx+11%
11INCY Incyte+10%
12LVS Las Vegas Sands+4%
13FTV Fortive+2%
14BDX Becton Dickinson-7%
15ODFL Old Dominion-13%
16HAL Halliburton-25%
17SLB Schlumberger-26%
18APTV Aptiv-33%
19APA APA Corporation-36%
20MRNA Moderna-58%

⚡ JPI Risk + +24% · vs S&P 500 +23% · +0.3 pts

#Stock12-month return
1UAL United Airlines Holdings+135%
2MRVL Marvell Technology+83%
3WMT Walmart+72%
4DAL Delta Air Lines+50%
5ETR Entergy+50%
6GM General Motors+48%
7APH Amphenol+40%
8PYPL PayPal+39%
9C Citigroup+37%
10CRWD CrowdStrike+34%
11PANW Palo Alto Networks+23%
12FAST Fastenal+11%
13BMY Bristol Myers Squibb+10%
14MU Micron Technology-1%
15WBD Warner Bros. Discovery-7%
16PFE Pfizer-8%
17ODFL Old Dominion-13%
18APTV Aptiv-33%
19ALB Albemarle Corporation-40%
20MRNA Moderna-58%

What if you'd kept following the method in 2025?

In short — not every year is positive: this is not a miracle method. 2024 shows it — the JPI Fair method returned +49%, better than the S&P 500 (+23%). But the method replays every year: in 2025, the 20 newly recommended stocks returned +41%. Outcome if you kept going (accept 2024, then buy the 2025 picks): +110% over 2 years — vs +43% for the S&P 500.
YearJPI FairS&P 500
2024+49%+23%
2025+41%+16%
2-year cumulative (if you kept going)+110%+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.

💡 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 →

📅← 2023 · All years · 2025 →

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 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2024 returned +49.0% on average over 12 months, vs 23.3% for the index. The best was APP (AppLovin) at +713%. 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 +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)