Top 5 stocks for your investment portfolio – Large Cap edition

Continuing on with our series on the best stocks over this past year, we’ll take our focus over to the big dogs on the block to further identify those companies that are doing well in spite of this recession. Below, we’ll look at large cap companies (those with a market capitalization above 5 Billion dollars) and identify the largest percentage gainers over the past 52 weeks. We’l talk about what they for business. Moreover, I will provide insight as to where you can expect these companies stock prices to move in the future.

1. NetEase.com, Inc. (ADR) (NTES) %62.96 gain in the past 52 weeks.

The number 1 guy in the past year operates online communities and games as well as an ISP in China. They drive a portion of their revenue from advertising on their sites. An interesting trend is emerging, Chinese companies are doing quite well. They appeared several times on my small cap list of best performers.

2.Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (USA) (FFH) %48.05 gain in the past 52 weeks.

This company has grown tremendously through acquisitions. As the big dogs crumble,the smaller dogs get more food. Their stock gain may related to their gobbling up of additional shares of Advent Capital (Holdings) PLC (Advent) and other acquisitions of additional insurance companies.Big dividends(last one around $8 in January) make this an attractive company for investors seeking an income.

3.priceline.com Incorporated (PCLN) %47.99 gain in the past 52 weeks.

This company has been doing really well in converting sales again in the travel industry, but so has every other travel company. The only thing that makes these guys unique is the fact that we’re looking at large cap companies. The truth is, other smaller companies have been outpacing these guys. Just check out Expedia. They’re price is much more affordable if you’re not working with much money.

4.Discovery Communications Inc. (DISCA) %39.20 gain in the past 52 weeks.

Who hasn’t watched something by Discovery now? Well, most Americans have, that’s for sure. This company has experienced slow consistent growth over the past year. Watch out for their stock to continue this path. But don’t overlook companies in their industry such as Viacom, who is also doing very well.

5.O’Reilly Automotive, Inc. (ORLY) %35.22 gain in the past 52 weeks.

ORLY? No really, if you don’t have the money, you’re more likely to fix it yourself. This companies success may hinge on the recovery, in that if we recover, they’ll suffer. Not to mention, the recent cash for clunkers program may take a bite out of their potential customers; if they’ve got new cars it may be a while before they need replacement parts. You may be better off steering clear of recessionary companies at this point, even though it’s still not clear we’ve made it past this recession.

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