FrançaisThe 20 best stocks of 2015 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 2014 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +5% · vs S&P 500 -1% · +5.4 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFLX Netflix | +134% |
| 2 | GOOG Alphabet Inc. (Class C) | +44% |
| 3 | VLO Valero Energy | +43% |
| 4 | ADBE Adobe Inc. | +29% |
| 5 | MPC Marathon Petroleum | +15% |
| 6 | PSX Phillips 66 | +14% |
| 7 | LYB LyondellBasell | +10% |
| 8 | DHR Danaher Corporation | +8% |
| 9 | GILD Gilead Sciences | +7% |
| 10 | PFE Pfizer | +4% |
| 11 | ROK Rockwell Automation | -8% |
| 12 | ABBV AbbVie | -10% |
| 13 | MET MetLife | -11% |
| 14 | HAL Halliburton | -14% |
| 15 | DOV Dover Corporation | -14% |
| 16 | OXY Occidental Petroleum | -16% |
| 17 | SLB Schlumberger | -18% |
| 18 | CAT Caterpillar Inc. | -26% |
| 19 | DVN Devon Energy | -48% |
| 20 | WYNN Wynn Resorts | -54% |
⚡ JPI Risk + -9% · vs S&P 500 -1% · -7.8 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FSLR First Solar | +48% |
| 2 | GOOG Alphabet Inc. (Class C) | +44% |
| 3 | VLO Valero Energy | +43% |
| 4 | MPC Marathon Petroleum | +15% |
| 5 | PSX Phillips 66 | +14% |
| 6 | DD DuPont | +13% |
| 7 | LYB LyondellBasell | +10% |
| 8 | YUM Yum! Brands | +0% |
| 9 | NEM Newmont | -5% |
| 10 | MET MetLife | -11% |
| 11 | HAL Halliburton | -14% |
| 12 | OXY Occidental Petroleum | -16% |
| 13 | SLB Schlumberger | -18% |
| 14 | EOG EOG Resources | -23% |
| 15 | AMAT Applied Materials | -25% |
| 16 | COP ConocoPhillips | -32% |
| 17 | WMB Williams Companies | -43% |
| 18 | DVN Devon Energy | -48% |
| 19 | WYNN Wynn Resorts | -54% |
| 20 | FCX Freeport-McMoRan | -71% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2016?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | +5% | -1% |
| 2016 | +16% | +10% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +21% | +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.
📊 See the full 11-year backtest → 🎯 Stocks to buy today →
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 +4.6% on average over 12 months, vs -0.8% for the index. The best was NFLX (Netflix) at +134%. 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.
- 🏆 Analyst leaderboard by real reliability (beating their sector, not just riding the rally)
- 🎯 What to buy: 3 backtested methods over 6 years, from cautious to aggressive
- 💬 AI assistant: ask anything about any stock, with the numbers
- 📊 Portfolio tracking + 🔔 price alerts by email
⚠️ 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.