FrançaisThe 20 best stocks of 2020 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 2019 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +10% · vs S&P 500 +16% · -5.8 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | NFLX Netflix | +67% |
| 2 | TSCO Tractor Supply | +50% |
| 3 | MU Micron Technology | +40% |
| 4 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +39% |
| 5 | DHI D. R. Horton | +31% |
| 6 | FFIV F5, Inc. | +26% |
| 7 | EXPE Expedia Group | +22% |
| 8 | GS Goldman Sachs | +15% |
| 9 | SCHW Charles Schwab Corporation | +12% |
| 10 | DD DuPont | +11% |
| 11 | PSA Public Storage | +8% |
| 12 | TXT Textron | +8% |
| 13 | YUM Yum! Brands | +8% |
| 14 | ELV Elevance Health | +6% |
| 15 | NRG NRG Energy | -6% |
| 16 | CME CME Group | -9% |
| 17 | GILD Gilead Sciences | -10% |
| 18 | AIG American International Group | -26% |
| 19 | BA Boeing | -34% |
| 20 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | -51% |
⚡ JPI Risk + +11% · vs S&P 500 +16% · -5.5 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | PYPL PayPal | +116% |
| 2 | NFLX Netflix | +67% |
| 3 | BALL Ball Corporation | +44% |
| 4 | MU Micron Technology | +40% |
| 5 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +39% |
| 6 | LEN Lennar | +37% |
| 7 | EXPE Expedia Group | +22% |
| 8 | CMCSA Comcast | +16% |
| 9 | DLTR Dollar Tree | +15% |
| 10 | GS Goldman Sachs | +15% |
| 11 | DD DuPont | +11% |
| 12 | CI Cigna | +2% |
| 13 | NRG NRG Energy | -6% |
| 14 | IBM IBM | -6% |
| 15 | NOC Northrop Grumman | -11% |
| 16 | O Realty Income | -16% |
| 17 | BA Boeing | -34% |
| 18 | DVN Devon Energy | -39% |
| 19 | FANG Diamondback Energy | -48% |
| 20 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | -51% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2021?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +10% | +16% |
| 2021 | +26% | +27% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +39% | +48% |
💡 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 2020?
Per the JPI Fair method (targets from the ≥2 most reliable analysts per sector), the 20 S&P 500 stocks selected in early 2020 returned +10.4% on average over 12 months, vs 16.2% for the index. The best was NFLX (Netflix) at +67%. See the full list above.
How were these 2020 stocks chosen?
With no hindsight: only from information known by end of 2019 (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.