FrançaisThe 20 best stocks of 2021 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 2020 (price targets from reliable analysts in the prior ~90 days), then held unchanged for 12 months. A true point-in-time record.
🎯 JPI Fair +26% · vs S&P 500 +27% · -0.7 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WFC Wells Fargo | +59% |
| 2 | DHI D. R. Horton | +57% |
| 3 | SPGI S&P Global | +44% |
| 4 | URI United Rentals | +43% |
| 5 | MCK McKesson Corporation | +43% |
| 6 | GM General Motors | +41% |
| 7 | AXP American Express | +35% |
| 8 | PHM PulteGroup | +33% |
| 9 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +32% |
| 10 | REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | +31% |
| 11 | AMT American Tower | +30% |
| 12 | MAS Masco | +28% |
| 13 | GILD Gilead Sciences | +25% |
| 14 | RL Ralph Lauren Corporation | +15% |
| 15 | CRM Salesforce | +14% |
| 16 | INTC Intel | +3% |
| 17 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | +1% |
| 18 | FDX FedEx | -0% |
| 19 | BIIB Biogen | -2% |
| 20 | BA Boeing | -6% |
⚡ JPI Risk + +24% · vs S&P 500 +27% · -2.7 pts
| # | Stock | 12-month return |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WFC Wells Fargo | +59% |
| 2 | DHI D. R. Horton | +57% |
| 3 | DHR Danaher Corporation | +48% |
| 4 | NVR NVR, Inc. | +45% |
| 5 | GM General Motors | +41% |
| 6 | AXP American Express | +35% |
| 7 | PHM PulteGroup | +33% |
| 8 | EBAY eBay Inc. | +32% |
| 9 | REGN Regeneron Pharmaceuticals | +31% |
| 10 | STT State Street Corporation | +28% |
| 11 | GILD Gilead Sciences | +25% |
| 12 | USB U.S. Bancorp | +21% |
| 13 | NRG NRG Energy | +15% |
| 14 | CRM Salesforce | +14% |
| 15 | KMB Kimberly-Clark | +6% |
| 16 | INTC Intel | +3% |
| 17 | UAL United Airlines Holdings | +1% |
| 18 | FDX FedEx | -0% |
| 19 | BIIB Biogen | -2% |
| 20 | BA Boeing | -6% |
What if you'd kept following the method in 2022?
| Year | JPI Fair | S&P 500 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | +26% | +27% |
| 2022 | -13% | -20% |
| 2-year cumulative (if you kept going) | +10% | +2% |
💡 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 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 +26.3% on average over 12 months, vs 27% for the index. The best was WFC (Wells Fargo) at +59%. 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.
- 🏆 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.