Where can you find them? Start by looking at which stocks performed the best over the past 10 years. Here are 25 -- and the keys to finding the next generation.
Stocks, as I have said too many times to count, are meant to be long-term investments. So one challenge for investors is to figure out which companies will perform best over, say, the next 10 years. But how?
A good way to start is to look at past performance, so I asked the number crunchers at Morningstar to calculate which stocks had gained the most over the past 10 years. I limited the search to stocks that trade on U.S. exchanges and have a market capitalization of at least $1 billion.
Of the top 25, five are energy companies, four are health care stocks, three are in the chemical sector and two in metals, and the rest are scattered among such disparate sectors as software, soft drinks and shipping.
Top 25 stocks of the past decadeCompany10-year annualized returnCompany10-year annualized return
Banco Bradesco (BBD, news, msgs)
214%
Amedisys (AMED, news, msgs)
44%
Tele Norte Leste Participacoes (TNE, news, msgs)
112%
Grupo Simec (SIM, news, msgs)
42%
Braskem (BAK, news, msgs)
105%
Deckers Outdoor (DECK, news, msgs)
42%
Ultra Petroleum (UPL, news, msgs)
62%
Frontline (FRO, news, msgs)
41%
Hansen Natural (HANS, news, msgs)
52%
XTO Energy (XTO, news, msgs)
40%
Green Mountain Coffee (GMCR, news, msgs)
51%
Medivation (MDVN, news, msgs)
37%
Bally Technologies (BYI, news, msgs)
48%
Range Resources (RRC, news, msgs)
36%
Southwestern Energy (SWN, news, msgs)
47%
Central European Distribution (CEDC, news, msgs)
35%
Sirona Dental (SIRO, news, msgs)
45%
Terra Industries (TRA, news, msgs)
34%
Terra Nitrogen (TNH, news, msgs)
45%
FTI Consulting (FCN, news, msgs)
34%
Clean Harbors (CLH, news, msgs)
44%
Cognizant Tech (CTSH, news, msgs)
33%
Inmet Mining (IEMMF, news, msgs)
44%
Quicksilver Resources (KWK, news, msgs)
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