As 2017 nears its close, it is time to look back and reflect upon what was another remarkably bullish year throughout the stock market. Tech giants certainly led the way, but a number of indexes soared to new highs, and profits were enjoyed by value, growth, and momentum investors alike.
This type of yearly performance means that the holiday season can be even more celebratory. Another great thing about this season is that it opens the door for members of the media to dole out their end-of-year awards.
Here at Zacks, we definitely have award-season fever, and looking back on a great 2017, there are a number of great stocks that skyrocketed throughout the year—and sported strong Zacks Ranks for many months.
Check out five of our favorite stocks from 2017:
1. Nvidia Corporation (NVDA – Free Report)
From the emergence of artificial intelligence to self-driving cars and bitcoin mining, Nvidia dominated 2017 because of increased demand for its products from a variety of markets. Nvidia spent a staggering 30 weeks as a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) or higher, including 24 weeks as a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). Heading into today, the stock was up nearly 80% on the year, and current full-year projections are calling for the company to wrap things up with sales growth of 37% and earnings growth of 63%.
2. KLA-Tencor Corporation (KLAC – Free Report)
2017 was a great year for semiconductor manufacturers, and as logic implies, it was also a great year for the companies that supply equipment to the chipmakers. One such firm is KLA-Tencor. Shares of KLAC have soared about 35% in 2017, and the company is expected to conclude its fiscal year with earnings growth of 23% and sales growth of 14%. During the year, KLAC spent a whopping 39 weeks as a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) or better, including 23 weeks as a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).
3. TAL Education Group (TAL – Free Report)
Throughout the year, we saw a renewed interest in Chinese stocks, and one of the highest-flying Chinese stocks of 2017 was TAL Education Group. Shares of this tutoring services company were up more than 150% heading into Tuesday. It was also a year of aggressive top and bottom line expansion for the firm, and full-year estimates are calling for TAL to finish up with earnings growth of 68% and revenue growth of 64%. TAL has spent 10 weeks as a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and 16 weeks as a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) this year.
