10 Best Stocks Of The Bull Market

The winners are a diverse group in a wide range of industries. Not all are household names.

- David Milstead

On March 9, 2009, The Wall Street Journal asked, “Just how low can stocks go?” The same day, an asset manager told CNNMoney.com, “With an absence of good news, the path of least resistance is down.” America was mired in what came to be called the Great Recession, and Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index closed the day down 57% from its 2007 high. Things couldn’t have looked bleaker. Which is precisely when bull markets begin. The current one, assuming it surpasses its January high, was set to become the longest bull market on record on August 22, at least dating back to 1932. The S&P 500 has returned a cumulative 410.4% over the run, and plenty of individual stocks have done much better.

To find the best stocks of the bull market, we asked S&P Global Market Intelligence to set its time machine back to March 9, 2009, and give us the best stocks since then in the S&P Composite 1500. The Composite includes components of the large-company S&P 500, the MidCap 400 and the SmallCap 600—covering 90% of the U.S. market. The winners are a diverse group (see the table on page 60). You’ll find internet stars and biotech standouts, but also a restaurateur and a furniture maker. Read on for the best of what this bull market has offered and their prospects. (Prices and other data are as of August 10.)

ASGN INC.

ASGN, formerly known as On Assignment, provides professional-level workers for temporary assignments, particularly in the science and technology industries. The stock was in the dumps during the past recession, as businesses cut back on contract and temporary employees before laying off their full-time workers.