5 Hottest Stocks Of The First Half Of 2017

Stocks are off to a great start in 2017, with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (NYSE:SPY) up 8.6 percent so far this year. But some investors have had a better first half of the year than others.

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5 Best-Performing S&P 500 Stocks

Here’s a look at the five best-performing S&P 500 stocks so far this year.

5. CSX Corporation: +51.8 percent

Railroad stocks have been on fire in 2017 thanks to strong market fundamentals, increasing manufacturing activity and President Donald Trump’s pro-coal policies. CSX Corporation (NASDAQ:CSX) has ridden those tailwinds to a more than 50-percent gain so far this year.

4. Wynn Resorts: +55.0 percent

Despite revenue growth in June falling short of Wall Street’s expectations, Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) and other Macau casino operators are enjoying an 11-month winning streak in Macau. The largest global gaming hub has now reported 11 consecutive months of positive revenue growth after a streak of 26 consecutive months of revenue declines was broken last year.

3. Align Technology: +56.1 percent

One of the S&P 500’s newest members has also been one of its top performers in 2017. Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALGN), maker of the Invisalign System, has delivered impressive growth numbers, and investors have certainly rewarded the stock so far in 2017.

2. Activision Blizzard: +59.4 percent

In addition to its popular “Call of Duty” game, Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ:ATVI) has reported an extremely strong performance from “Overwatch” in 2017 as well. Activision has been consistently reporting strong overall growth numbers, including a 19-percent jump in Q1 revenue.

1. Vertex Pharmaceuticals: +74.9 percent

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (NASDAQ:VRTX) shares jumped 21 percent in a single day back in March when the company revealed two of its phase 3 cystic fibrosis drug trials yielded positive results. The high hopes for its cystic fibrosis treatment were enough to make Vertex the top-performing stock in the entire S&P 500 in the first half of the year.