Updated Apr 23, 2026Positive edge 220 tickers

Does buying 52-week highs beat the S&P 500?

Across 94 of 220 tickers between 2015-01-01 and 2024-12-31, average return was 94.33%, average max drawdown -16.37%.

A clear edge: +94.33% mean return across 94 tickers, with -16.37% average drawdown — meaningful return for the risk taken.

What we tested

Strategy

We want to ride strength by buying when stocks make a fresh 52 week closing high. Enter long the next open after a daily close that is strictly above the highest close of the previous 252 trading days. Skip the entry if there has been any other 52 week high in the previous 30 trading days, so we only act on truly fresh breakouts. On entry, place a protective stop 1.5 ATR below the entry price using the 14 period ATR. Size the position so a stop-out loses exactly 1 percent of account equity. Round down to a whole number of shares. Trail the stop daily to the lowest close of the previous 20 trading days, only ever raising it, never lowering it. Exit at the next open the first time this trailing stop is hit. If the position has been held for 200 trading days without being stopped out, exit at the next open as well. Long only. One open position per ticker at a time. No leverage and no pyramiding.

Run spec
Window
2015-01-01 → 2024-12-31
Universe
220 tickers
Ranking metric
return_pct
Tenachine backtest interface: a strategy described in plain English, a ticker selector, date range pickers, and a Run Backtest button.
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Overall results

Aggregated across 94 runs
220 symbolsBatch
+94.33%
Mean return

Equal-weighted mean of total return across symbols that completed. · 1 codegen refinement on pilot

Avg win rate
89.5%

Unweighted mean across successful runs.

Coverage
94/220

94 completed · 126 failed

Avg max drawdown
-16.37%

Mean of worst peak-to-trough per symbol.

Avg risk / reward
287.51

Aggregate gross profit ÷ gross loss.

Total trades
117

Summed over successful symbols.

Return distribution

How the 94 tickers split up across return_pct buckets. Reads left to right from worst to best.

Worst-0.05%
Median48.05%
Best3300.42%
  • ≤ -10%
    0 (0.0%)
  • -10% to -5%
    0 (0.0%)
  • -5% to -1%
    0 (0.0%)
  • −1% to +1%
    6 (6.4%)
  • +1% to +5%
    2 (2.1%)
  • +5% to +10%
    3 (3.2%)
  • > +10%
    83 (88.3%)

By sector

Top and flop names per GICS sector, ranked by return_pct.

Communication Services

13 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • TTWO118.01%
  • NFLX93.54%
  • GOOG91.28%
  • GOOGL86.90%
  • TMUS85.52%
Flop 5
  • WBD0.00%
  • DIS14.97%
  • CMCSA15.55%
  • CHTR20.63%
  • T26.80%

Consumer Discretionary

11 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • AMZN106.12%
  • LOW78.76%
  • HD76.57%
  • TJX73.48%
  • MCD70.31%
Flop 5
  • NKE9.39%
  • SBUX22.27%
  • ULTA32.78%
  • ROST45.18%
  • YUM46.08%

Consumer Staples

9 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • COST195.42%
  • KO45.48%
  • PEP43.57%
  • CLX29.40%
  • MDLZ18.80%
Flop 4
  • EL0.00%
  • SYY1.23%
  • PM4.85%
  • STZ17.30%

Energy

1 / 20 completed
Top 1
  • VLO8.52%

Financials

4 / 20 completed
Top 4
  • AON114.74%
  • SPGI108.41%
  • CME62.74%
  • ICE54.11%

Health Care

12 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • LLY284.90%
  • ISRG187.00%
  • DHR186.71%
  • UNH105.31%
  • SYK99.63%
Flop 5
  • CVS0.00%
  • MDT9.57%
  • PFE13.88%
  • JNJ29.75%
  • CI34.14%

Industrials

4 / 20 completed
Top 4
  • ITW71.62%
  • LMT70.46%
  • NOC57.66%
  • HON51.24%

Information Technology

10 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • NVDA3300.42%
  • AVGO344.16%
  • MSFT204.47%
  • INTU140.85%
  • ACN102.37%
Flop 5
  • INTC0.00%
  • CSCO48.63%
  • CRM53.56%
  • ADBE80.92%
  • TXN87.69%

Materials

5 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • MLM47.60%
  • VMC34.89%
  • ECL30.68%
  • NEM11.97%
  • DOW0.00%

Real Estate

13 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • PLD84.14%
  • DLR61.38%
  • MAA48.68%
  • EQIX47.28%
  • EQR37.23%
Flop 5
  • INVH-0.05%
  • O13.36%
  • AVB14.72%
  • CCI15.97%
  • EXR32.69%

Utilities

12 / 20 completed
Top 5
  • NEE84.70%
  • SO59.22%
  • PEG58.44%
  • XEL52.14%
  • WEC50.62%
Flop 5
  • ES14.02%
  • ED24.93%
  • AEP34.90%
  • CMS39.46%
  • DTE48.01%

Disclaimer

Past performance does not predict future results. This is a backtest over a fixed historical window and it does not model execution costs, borrowing, taxes, or survivorship of the universe. Nothing here is investment advice.

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Generated Apr 23, 2026 · slug 52-week-high-momentum