What companies are doing well on the stock market today?

Many want to know what companies and sectors are performing well in today’s stock market. The thing to remember when trying to beat the stock market is if you don’t lose a lot on the downside, you don’t need to make as much on the up.

Try to buy stock at a significant discount for the sector. Look for stocks that are a little beaten up and people don’t like. Then hold onto these stocks until they reach roughly the median for that sector — or whatever is a fair valuation.

This approach will lead to some great stocks. Stocks that triple and quadruple have to be high beta stocks, you don’t need high growers to double or triple, you just have to buy it at the right price.

Which stocks are doing well currently? 

Stocks doing particular well right now in the pharma sector is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. So far this year, the stock has gained 29%, performing well above the market. Regeneron stock is expected to continue its growth moving forward.

This growth momentum is due to the company’s first-of-its-kind cholesterol-lowering drug, Praluent, which received FDA approval in July this year. The drug is likely to ensure the revenue stream for a long time to come.

It is one of those times, with certain stocks — especially those in the energy industry — considered to be cheap. Stocks, however, cannot be returned if they “don’t fit” like most other purchases you make. Stocks are different, selecting the wrong one at the wrong time, can result in big losses overnight.

No stock is currently more attractive or risky than oil right now. It was only a year ago that oil was a 100 bucks a barrel, at the time analysts speculated it may even reach 200.

How do you know if the shares have bottomed out?

Cheap oil was thought to be a thing of the past and we may not have reached the low yet. This could be a false bottom with prices falling even further. If that was to happen then it would have a major effect and we’d see a lot of companies around the world struggle to cope.

No one knows what’s going to happen with oil. When the price started to fall a year ago, many predicted it was nothing but a blip, but it continued to fall.

It may be prudent to wait and see them rise a little, providing some assurances that things are moving in the right direction.

ConocoPhillips, has been receiving a lot of attention lately. It reduced costs shifting production to assets that generate more returns. Their current debt-to-equity ratio is low and they have a strong gross profit margin. However, earnings per share have declined over the last two years, and this may continue in the coming year.