Each day, The Wall Street Journal publishes a list of large-cap winners. Here are Friday's best:

Company

Currently Fetching

CAPS Rating

% Change

52-Week Range

Avon Products (NYSE:AVP)

$37.53

***

3.36%

$28.99 - 41.85

Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT)

$108.49

****

1.59%

$82.70 - 108.75

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT)

$78.43

****

1.24%

$57.98 - 87.00

Progressive (NYSE:PGR)

$19.41

**

1.20%

$18.88 - 25.54

SLM (NYSE:SLM)

$49.67

**

1.12%

$40.30 - 58.00
Sources: The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! Finance, Motley Fool CAPS.

Our top gainer, cosmetics queen Avon, appears to be still yielding benefits from announcing a revised restructuring plan. OK, but I think Fools will always do better by seeking buy-to-hold stock stories. Are any of these large-cap leaders worth owning over the next three to five years?

Caterpillar, a heavy-equipment manufacturer, and Lockheed Martin, a major defense contractor, could be. The more than 65,000 professional and amateur investors following these stocks in our Motley Fool CAPS database give them four stars each. Here's some of the reasoning behind the ratings. 

Of Caterpillar, CAPS All-Star NetscribeManufac writes:

It's never too late with Caterpillar (Cat), the world's largest manufacturer of construction and earthmoving machinery, distributed worldwide through the industry's strong network of independent dealers. Likewise, the manufacturing giant leads globally in developing diesel engines and turbines and also offers equipment financing through Caterpillar Financial Services. Major served markets include natural resource extraction, building and infrastructure construction, electrical power generation, and other capital goods manufacturers.

Our Fool adds this in pitching Lockheed:

Lockheed Martin successfully completed its acquisition of Management Systems designers in the first quarter of 2007. This acquisition provides enhanced systems and IT capabilities for its ongoing healthcare initiatives and also provides extended access to critical new customers such as the National Institutes of Health. Recently the company acquired the assets of RLM Systems in Australia, which develops software and operates classified geospatial systems for the Australian Government. Thus it will position them to do classified business with the Australian Ministry of Defense and its related intelligence agencies as well as the U.S. National Geospatial Agency.

Do you agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think by signing up for CAPS today. It's 100% free to participate.

See you back here tomorrow for more of the best of the biggest.

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