Investors know 2011 was a tough one for the markets. Between troubles at home and abroad, the market jerked in every direction with no rhyme or reason.
As of December, the S&P 500 had netted 0.9%, and it actually lost 1% if dividends aren't included, reports Bloomberg.
Ouch.
But not everything was a downer; there were some names that refused to acknowledge the sorry conditions around it and rose in value anyway.
There were 80 stocks in the S&P 500 that returned 20% or more in 2011 -- a figure that prompted Bloomberg to analyze S&P 500 returns as of Dec. 2 to determine which stocks were best and worst to shareholders in 2011.
Let's take a look at 2011's 10 best performers and what Bloomberg has to say about them (for the year's worst performers, click here):
Interactive Chart: Use the Compar-O-Matic to compare analyst ratings for the first nine stocks mentioned below. (Click here to access free, interactive tools to analyze these ideas.)
1. Cabot Oil & Gas
2. El Paso
3. MasterCard
4. Biogen Idec
5. Intuitive Surgical
6. Humana
7. V.F. Corporation
8. Range Resources
9. Chipotle Mexican Grill
10. ONEOK
Interactive Chart: Press Play to compare changes in analyst ratings over the last two years for the stocks mentioned above. Analyst ratings sourced from Zacks Investment Research.
Kapitall's Rebecca Lipman does not own any of the shares mentioned above. Data sourced from Bloomberg and Finviz.