These Stocks Beat Gas Stocks

Sharp investors have been turning the rise in prices of gas and energy into incredible gains this year. But with a sharp correction now taking place, there are investments from another sector that are beating the pants off gas stocks -- and I know where you can find out more about them.

Would the real hot stocks please come forward?
The nearly 5,400 stocks that more than 120,000 Motley Fool CAPS community members have rated include descriptive "tags" that group them with other companies sharing similar qualities -- a country of origin, a sector, or an end product, for example. Clicking the Gas tag, for example, pulls up a list of 86 stocks that have lost 30.9% in the past year.

But CAPS tags can lead you to other stocks that have collectively held up better than the Gas group: Household Products. This group comprises 16 companies that have outperformed the returns of the broader market and Gas group with only a 22.2% average loss in the past year.

The quality of companies in each group varies, of course, but CAPS can be a great resource for zeroing in on potential opportunities in each area.

From macro to micro
You can sort tag groups by their CAPS ratings, from one to a maximum five stars, and then see which players -- from Wall Street to Main Street -- are bullish or bearish on a company, and why.

For instance, here are a few of the highly rated stocks in the Gas group:

Company	CAPS Rating (out of 5)	1-Year Performance
Apache (NYSE: APA)	*****	(24.9%)
BP (NYSE: BP)	*****	(28.9%)
Chesapeake Energy (NYSE: CHK)	*****	(51.5%)
PetroChina (NYSE: PTR)	****	(58.1%)

Source: Motley Fool CAPS and Yahoo! Finance, as of Nov. 25.

Now, based on the interest in the CAPS community, here's a sampling of Household Products stocks that investors may want to consider:

Company	CAPS Rating	1-Year Performance
Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG)	*****	(10.4%)
Colgate-Palmolive (NYSE: CL)	*****	(18%)
Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB)	****	(13.8%)

Source: Motley Fool CAPS and Yahoo! Finance, as of Nov. 25.

Toothpaste for everyone
Colgate-Palmolive's most recent quarter showed few signs that the economy has turned south. With unusual items excluded, worldwide sales grew 13% year over year, with operating profit growing 10.9%. Case volume and margins weren't as great as they could be, but the consumer staples maker expects margin gains next year from lower oil prices seen recently.

The Colgate dental hygiene brands have the biggest market share in the world and emerging economic regions are now providing nearly half its sales. In Latin America, for instance, Colgate has an 80% market share, which gives it excellent pricing power. Sales in the region grew 21% in the quarter to just over $1 billion and operating profits grew 25%. Many CAPS members believe this diverse exposure to markets around the world position it well and provide plenty of future growth potential.

The company also consistently pays a solid dividend and has seen its shares cut by nearly 20% in the past year, more reasons why nearly 96% of the 914 CAPS members rating Colgate-Palmolive expect it to outperform the market going forward.

Old reliable
Especially in turbulent times like this, many investors take comfort in owning a stock like P&G that has survived for the past 171 years. Its longevity shows that it's able to adapt to changing conditions and remain innovative. Recently, the company has swapped employees with Google to share information about targeting customers online. Given that P&G is the nation's largest advertiser with an annual advertising budget of nearly $9 billion, it makes sense to put resources into understanding changing consumer trends.

Overall, financials continue to show positive signs as well. In its fiscal first quarter, P&G reported 9% revenue growth and 12% earnings-per-share growth despite rising commodity costs. It was also the 25th consecutive quarter in which the company hit or surpassed organic sales growth targets. It wasn't all cheery news though, as P&G lowered its earnings per share guidance slightly due to foreign exchange and commodity price volatility.

The company also recently sold its Folgers coffee business to J.M. Smucker, giving P&G shareholders a 53.5% stake in Smucker, and said it expects to yield a larger gain than previously expected from the deal. With its solid fundamentals in a rocky market, it's no wonder nearly 97% of the 5,207 CAPS members rating Proctor & Gamble expect it to beat the S&P.

Before you buy ...
Of course, what's happened in the past is no indicator of where investors should be putting their capital now. But the underlying reasons behind dramatic run-ups in stocks or groups of stocks can clarify trends that may significantly affect investments. Just make sure to do your own due diligence rather than simply following crowds or individual recommendations.