By Karyn McCormack

Issues Near 52-Week Highs

While the Standard & Poor's 500-stock index has fallen 25% so far this year, a number of stocks are holding up and trading close to their 52-week highs. Companies hovering near those highs range from outfits that cater to the cost-conscious consumer, such as Family Dollar Stores (FDO), to food companies like American Italian Pasta (AIPC) and auto-parts retailers AutoZone (AZO) and O'Reilly Automotive (ORLY). Merger activity is also boosting shares of Rohm & Haas (ROH) and Genentech (DNA).

Even with the strong showing, some of these resilient stocks are trading below the S&P 500's price-earnings multiple (based on trailing 12-month earnings) of 24.8. Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) and PG&E (PCG) sport the lowest p-e's in our list of 20 stocks. The most expensive stocks on our list are Myriad Genetics (MYGN), followed by Lance (LNCE). Netflix (NFLX) is also looking pricey with a p-e of 29.

Here are the 20 companies trading closest to their 52-week highs, according to a screen we ran using Capital IQ's database. All of the companies listed here are U.S.-based and have at least a $500 million market capitalization, annual sales above $300 million, and a stock price greater than 10.

Business Exchange related topics:
U.S. Stock Market
Stock Investing
Mergers and Acquisitions