Free Republic

Sports fans can be sentimental. When an aging veteran begins to slip, he’ll still hear the cheers in the crowd. But as an investor, you don’t want to be stuck with the equivalents of Derek Jeter or Jorge Posada — former greats that are now drags on your portfolio. After all, yesterday’s Cisco (CSCO) can quickly become today’s ... Cisco. The elite IBD 50 has some longtime standouts, but each week new companies join or fall from the list. So take a look at the four stocks called up to IBD’s major leagues this week.

Many basketball fans think the decision by LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat was overkill. But as an investor, you want a team of all-stars — no sixth man, no role players and definitely no benchwarmers. The IBD 50 is a list of the very best stocks in terms of fundamentals and technicals. Let’s take a look at the elite cull’s top 5 — Lululemon Athletica (LULU), Aruba Networks (ARUN), Ulta Salon Cosmetics (ULTA), Fossil (FOSL) and Acme Packet (APKT). After all, Paul Pierce and Pau Gasol are great players, but wouldn’t you...

This is the last big week – big meaning in terms of numbers of companies reporting – for March-quarter earnings, and the techs on the latest IBD 50 are well-represented. Leading the way is longtime Top 10 stock Priceline. This latest crop will do well to match last week’s crew. All had pretty good numbers, but the profit outlook for Netflix (NFLX) disappointed, and investors in highflying Baidu (BIDU) wanted more. But Sohu (SOHU), Altera (ALTR), ARM (ARMH), Acme Packet (APKT), Open Text (OTEX) and Skyworks Solutions (SWKS) had nice pops

It’s hard to appreciate good health until it’s gone. Likewise, medical stocks often are forgotten while tech companies and other sectors grab the headlines. But the IBD 50 list of elite stocks includes several medical companies, including four that report this week: Amerigroup (AGP), Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP), HealthSpring (HS) and Novo Nordisk (NVO).

Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and many other big techs have already reported March quarter results. But don’t kid yourself. We’re just right about smack-dab in the middle of earnings season. This week scores of companies report. But for the best of the best, focus on the leading stocks in the elite IBD 50. Here are the seven IBD 50 stocks slated to report. Many of them are at or near all-time, or longtime, highs.

Earnings season starts to ramp up this week. While many well-known techs and other big caps are due to report, investors will want to pay close attention to results from the elite IBD 50 list of top stocks. On deck: Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), Travelzoo (TZOO), Informatica (INFA), Tempur-Pedic (TPX) and Tractor Supply (TSCO).

It’s far better to invest in a good company in a hot industry than a good company in a struggling sector. And right now, precious metals and oil are leading the way amid Mideast turmoil, a weak dollar and solid global demand. But seek out the leaders. The elite IBD 50’s top 5 commodity plays include Silver Wheaton (SLW), Gulfport Energy (GPOR), Concho Resources (CXO), GeoResources (GEOI) and Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF).

If your portfolio is in trouble, maybe you can hire the A-Team. The elite IBD 50 list has a surprising number of companies that start with the letter A. The five best — Aruba Networks (ARUN), Acme Packet (APKT), Amerigroup (AGP), Altera (ALTR) and ARM Holdings (ARMH) — all are in the top 20. 1. Aruba Networks The company’s products help workers securely link to networks via wireless connections. Cisco (CSCO) is its top rival, but Aruba is the largest pure play in its niche.

Don’t look now, but Q1 is over on Thursday. (And before I forget, happy 4th of July.) It does fly by, even for a quarter marked by one of the biggest natural disasters of modern times. The Japan quake will continue to have huge ramifications for many. Further down the list in importance will be its impact on a ton of companies. That’s starting to occur, but Q1 nevertheless marked the continued slow recovery from the great recession. For some companies, things are looking up. One of the best measures of that, of course, is sales outlook.

In the long run, stocks reflect earnings and the outlook for future growth. Corporate profits surged last year as the U.S. and global economy recovered. Wall Street expects earnings growth to slow as that initial rebound wears off and wages rise in emerging markets. But the elite IBD 50 list includes five companies set to deliver triple-digit profit growth this quarter. Chinese search engine giant Baidu (BIDU) is one, but most are commodity plays: Northern Oil & Gas (NOG), Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF), Silver Wheaton (SLW) and Gulfport Energy (GPOR).

The market is in a correction. Earthquakes, floods and violence dominate the news. Investors should be cautious, but still looking for future prospects. Demand for health care keeps growing even in tough times. Seven medical stocks are part of the elite IBD 50, up from four just two weeks ago They include Amerigroup (AGP), HealthSpring (HS), Novo Nordisk (NVO), Edwards Lifesciences (EW), Perrigo (PRGO), ViroPharma (VPHM) and Endo Pharmaceuticals (ENDP).

The consumer is back. And not just for the economy. The IBD 50 list of the very best stocks is littered with consumer stocks, especially at the top. The top five — Lululemon Athletica (LULU), Priceline.com (PCLN), Netflix (NFLX), OpenTable (OPEN) and Baidu (BIDU) are fast-growing, innovative firms that are firing on all cylinders.

Even after a tough week, some of China’s tech leaders continue to shine. Their U.S. ADRs are hanging tough, and in fact, the top 5 China techs rank among the top 26 in the latest IBD 50 ranking of best stocks. Baidu’s more or less a given, but portals Sina and Sohu are strong, and solar company Jinko Solar remains hot, as does software company Camelot Information Systems. The Mideast turmoil was tough on all stocks, of course, and U.S.-traded China techs were no exception.

Tech stocks dominate the IBD 50 list of elite stocks based on fundamentals and technicals. But many have had long runs. And investors who only pay attention to one sector miss out when market leadership shifts. The latest IBD 50 has four medical stocks, including Danish diabetics products firm Novo Nordisk (NVO), genetic analysis firm Illumina (ILMN), heart valve maker Edwards Lifesciences (EW) and generic drug maker Perrigo (PRGO).

In the holiday-shortened week, seven companies from the elite IBD 50 list will report earnings. They hail from a wide variety of industries and include online travel giant Priceline.com (PCLN), Ugg boots maker Deckers Outdoor (DECK) and U.S. oil producer Concho Resources (CXO). Wednesday, Feb. 23 6. Concho Resources The U.S. oil company focuses on domestic sites, specifically the Permian Basin in southeastern New Mexico and west Texas.

Most leading technology firms have reported quarterly results in the last few weeks. Rovi Corp. (ROVI), NetApp (NTAP) and Aruba Networks (ARUN) finally report this week. But don’t call them laggards. All three are on the IBD 50 list of the very best stocks based on fundamentals and technicals. All three are leaders in their fields.

Oil prices have come off recent highs, but remain above $85 a barrel. That provides plenty of margin for domestic oil plays Concho Resources (CXO) and Northern Oil & Gas (NOG). Chinese solar products maker JinkoSolar(JKS) likely delivered another of triple-digit profit and sales growth. El Paso Pipeline Partners (EPB) has enjoyed solid growth amid relatively low natural gas prices. All four are part of the IBD 50, the high-powered list of superior stocks based on fundamental and technical factors.

That networking is the right time for the right company is no surprise. As more and more business is done on wireline and wireless computer networks, including the Internet, service providers, companies and, yes, consumers need more and more networking gear. The rise of cloud computing — in which apps, data and more are provided via the Internet — also fuels growth. The top 5 networking stocks, based on the latest IBD 50 ranking of top 50 stocks, all show up among the top dozen, as a matter of fact.

Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG) and Panera Bread (PNRA) are among five notable casual eateries slated to release earnings this week. All report on Thursday except for Buffalo Wild Wings (BWLD) on Tuesday. Restaurants worked hard to control costs during tough economic times. That allowed them to leverage (usually) modest revenue gains into big profit growth. On the upside, the economy is getting better, payroll tax cut provides more money for discretionary spending. But food prices are rising rapidly. A question for restaurants is whether they can pass those costs onto consumers via higher prices and/or smaller portions, maintaining top-line growth...

Earnings season is slowly winding down, but a number of high-quality companies are still in the wings. Chipotle Mexican Grill (CMG), Cognizant Technology Solutions (CTSH) and EZchip Semiconductor (EZCH) report this week. All three are in the IBD 50, an elite culling of the very best stocks based on fundamentals and technicals. Monday 31. Cognizant Technology Solutions The IT outsourcing firm is headquartered in New Jersey, but mostly operates from India. Cognizant writes software and manages back-office business processes for clients, mostly for U.S. and European firms.