December was a decent month for the stock market. Even though the U.S. stocks finished the final trading session of the year lower, all three major indexes finished the month higher. As always, there were stocks that performed better than others. Let’s take a look at the ten best performing stocks in December 2021, in reverse order.
10. Eli Lilly & Company (>11%)
Founded in 1876 and headquartered in Indianapolis, Ind., Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY) discovers, develops, makes and sells pharmaceutical products for Neuroscience, Diabetes, Immunology, Oncology, and Other therapies. Eli Lilly And Co shares are up over 11% in three months but are down over 5% year-to-date. The company announced revenue of more than $24 billion in 2020 and over $22 billion in 2019.
9. Coca-Cola (>12%)
Founded in 1886 and headquartered in Atlanta, Ga., Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) makes, markets and sells non-alcoholic beverages, including soft drinks, sports drinks, water, enhanced water, energy drinks and more. Coca-Cola's shares are up over 11% over the last three months and over 2% year-to-date. The company reported revenue of more than $33 billion in 2020 and over $37 billion in 2019.
8. Abbott Laboratories (>12%)
Founded in 1888 and headquartered in Abbott Park, IL, Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) discovers, develops, makes and sells a diversified range of health care products. It has the following business segments: Medical Devices, Nutritional Products, Established Pharmaceutical Products, and Diagnostic Products. Abbott Laboratories shares are up over 3% during the past three months, but are down almost 4% year-to-date. The company posted revenue of more than $34 billion in 2020 and almost $32 billion in 2019.
7. Visa (>12%)
Founded in 1958 and headquartered in San Francisco, Calif., Visa (NYSE:V) is a financial services company that supports electronic payment systems globally. It offers its products and services under Visa, Visa Electron, PLUS, and Interlink brands. Visa shares are down over 5% in three months and over 2% year-to-date. The company announced revenue of more than $24 billion in 2021 and nearly $22 billion in 2020.
6. Procter & Gamble (>12%)
Founded in 1837 and headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, Procter & Gamble (NYSE:PG) is a consumer goods company that has the following business segments: Fabric & Home Care; Baby, Feminine & Family Care; Beauty; Grooming; and Health Care. Procter & Gamble Co shares have been up over 12% in the last three months, but are down almost 2% year-to-date. The company posted revenue of more than $76 billion in 2021 and close to $71 billion in 2020.
5. UnitedHealth Group (>13%)
Founded in 1977 and headquartered in Minnetonka, Minn., UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) is a healthcare company that provides insurance products and services. It has the following business segments: OptumInsight, UnitedHealthcare, OptumHealth, and OptumRx. UnitedHealth Group shares were up over 15% the past three months, but are down over 7% year-to-date. The company announced revenue of more than $257 billion in 2020 and nearly $242 billion in 2019.
4. Mastercard (>14%)
Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Purchase, NY, Mastercard (NYSE:MA) offers payment processing products and solutions, as well as related consulting services. It offers credit cards, contactless cards, commercial cards, loyalty and reward solutions, and more products and services. Mastercard shares were up over 5% over the past three months and over 1% year-to-date. The company posted revenue of more than $15 billion in 2020 and reached close to $17 billion in 2019.
3. Cisco Systems (>16%)
Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Cisco Systems (NASDAQ:CSCO) designs, makes and sells networking products and services useful for communications and information technology industry. Cisco Systems has three geographical segments: APJC, the Americas, and EMEA. Cisco Systems shares are up almost 14% these past three months, but are down over 2% year-to-date. The company announced revenue of almost $50 billion in 2021 and over $49 billion in 2020.
2. AbbVie (>17%)
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Chicago, Ill., AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) is a pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and markets biopharmaceuticals, as well as small molecule drugs. The company came into existence following separation from Abbot. AbbVie shares are up over 25% over the last three months and almost 1% year-to-date. The company posted revenue of more than $45 billion in 2020 and over $33 billion in 2019.
1. Broadcom (>20%)
Founded in 1961 and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO) designs, develops and supplies a range of analog and digital semiconductor connectivity solutions. It operates through two business segments: Infrastructure Software and Semiconductor Solutions. Broadcom shares have been up over 28% the last three months, but are down over 6% year-to-date. The company announced revenue of more than $23 billion in 2020 and over $22 billion in 2019.