By Philip van Doorn, MarketWatch

Bloomberg
As Americans have been forced to stay at home for work, school and even visits to the doctor, shares of cloud-services providers have soared. But there’s something else going on that points to a long-term trend investors need to know about: a housing shortage outside cities, and a boom in home renovation and improvement.
It’s understandable that at a time when people have to stay home that cloud-services providers such as Zoom Video Communications Inc. /zigman2/quotes/211319643/composite ZM -0.71% will soar. The stock is up 20% this month and 349% for 2020. The familiar FAANG stocks (plus Microsoft Corp. /zigman2/quotes/207732364/composite MSFT -0.39% ) have also surged this year:
Company | Ticker | Total return - 2020 |
Facebook Inc. Class A | 43% | |
Apple Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202934861/composite AAPL | 71% |
Amazon.com Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/210331248/composite AMZN | 84% |
Netflix Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202353025/composite NFLX | 62% |
Alphabet Inc. Class C | /zigman2/quotes/205453964/composite GOOG | 23% |
Alphabet Inc. Class A | /zigman2/quotes/202490156/composite GOOGL | 22% |
Microsoft Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/207732364/composite MSFT | 46% |
Source: FactSet |
But variety is the spice of life — and an excellent tool to cut risk in your investment portfolio and avoid missing out on opportunities.
As people are stuck inside, they are also improving their homes. Others are trying to move away from cities, leading to incredibly strong markets for home sellers in suburbs and rural areas. That points to a housing shortage and good times for home builders, suppliers to those builders and home-improvement retailers, including Home Depot Inc. /zigman2/quotes/208081807/composite HD -1.32% and Lowe’s Cos. /zigman2/quotes/205563664/composite LOW -2.00% .
Digging further, consider a company such as Pool Corp. /zigman2/quotes/200443753/composite POOL -0.36% , which bills itself as “the world’s largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment and related leisure products” and has well over 100,000 wholesale customers. This stock is up 57% this year.
It’s easy to screen the broad indexes for home-builder stocks, but it is difficult to identify companies similar to Pool Corp. /zigman2/quotes/200443753/composite POOL -0.36% , because a company’s industry listing may be something vague like “wholesale distributors” within the consumer discretionary sector.
Of course, an excellent way to play the home construction/renovation trend is through exchange traded funds that focus on appropriate industries. So we looked to three U.S. construction and home improvement-related ETFs, combined their holdings and removed their duplicates for a list of stocks.
Here are the three ETFs:
• The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF /zigman2/quotes/203468436/composite ITB -2.90% holds shares of home builders and companies that supply them, including the large home-improvement chains. The portfolio is weighted by market capitalization.
• The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF /zigman2/quotes/202739297/composite XHB -2.45% holds an equal-weighted group of companies involved with home building and supplying builders.
• The Invesco Dynamic Building & Construction ETF /zigman2/quotes/202710470/composite PKB -2.73% holds 30 U.S. construction companies, and isn’t focused only on home construction.
Here’s how the three ETFs have performed this year:

FactSet
Taking the three ETFs together and eliminating duplicate holdings, we are left with a group of 69 stocks, 42 of which have had double-digit returns this year.
So here’s the entire list, sorted by how well the stocks have performed this year. This is a lot of data — scroll the table to see all the information, which includes forward price-to-earnings ratios, percentage of “buy” ratings among sell-side analysts and 12-month price targets:
Company | Ticker | Total return - 2020 | Forward P/E | Share 'buy' ratings | Closing price - Aug. 28 | Consensus price target | Implied 12-month upside potential |
Lumber Liquidators Holdings Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202539569/composite LL | 161.0% | 28.9 | 20% | $25.50 | $22.00 | -14% |
Trex Co. Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201322961/composite TREX | 66.2% | 51.2 | 25% | $149.39 | $137.09 | -8% |
Meritage Homes Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/209069331/composite MTH | 61.8% | 10.4 | 63% | $98.90 | $106.00 | 7% |
LGI Homes Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202461766/composite LGIH | 60.8% | 11.4 | 20% | $113.58 | $119.50 | 5% |
Tractor Supply Co. | /zigman2/quotes/202009274/composite TSCO | 58.7% | 24.5 | 40% | $146.91 | $154.60 | 5% |
Pool Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/200443753/composite POOL | 56.9% | 41.8 | 50% | $330.90 | $321.67 | -3% |
TopBuild Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/201668256/composite BLD | 52.1% | 22.0 | 90% | $156.76 | $163.30 | 4% |
Floor & Decor Holdings Inc. Class A | /zigman2/quotes/206904436/composite FND | 44.2% | 50.2 | 57% | $73.26 | $75.16 | 3% |
Watsco Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202815144/composite WSO | 40.9% | 38.0 | 11% | $246.35 | $200.60 | -19% |
Lowe's Cos. Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/205563664/composite LOW | 40.2% | 20.2 | 80% | $165.51 | $182.33 | 10% |
SiteOne Landscape Supply Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/204613089/composite SITE | 39.4% | 55.7 | 22% | $126.34 | $119.00 | -6% |
D.R. Horton Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202032328/composite DHI | 37.4% | 11.1 | 63% | $71.84 | $75.06 | 4% |
Century Communities Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/205100890/composite CCS | 37.4% | 8.6 | 33% | $37.57 | $43.17 | 15% |
Lennar Corp. Class A | /zigman2/quotes/202536373/composite LEN | 37.0% | 12.3 | 50% | $75.93 | $75.44 | -1% |
Lennar Corp. Class B | /zigman2/quotes/207749640/composite LEN.B | 35.3% | 9.8 | 47% | $59.92 | $75.34 | 26% |
Home Depot Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208081807/composite HD | 32.8% | 24.4 | 63% | $286.29 | $306.19 | 7% |
Fortune Brands Home & Security Inc. | 32.1% | 21.0 | 29% | $85.41 | $82.77 | -3% | |
Masonite International Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/201478958/composite DOOR | 28.5% | 15.6 | 57% | $92.78 | $103.83 | 12% |
Gibraltar Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/204241548/composite ROCK | 28.4% | 21.2 | 100% | $64.78 | $68.50 | 6% |
Installed Building Products Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201314954/composite IBP | 28.3% | 19.0 | 67% | $88.33 | $101.27 | 15% |
UFP Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/206543728/composite UFPI | 28.2% | 18.0 | 40% | $60.82 | $58.80 | -3% |
Quanta Services Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/203420082/composite PWR | 26.6% | 13.3 | 100% | $51.39 | $54.38 | 6% |
Simpson Manufacturing Co. Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202378347/composite SSD | 26.2% | 28.6 | 0% | $100.62 | $93.75 | -7% |
PGT Innovations Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208059744/composite PGTI | 25.6% | 17.0 | 40% | $18.72 | $20.88 | 12% |
Builders FirstSource Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208924960/composite BLDR | 24.6% | 14.6 | 90% | $31.67 | $34.40 | 9% |
Whirlpool Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/200296850/composite WHR | 24.6% | 11.7 | 33% | $178.88 | $163.57 | -9% |
Williams-Sonoma Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/202067350/composite WSM | 24.5% | 14.4 | 23% | $89.56 | $98.47 | 10% |
Masco Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/202412472/composite MAS | 23.1% | 20.5 | 74% | $58.54 | $64.43 | 10% |
M.D.C. Holdings Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/203145113/composite MDC | 19.4% | 8.4 | 25% | $44.34 | $51.00 | 15% |
Trane Technologies plc | /zigman2/quotes/202648041/composite TT | 18.0% | 28.2 | 43% | $120.30 | $116.00 | -4% |
PulteGroup Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201694804/composite PHM | 17.7% | 9.9 | 40% | $45.32 | $47.46 | 5% |
Lennox International Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201985817/composite LII | 17.6% | 29.8 | 12% | $284.69 | $233.15 | -18% |
Aaon Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/206784936/composite AAON | 16.8% | 46.1 | 0% | $57.49 | $44.00 | -23% |
Sherwin-Williams Co. | /zigman2/quotes/210069062/composite SHW | 16.6% | 28.2 | 52% | $675.91 | $680.14 | 1% |
Forterra Inc. | 16.6% | 13.7 | 40% | $13.48 | $16.00 | 19% | |
Helen of Troy Ltd. | /zigman2/quotes/205565021/composite HELE | 16.2% | 21.5 | 100% | $208.97 | $232.80 | 11% |
Louisiana-Pacific Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/204620507/composite LPX | 16.1% | 12.1 | 50% | $33.89 | $36.13 | 7% |
M/I Homes Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/200736509/composite MHO | 12.3% | 7.1 | 50% | $44.18 | $51.50 | 17% |
Argan Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201125684/composite AGX | 11.4% | 34.9 | 50% | $42.98 | $53.00 | 23% |
TRI Pointe Group Inc | /zigman2/quotes/204302452/composite TPH | 11.2% | 8.8 | 50% | $17.33 | $19.79 | 14% |
Taylor Morrison Home Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/209743863/composite TMHC | 11.1% | 8.4 | 75% | $24.29 | $27.88 | 15% |
NVR Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/209548385/composite NVR | 10.5% | 17.6 | 40% | $4,207.18 | $4,497.50 | 7% |
Toll Brothers Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/201912487/composite TOL | 9.9% | 10.9 | 28% | $42.96 | $45.75 | 6% |
KB Home | /zigman2/quotes/206220859/composite KBH | 7.8% | 11.6 | 40% | $36.63 | $37.92 | 4% |
Owens Corning | /zigman2/quotes/202113551/composite OC | 7.5% | 16.0 | 50% | $69.17 | $68.72 | -1% |
A.O. Smith Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/208962119/composite AOS | 5.3% | 23.2 | 33% | $49.36 | $50.14 | 2% |
Beacon Roofing Supply Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/200347023/composite BECN | 4.8% | 16.6 | 24% | $33.52 | $33.08 | -1% |
Johnson Controls International plc | /zigman2/quotes/203776087/composite JCI | 3.0% | 17.2 | 64% | $41.30 | $45.06 | 9% |
Quanex Building Products Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/206135937/composite NX | 0.1% | 30.0 | 67% | $16.85 | $18.33 | 9% |
Cavco Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/206244792/composite CVCO | -0.7% | 26.8 | 33% | $193.96 | $216.00 | 11% |
Tempur Sealy International Inc | /zigman2/quotes/207239091/composite TPX | -1.0% | 14.5 | 70% | $86.19 | $103.38 | 20% |
Eagle Materials Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/207732987/composite EXP | -6.8% | 13.6 | 60% | $84.35 | $90.88 | 8% |
Skyline Champion Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/200134817/composite SKY | -7.7% | 27.8 | 67% | $29.26 | $32.00 | 9% |
Jeld-Wen Holding Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208279856/composite JELD | -8.2% | 13.8 | 17% | $21.49 | $22.25 | 4% |
Aecom | /zigman2/quotes/204198156/composite ACM | -9.0% | 15.4 | 80% | $39.23 | $46.44 | 18% |
Beazer Homes USA Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208808128/composite BZH | -10.6% | 12.0 | 0% | $12.63 | $11.00 | -13% |
Valmont Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/206914223/composite VMI | -13.5% | #N/A | 40% | $128.50 | $139.33 | 8% |
American Woodmark Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/209470000/composite AMWD | -13.8% | 13.2 | 40% | $90.07 | $98.25 | 9% |
Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/204528914/composite GLDD | -15.8% | 11.9 | 100% | $9.54 | $15.18 | 59% |
Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208053279/composite SWX | -15.9% | 14.3 | 43% | $62.39 | $77.14 | 24% |
Allegion PLC | /zigman2/quotes/207562898/composite ALLE | -16.0% | 23.9 | 0% | $104.00 | $104.25 | 0% |
Leggett & Platt Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/206009340/composite LEG | -16.3% | 17.5 | 25% | $41.49 | $41.00 | -1% |
Armstrong World Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/205703431/composite AWI | -18.4% | 20.9 | 40% | $76.09 | $78.13 | 3% |
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. | -21.4% | 27.5 | 0% | $14.50 | $14.00 | -3% | |
Martin Marietta Materials Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/208827848/composite MLM | -25.5% | 20.8 | 53% | $207.32 | $244.84 | 18% |
MasTec Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/207965492/composite MTZ | -27.3% | 9.2 | 100% | $46.66 | $54.82 | 17% |
Mohawk Industries Inc. | /zigman2/quotes/207248913/composite MHK | -29.4% | 11.8 | 31% | $96.33 | $92.93 | -4% |
Summit Materials Inc. Class A | /zigman2/quotes/203159143/composite SUM | -35.2% | 18.7 | 76% | $15.49 | $21.78 | 41% |
Carrier Global Corp. | /zigman2/quotes/217080228/composite CARR | N/A | 19.5 | 38% | $30.30 | $28.70 | -5% |
Source: FactSet |
Click on the tickers for more about each stock, including the companies’ business profiles.
As always, if you are considering direct investments in any of the stocks listed here, you need to do your own homework to form an opinion of how well you expect the company to perform over the next several years.
You can see that many of the best performers have gotten well ahead of the consensus price targets. Then again, there are 25 with majority “buy” ratings, and many are still expected by analysts to should double-digit gains over the next 12 months.


































































































































































































































