20 Stocks with the Potential to Pop (Q1 2010)

By: Paul Toscano, Ariel Nelson | 23 Feb 2010 | 04:33 PM ET

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20 Stocks with the Potential to Pop
Source: ThomsonReuters
This story has been updated. For the most recent numbers and stocks, click here. It's the basic question when investing in a stock: is it on the way up or will it go down? To answer this question, the street has developed numerous ways of attempting to predict what will happen, estimating various attributes tied to stock performance in order to determine what the future holds for a company's valuation.After dissecting the data, analysts following a particular stock produce a price target of where they believe the stock is headed. From the entire S&P 500, which stocks are analysts expecting to have the biggest pops? With data from ThomsonReuters, we took a look at which stocks have mean consensus estimates farthest above their stock prices (as of market close on 2/23/10).So, which stocks do analysts on average predict will have the biggest pop? Click ahead to find out!ByAriel Nelson & Paul ToscanoPosted 23 Feb 2010
20. Pactiv Corporation (PTV)
Photo: Lew Robertson | FoodPix | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 35.4%Mean Price Target: $30.80Closing Price (2/23): $22.74Number of Analysts: 10High Estimate: $35.00Low Estimate: $27.00Get PTV Real-Time Quote
19. Morgan Stanley (MS)
Photo: Timothy A. Clary | AFP | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 35.6%Mean Price Target: $36.81Closing Price (2/23): $27.15Number of Analysts: 21High Estimate: $46.00Low Estimate: $32.00Get MS Real-Time Quote

18. Chesapeake Energy (CHK)
Photo: Chesapeake Energy
Potential to Pop: 35.74%Mean Price Target: $35.70Closing Price (2/23): $26.30Number of Analysts: 26High Estimate: $50.00Low Estimate: $24.00Get CHK Real-Time Quote

17. Halliburton (HAL)
Photo: Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 35.76%Mean Price Target: $41.00Closing Price (2/23): $30.20Number of Analysts: 24High Estimate: $55.00Low Estimate: $31.00Get HAL Real-Time Quote
16. Goldman Sachs (GS)
Photo: Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 36.08%Mean Price Target: $213.25Closing Price (2/23): $156.70Number of Analysts: 20High Estimate: $244.00Low Estimate: $180.00Get GS Real-Time Quote
15. MEMC Electronic Mat. (WFR)
Photo: Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images News | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 36.13%Mean Price Target: $16.50Closing Price (2/23): $12.12Number of Analysts: 19High Estimate: $22.00Low Estimate: $10.50Get WFR Real-Time Quote
14. Citigroup (C)
Photo: Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 36.2%Mean Price Target: $4.56Closing Price (2/23): $3.35Number of Analysts: 18High Estimate: $6.00Low Estimate: $3.00Get C Real-Time Quote
13. Sprint Nextel (S)
Photo: Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 36.3%Mean Price Target: $4.55Closing Price (2/23): $3.34Number of Analysts: 25High Estimate: $8.00Low Estimate: $2.50Get S Real-Time Quote
12. Invesco LTD (IVZ)
Photo: iStock Photo
Potential to Pop: 36.5%Mean Price Target: $26.00Closing Price (2/23): $19.05Number of Analysts: 13High Estimate: $30.00Low Estimate: $23.00Get IVZ Real-Time Quote
11. Applied Materials (AMAT)
Photo: Applied Materials
Potential to Pop: 37.7%Mean Price Target: $16.42Closing Price (2/23): $12.01Number of Analysts: 19High Estimate: $22.00Low Estimate: $11.50Get AMAT Real-Time Quote
10. Amazon.com (AMZN)
Photo: AP
Potential to Pop: 38%Mean Price Target: $161.74Closing Price (2/23): $117.24Number of Analysts: 27High Estimate: $200.00Low Estimate: $130.00Get AMZN Real-Time Quote
9. Freeport McMoran (FCX)
Photo: Steve Allen | Brand X Pictures | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 38.6%Mean Price Target: $102.06Closing Price (2/23): $73.64Number of Analysts: 15High Estimate: $125.00Low Estimate: $80.00Get FCX Real-Time Quote
8. Schlumberger LTD (SLB)
Photo: Soultz.net
Potential to Pop: 38.7%Mean Price Target: $84.46Closing Price (2/23): $60.88Number of Analysts: 24High Estimate: $130.00Low Estimate: $70.00Get SLB Real-Time Quote
7. Alcoa Inc. (AA)
Photo: Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 39%Mean Price Target: $18.33Closing Price (2/23): $13.18Number of Analysts: 15High Estimate: $26.40Low Estimate: $13.00Get AA Real-Time Quote
6. Iron Mountain (IRM)
Photo: iStock Photo
Potential to Pop: 40.3%Mean Price Target: $33.50Closing Price (2/23): $23.87Number of Analysts: 6High Estimate: $40.00Low Estimate: $28.00Get IRM Real-Time Quote
5. El Paso Co. (EP)
Photo: El Paso Co
Potential to Pop: 40.7%Mean Price Target: $14.20Closing Price (2/23): $10.09Number of Analysts: 10High Estimate: $20.00Low Estimate: $11.00Get EP Real-Time Quote
4. Gamestop Corp (GME)
Photo: Gamestop
Potential to Pop: 41.5%Mean Price Target: $26.70Closing Price (2/23): $18.87Number of Analysts: 15High Estimate: $34.00Low Estimate: $21.00Get GME Real-Time Quote
3. Tenet Healthcare (THC)
Photo: Ian Hooton | SPL | Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 43.3%Mean Price Target: $7.22Closing Price (2/23): $5.04Number of Analysts: 15High Estimate: $9.50Low Estimate: $4.50Get THC Real-Time Quote
2. Micron Tech (MU)
Photo: Micron Tech
Potential to Pop: 46.9%Mean Price Target: $12.65Closing Price (2/23): $8.61Number of Analysts: 20High Estimate: $20.00Low Estimate: $4.00Get MU Real-Time Quote
1. AES Corp (AES)
Photo: Getty Images
Potential to Pop: 52.9%Mean Price Target: $18.00Closing Price (2/23): $11.77Number of Analysts: 3High Estimate: $22.00Low Estimate: $16.00Get AES Real-Time Quote