Stocks to Watch for 07/1/11: Fresh 52 Week Highs and Lows

Stocks trading at or near 52-week highs and lows provide excellent trading opportunities, as volatility tends to increase at such levels.

The following stocks hit new 52-week highs in Thursday's trading session:

1) Walter Investment Company (NYSE: WAC): Shares of Walter Investment hit a 52-week high of $22.22 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $22.19. The year-to-date performance of Walter Investment has been a gain of 24%.

2) Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX): Shares of Affymetrix hit a 52-week high of $8.07 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $7.93. The year-to-date performance of Affymetrix has been a gain of 58%.

3) Ameristar Casinos (NASDAQ: ASCA): Shares of Ameristar Casinos hit a 52-week high of $23.85 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $23.71. The year-to-date performance of Ameristar has been a gain of 53%.

4) DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH): Shares of DISH Network hit a 52-week high of $30.84 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $30.67. The year-to-date performance of DISH Network has been a gain of 56%.

5) Aspen Technology (NASDAQ: AZPN): Shares of Aspen Technology hit a 52-week high of $17.48 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $17.18. The year-to-date performance of Aspen has been a gain of 35%.

6) Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY): Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond hit a 52-week high of $58.62 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $58.37. The year-to-date performance of Bed Bath & Beyond has been a gain of 19%.

7) Caliper Life Sciences (NASDAQ: CALP): Shares of Caliper Life Sciences hit a 52-week high of $8.15 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $8.11. The year-to-date performance of Caliper has been a gain of 28%.

8) Check Point Software Technologies (NASDAQ: CHKP): Shares of Check Point Software hit a 52-week high of $56.92 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $56.65. The year-to-date performance of Check Point has been a gain of 23%.

9) Cepheid (NASDAQ: CPHD): Shares of Cepheid hit a 52-week high of $34.96 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $34.64. The year-to-date performance of Cepheid has been a gain of 52%.

10) Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS): Shares of Cintas hit a 52-week high of $33.12 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $33.03. The year-to-date performance of Cintas has been a gain of 18%.

11) DIRECTV (NASDAQ: CTV): Shares of DIRECTV hit a 52-week high of $51.23 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $50.82. The year-to-date performance of DIRECTV has been a gain of 56%.

12) 8x8 (NASDAQ: EGHT): Shares of 8x8 hit a 52-week high of $4.97 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $4.89. The year-to-date performance of 8x8 has been a gain of 105%.

13) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR): Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters hit a 52-week high of $90.01 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $89.26. The year-to-date performance of Green Mountain has been a gain of 172%.

14) Helen of Troy (NASDAQ: HELE): Shares of Helen of Troy hit a 52-week high of $34.79 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $34.53. The year-to-date performance of Helen of Troy has been a gain of 16%.

15) Haynes International (NASDAQ: HAYN): Shares of Haynes hit a 52-week high of $62.59 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $61.93. The year-to-date performance of Haynes International has been a gain of 49%.

16) EasyLink Services International (NASDAQ: ESIC): Shares of EasyLink Services International hit a 52-week high of $5.85 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $5.84. The year-to-date performance of EasyLink has been a gain of 42%.

17) Intersections (NASDAQ: INTX): Shares of Intersections hit a 52-week high of $18.28 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $18.20. The year-to-date performance of Intersections has been a gain of 78%.

18) LivePerson (NASDAQ: LPSN): Shares of LivePerson hit a 52-week high of $14.21 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $14.14. The year-to-date performance of LivePerson has been a gain of 25%.

19) Magellan Health Services (NASDAQ: MGLN): Shares of Magellan Health Services hit a 52-week high of $54.81 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $54.74. The year-to-date performance of Magellan has been a gain of 16%.

20) Mitcham Industries (NASDAQ: MIND): Shares of Mitcham Industries hit a 52-week high of $17.45 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $17.30. The year-to-date performance of Mitcham has been a gain of 49%.

21) Monro Muffler Brake (NASDAQ: MNRO): Shares of Monro Muffler Brake hit a 52-week high of $37.38 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $37.29. The year-to-date performance of Monro Muffler Brake has been a gain of 8%.

22) O'Reilly Automotive (NASDAQ: ORLY): Shares of O'Reilly Automotive hit a 52-week high of $65.64 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $65.51. The year-to-date performance of O'Reilly has been a gain of 8%.

23) OSI Systems (NASDAQ: OSIS): Shares of OSI Systems hit a 52-week high of $43.18 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $43.00. The year-to-date performance of OSI Systems has been a gain of 18%.

24) Pegasystems (NASDAQ: PEGA): Shares of Pegasystems hit a 52-week high of $47.14 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $46.55. The year-to-date performance of PegaSystems has been a gain of 27%.

25) Sigma-Aldrich (NASDAQ: SIAL): Shares of Sigma-Aldrich hit a 52-week high of $73.60 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $73.38. The year-to-date performance of Sigma-Aldrich has been a gain of 11%.

26) ACI Worldwide (NASDAQ: ACIW): Shares of ACI hit a 52-week high of $34.65 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $33.77. The year-to-date performance of ACI has been a gain of 26%.

27) Global Crossing (NASDAQ: GLBC): Shares of Global Crossing hit a 52-week high of $38.56 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $38.38. The year-to-date performance of Global Crossing has been a gain of 197%.

28) IAC/InterActiveCorp (NASDAQ: IACI): Shares of IAC/InterActiveCorp hit a 52-week high of $38.37 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $38.17. The year-to-date performance of IAC/InterActiveCorp has been a gain of 33%.

29) Volcano (NASDAQ: VOLC): Shares of Volcano hit a 52-week high of $32.50 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $32.29. The year-to-date performance of Volcano has been a gain of 18%.

30) CommVault Systems (NASDAQ: CVLT): Shares of CommVault Systems hit a 52-week high of $44.90 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $44.45. The year-to-date performance of CommVault has been a gain of 55%.

31) Avago Technologies (NASDAQ: AVGO): Shares of Avago Technologies hit a 52-week high of $38.70 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $38.00. The year-to-date performance of Avago Technologies has been a gain of 34%.

32) Insulet (NASDAQ: PODD): Shares of Insulet hit a 52-week high of $22.33 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $22.17. The year-to-date performance of Insulet has been a gain of 43%.

33) Fortinet (NASDAQ: FTNT): Shares of Fortinet hit a 52-week high of $27.34 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $27.29. The year-to-date performance of Fortinet has been a gain of 69%.

34) Companhia de Bebidas Das Americas (NYSE: ABV): Shares of Companhia de Bebidas Das Americas hit a 52-week high of $33.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $33.73. The year-to-date performance of Companhia de Bebidas Das Americas has been a gain of 10%.

35) Avista (NYSE: AVA): Shares of Avista hit a 52-week high of $25.83 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $25.69. The year-to-date performance of Avista has been a gain of 17%.

36) Franklin Resources (NYSE: BEN): Shares of Franklin Resources hit a 52-week high of $131.65 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $131.29. The year-to-date performance of Franklin Resources has been a gain of 19%.

37) Core Laboratories (NYSE: CLB): Shares of Core Laboratories hit a 52-week high of $112.10 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $111.54. The year-to-date performance of Core Laboratories has been a gain of 26%.

38) CLARCOR (NYSE: CLC): Shares of CLARCOR hit a 52-week high of $47.51 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $47.28. The year-to-date performance of CLARCOR has been a gain of 11%.

39) Canadian National Railway (NYSE: CNI): Shares of Canadian National Railway hit a 52-week high of $80.47 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $79.90. The year-to-date performance of Canadian National has been a gain of 21%.

40) Cooper Companies (NYSE: COO): Shares of Cooper Companies hit a 52-week high of $79.26 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $79.24. The year-to-date performance of Cooper Companies has been a gain of 41%.

41) Carpenter Technology (NYSE: CRS): Shares of Carpenter Technology hit a 52-week high of $59.04 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $57.68. The year-to-date performance of Carpenter Technology has been a gain of 44%.

42) Cash America International (NYSE: CSH): Shares of Cash America International hit a 52-week high of $58.32 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $57.87. The year-to-date performance of Cash America has been a gain of 57%.

43) Ecolab (NYSE: ECL): Shares of Ecolab hit a 52-week high of $56.45 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $56.38. The year-to-date performance of Ecolab has been a gain of 13%.

44) El Paso Electric (NYSE: EE): Shares of El Paso Electric hit a 52-week high of $32.40 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $32.30. The year-to-date performance of El Paso Electric has been a gain of 18%.

45) Endeavour International (NYSE: END); Shares of Endeavour hit a 52-week high of $15.14 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $15.07. The year-to-date performance of Endeavour has been a gain of 9%.

46) CGI Group (NYSE: GIB): Shares of CGI Group hit a 52-week high of $24.74 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $24.65. The year-to-date performance of CGI has been a gain of 43%.

47) Goodrich (NYSE: GR): Shares of Goodrich hit a 52-week high of $96.12 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $95.50. The year-to-date performance of Goodrich has been a gain of 9%.

48) W.W. Grainger (NYSE: GWW): Shares of W.W. Grainger hit a 52-week high of $154.68 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $153.65. the year-to-date performance of W.W. Grainger has been a gain of 12%.

49) Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE: MMC): Shares of Marsh & McLennan hit a 52-week high of $31.40 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $31.19. The year-to-date performance of Marsh & McLennan has been a gain of 15%.

50) Northrop Grumman (NYSE: NOC): Shares of Northrop Grumman hit a 52-week high of $72.50 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $69.35. The year-to-date performance of Northrop Grumman has been a gain of 20%.

51) EnPro Industries (NYSE: NPO): Shares of EnPro hit a 52-week high of $48.46 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $48.07. The year-to-date performance of EnPro has been a gain of 16%.

52) Ocwen Financial (NYSE: OCN): Shares of Ocwen Financial hit a 52-week high of $12.83 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $12.76. The year-to-date performance of Ocwen has been a gain of 34%.

53) OM Group (NYSE: OMG): Shares of OM Group hit a 52-week high of $40.67 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $40.64. The year-to-date performance of OM Group has been a gain of 6%.

54) Precision Castparts (NYSE: PCP): Shares of Precision Castparts hit a 52-week high of $165.12 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $164.65. The year-to-date performance of Precision Castparts has been a gain of 18%.

55) PolyOne (NYSE: POL): Shares of PolyOne hit a 52-week high of $15.51 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $15.47. The year-to-date performance of PolyOne has been a gain of 25%.

56) Ryder System (NYSE: R): Shares of Ryder hit a 52-week high of $57.04 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $56.85. The year-to-date performance of Ryder has been a gain of 9%.

57) Robbins & Myers (NYSE: RBN): Shares of Robbins & Myers hit a 52-week high of $53.00 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $52.85. The year-to-date performance of Robbins & Myers has been a gain of 48%.

58) Strategic Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: BEE): Shares of Strategic Hotels & Resorts hit a 52-week high of $7.14 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $7.08. The year-to-date performance of Strategic Hotels & Resorts has been a gain of 34%.

59) Worthington Industries (NYSE: WOR): Shares of Worthington Industries hit a 52-week high of $23.48 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $23.10. The year-to-date performance of Worthington Industries has been a gain of 27%.

60) Towers Watson & Co (NYSE: TW): Shares of Towers Watson & Co hit a 52-week high of $65.98 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $65.71. The year-to-date performance of Towers Watson has been a gain of 27%.

61) Wolverine World Wide (NYSE: WWW): Shares of Wolverine World Wide hit a 52-week high of $41.79 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $41.75. The year-to-date performance of Wolverine World Wide has been a gain of 32%.

62) Holly (NYSE: HOC): Shares of Holly hit a 52-week high of $69.87 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $69.40. The year-to-date performance of Holly has been a gain of 71%

63) Transdigm (NMYSE: TDG): Shares of Transdigm hit a 52-week high of $91.31 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $91.19. The year-to-date performance of Transdigm has been a gain of 27%.

64) Delek US Holdings (NYSE: DK): Shares of Delek US Holdings hit a 52-week high of $15.83 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $15.70. The year-to-date performance of Delek has been a gain of 117%.

65) Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR): Shares of Broadridge Financial hit a 52-week high of $24.21 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $24.07. The year-to-date performance of Broadridge Financial has been a gain of 11%.

66) Teradata (NYSE: TDC): Shares of Teradata hit a 52-week high of $60.40 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $60.20. The year-to-date performance of Teradata has been a gain of 46%.

67) Hillenbrand (NYSE: HI): Shares of Hillenbrand hit a 52-week high of $23.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $23.65. The year-to-date performance of Hillenbrand has been a gain of 16%.

68) Bankrate (NYSE: RATE): Shares of Bankrate hit a 52-week high of $17.00 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $16.58. The year-to-date performance of Bankrate has been a gain of 8%.

The following stocks hit new 52-week lows in Thursday's trading session:

1) Ballantyne Strong (NYSE: BTN): Shares of Ballantyne Strong hit a 52-week low of $4.60 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $4.69. The year-to-date performance of Ballantyne has been a loss of 40%.

2) POZEN (NASDAQ: POZN): Shares of POZEN hit a 52-week low of $4.19 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $4.20. The year-to-date performance of POZEN has been a loss of 37%.

3) BioMimetic Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BMTI): Shares of BioMimetic Therapeutics hit a 52-week low of $4.99 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $5.12. The year-to-date performance of BioMimetic has been a loss of 60%.

4) Vanguard Health Systems (NYSE: VHS): Shares of Vanguard Health Systems hit a 52-week low of $16.62 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $17.17. The year-to-date performance of Vanguard Health Systems has been a loss of 5%.