Stocks to Watch for 07/8/11: 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 (listed from highest total volume to lowest):

1) Shares of Level 3 Communications hit a 52-week high of $2.67 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $2.62. The year-to-date performance of Level 3 Communications has been a gain of 167.3%.

2) Halliburton (NYSE: HAL): Shares of Halliburton hit a 52-week high of $54.55 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $54.30. The year-to-date performance of Halliburton has been a gain of 33.4%.

3) Accenture (NYSE: ACN): Shares of Accenture hit a 52-week high of $63.66 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $63.44. The year-to-date performance of Accenture has been a gain of 31.9%.

4) Macy's (NYSE: M): Shares of Macy's hit a 52-week high of $30.58 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $30.46. The year-to-date performance of Macy's has been a gain of 21%.

5) Visa (NYSE: V): Shares of Visa hit a 52-week high of $90.83 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $90.15. The year-to-date performance of Visa has been a gain of 28.3%.

6) Kraft Foods (NYSE: KFT): Shares of Kraft Foods hit a 52-week high of $36.02 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $35.93. The year-to-date performance of Kraft has been a gain of 16.1%.

7) Wendy's/Arby's Group (NYSE: WEN): Shares of Wendy's/Arby's hit a 52-week high of $5.62 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $5.59. The year-to-date performance of Wendy's/Arby's has been a gain of 20.1%.

8) Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ): Shares of Johnson & Johnson hit a 52-week high of $68.05 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $67.92. The year-to-date performance of Johnson & Johnson has been a gain of 10.7%.

9) CSX (NYSE: CSX): Shares of CSX hit a 52-week high of $27.06 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $27.01. The year-to-date performance of CSX has been a gain of 26.4%.

10) ConAgra Foods (NYSE: CAG): Shares of ConAgra Foods hit a 52-week high of $26.50 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $26.25. The year-to-date performance of ConAgra has been a gain of 18.5%.

11) Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS): Shares of Discover Financial Services hit a 52-week high of $27.92 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $27.52. The year-to-date performance of Discover Financial has been a gain of 49%.

12) United Technologies (NYSE: UTX): Shares of United Technologies hit a 52-week high of $91.83 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $91.39. The year-to-date performance of United Technologies has been a gain of 17.3%.

13) American Express (NYSE: AXP): Shares of American Express hit a 52-week high of $53.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $53.59. The year-to-date performance of American Express has been a gain of 26.3%.

14) DIRECTV (NASDAQ: DTV): Shares of DIRECTV hit a 52-week high of $52.93 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $52.80. The year-to-date performance of DIRECTV has been a gain of 32.2%.

15) Baxter International (NYSE: BAX): Shares of Baxter hit a 52-week high of $61.27 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $61.06. The year-to-date performance of Baxter International has been a gain of 21.9%.

16) Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI): Shares of Johnson Controls hit a 52-week high of $42.92 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $42.71. The year-to-date performance of Johnson Controls has been a gain of 12.3%.

17) Live Nation Entertainment (NYSE: LYV): Shares of Live Nation hit a 52-week high of $12.44 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $12.26. The year-to-date performance of Live Nation has been a gain of 7.3%.

18) Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN): Shares of Nordstrom hit a 52-week high of $50.92 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $50.56. The year-to-date performance of Nordstrom has been a gain of 20.5%.

19) Key Energy Services (NYSE: KEG): Shares of Key Energy hit a 52-week high of $19.67 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $19.44. The year-to-date performance of Key Energy Services has been a gain of 49.8%.

20) TJX (NYSE: TJX): Shares of TJX hit a 52-week high of $55.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $54.99. The year-to-date performance of TJX has been a gain of 24.7%.

21) Nike (NYSE: NKE): Shares of Nike hit a 52-week high of $94.23 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $93.66. The year-to-date performance of Nike has been a gain of 10.4%.

22) Western Refining (NYSE: WNR): Shares of Western Refining hit a 52-week high of $19.79 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $19.55. The year-to-date performance of Western Refining has been a gain of 84.7%.

23) Netflix (NASDAQ: NFLX): Shares of Netflix hit a 52-week high of $297.35 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $292.42. The year-to-date performance of Netflix has been a gain of 66.4%.

24) Bebe Stores (NASDAQ: BEBE): Shares of Bebe hit a 52-week high of $8.25 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $7.75. The year-to-date performance of Bebe has been a gain of 30.9%.

25) Expedia (NASDAQ: EXPE): Shares of Expedia hit a 52-week high of $30.32 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $30.25. The year-to-date performance of Expedia has been a gain of 21.3%.

26) Dillard's (NYSE: DDS): Shares of Dillard's hit a 52-week high of $60.14 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $59.59. The year-to-date performance of Dillard's has been a gain of 57.4%.

27) 3M (NYSE: MMM): Shares of 3M hit a 52-week high of $98.19 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $97.97. The year-to-date performance of 3M has been a gain of 14.8%.

28) Patterson-UTI Energy (NASDAQ: PTEN): Shares of Patterson-UTI hit a 52-week high of $32.63 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $32.61. The year-to-date performance of Patterson-UTI has been a gain of 51.8%.

29) Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN): Shares of Amazon hit a 52-week high of $217.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $216.74. The year-to-date performance of Amazon.com has been a gain of 20.4%.

30) Illinois Tool Works (NYSE: ITW): Shares of Illinois Tool Works hit a 52-week high of $59.02 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $59.02. The year-to-date performance of Illinois Tool Works has been a gain of 11.9%.

31) The Wet Seal (NASDAQ: WTSLA): Shares of Wet Seal hit a 52-week high of $5.00 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $4.97. The year-to-date performance of Wet Seal has been a gain of 34.3%.

32) Cablevision Systems (NYSE: CVC): Shares of Cablevision hit a 52-week high of $27.60 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $27.48. The year-to-date performance of Cablevision has been a gain of 17%.

33) Chico's FAS (NYSE: CHS): Shares of Chico's hit a 52-week high of $16.25 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $16.18. The year-to-date performance of Chico's has been a gain of 35.5%.

34) Tiffany & Co. (NYSE: TIF): Shares of Tiffany hit a 52-week high of $84.49 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $83.05. The year-to-date performance of Tiffany & Co. has been a gain of 34.5%.

35) Complete Production Services (NYSE: CPX): Shares of Complete Production Services hit a 52-week high of $36.98 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $35.75. The year-to-date performance of Complete Production Services has been a gain of 21%.

36) Salesforce.com (NYSE: CRM): Shares of Salesforce.com hit a 52-week high of $160.02 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $158.13. The year-to-date performance of Salesforce.com has been a gain of 19.8%.

37) CVR Energy (NYSE: CVI): Shares of CVR hit a 52-week high of $27.04 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $26.49. The year-to-date performance of CVR has been a gain of 74.5%.

38) Express-1 Expedited Solutions (NYSE: XPO): Shares of Express-1 hit a 52-week high of $3.66 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $3.59. The year-to-date performance of Express-1 has been a gain of 40.2%.

39) Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR): Shares of Green Mountain Coffee Roasters hit a 52-week high of $95.71 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $95.14. The year-to-date performance of Green Mountain Coffee has been a gain of 189%.

40) Hot Topic (NASDAQ: HOTT): Shares of Hot Topic hit a 52-week high of $8.45 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $8.40. The year-to-date performance of Hot Topic has been a gain of 35%.

41) Tibco Software (NASDAQ: TIBX): Shares of Tibco hit a 52-week high of $31.45 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $31.20. The year-to-date performance of Tibco has been a gain of 58.2%.

42) Mastercard (NYSE: MA): Shares of Mastercard hit a 52-week high of $322.28 in Thursday's session. The stock closed at $319.02. The year-to-date performance of Mastercard has been a gain of 42.5%.

43) DISH Network (NASDAQ: DISH): Shares of DISH Network hit a 52-week high of $31.94 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $31.75. The year-to-date performance of DISH has been a gain of 61.4%.

44) Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN): Shares of Wynn hit a 52-week high of $159.17 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $157.49. The year-to-date performance of Wynn Resorts has been a gain of 52.2%. 45) AutoNation (NYSE: AN): Shares of AutoNation hit a 52-week high of $40.16 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $39.29. The year-to-date performance of AutoNation has been a gain of 39.3%.

46) Sally Beauty Holdings (NYSE: SBH): Shares of Sally Beauty hit a 52-week high of $18.62 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $18.47. The year-to-date performance of Sally Beauty has been a gain of 27.1%.

47) Strategic Hotels & Resorts (NYSE: BEE): Shares of Strategic Hotels hit a 52-week high of $7.62 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $7.54. The year-to-date performance of Strategic Hotels & Resorts has been a gain of 42.5%.

48) Bed Bath & Beyond (NASDAQ: BBBY): Shares of Bed Bath & Beyond hit a 52-week high of $60.55 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $60.31. The year-to-date performance of Bed Bath & Beyond has been a gain of 22%.

49) Coffee Holding (NASDAQ: JVA): Shares of Coffee Holding hit a 52-week high of $22.73 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $22.35. The year-to-date performance of Coffee Holding has been a gain of 504%.

50) 8x8 (NASDAQ: EGHT): Shares of 8x8 hit a 52-week high of $5.18 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $5.18. The year-to-date performance of 8x8 has been a gain of 117%.

51) Brinker International (NYSE: EAT): Shares of Brinker International hit a 52-week high of $26.71 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $26.57. The year-to-date performance of Brinker has been a gain of 28.7%.

52) Constellation Energy (NYSE: CEG): Shares of Constellation Energy hit a 52-week high of $38.99 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $28.93. The year-to-date performance of Constellation has been a gain of 27.9%.

53) Wellcare Health Plans (NYSE: WCG): Shares of Wellcare hit a 52-week high of $55.75 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $54.96. The year-to-date performance of Wellcare has been a gain of 81.8%.

54) BMC Software (NASDAQ: BMC): Shares of BMC hit a 52-week high of $56.55 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $56.50. The year-to-date performance of BMC has been a gain of 19.8%.

55) Northwest Bancshares (NASDAQ: NWBI): Shares of Northwest Bancshares hit a 52-week high of $13.36 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $13.18. The year-to-date performance of Northwest Bancshares has been a gain of 12.9%.

56) Genuine Parts (NYSE: GPC): Shares of Genuine Parts hit a 52-week high of $57.66 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $57.37. The year-to-date performance of Genuine Parts has been a gain of 13.7%.

57) Dollar Tree (NASDAQ: DLTR): Shares of Dollar Tree hit a 52-week high of $70.54 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $70.21. The year-to-date performance of Dollar Tree has been a gain of 25.2%.

58) DeVry (NYSE: DV): Shares of DeVry hit a 52-week high of $63.58 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $62.46. The year-to-date performance of DeVry has been a gain of 30.4%.

59) PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT): Shares of PriceSmart hit a 52-week high of $60.20 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $60.20. The year-to-date performance of PriceSmart has been a gain of 58%.

60) Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG): Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill hit a 52-week high of $329.80 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $328.49. The year-to-date performance of Chipotle has been a gain of 54.4%.

The following stocks hit new 52-week lows in Thursday's trading session (listed from highest total volume to lowest):

1) Forest Oil (NYSE: FST): Shares of Forest Oil hit a 52-week low of $23.90 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $24.24. The year-to-date performance of Forest Oil has been a loss of 36.1%.

2) Lumber Liquidators (NYSE: LL): Shares of Lumber Liquidators hit a 52-week low of $18.20 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $18.32. The year-to-date performance of Lumber Liquidators has been a loss of 26.4%.

3) BioMimetic Therapeutics (NASDAQ: BMTI): Shares of BioMimetic Therapeutics hit a 52-week low of $4.43 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $4.46. The year-to-date performance of BioMimetic has been a loss of 64.9%.

4) Smart Technologies (NASDAQ: SMT): Shares of Smart Technologies hit a 52-week low of $5.57 in Thursday's trading session. The stock closed at $5.57. The year-to-date performance of Smart Technologies has been a loss of 40.1%.