During the past three months, the S&P 500 index increased 7.3% thanks to the strong economic recovery from the pandemic. All the following high-quality stocks generated strong double-digit gains during the same period.

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Regeneron Healthy Growth (REGN)

Regeneron reported second-quarter revenues rose 163% to $5.1 billion with net income jumping 245% to $3.1 billion. This excellent performance included $2.76 billion in revenue attributable to REGNCOV, the firm’s COVID-19 antibody cocktail which has proven potent against all known variants. Excluding REGN-COV sales, revenues still rose a healthy 22% as Regeneron generated record global sales from core products such as EYLEA and Dupixent. In the second quarter, Regeneron repurchased $289 million of its common stock and will remain opportunistic on future share repurchases. During the past three months, Regeneron’s stock generated a healthy 33% gain. Hold.

Nike 45% Return On Equity (NKE)

Nike reported 2021 sales of $44.5 billion, up 19% from last year, with earnings up 126% to $5.7 billion and EPS up 123% to $3.56. During fiscal 2021, Nike generated a winning 45% return on shareholders’ equity. Nike has a strong track record of investing to fuel growth and running up shareholder returns through share repurchases and dividends, including 19 consecutive years of dividend increases. In 2021, Nike also repurchased $608 million of its common shares. In fiscal 2022, Nike expects revenue to top $50 billion. Over the last four years, Nike’s stock has raced higher holding up a 203% total return trophy. Hold.

Microsoft $27 Billion Buyback (MSFT)

In fiscal 2021, Microsoft’s revenue increased 18% to $168.1 billion with net income jumping 38% to $61.3 billion and EPS up 40% to $8.05. Return on shareholders’ equity for the year was an impressive 43%. Free cash flow increased 24% during the year to $56.1 billion with Microsoft paying $16.5 billion in dividends and repurchasing $27.4 billion of its common stock. Over the last 11 years, Microsoft’s stock is up elevenfold with the gains rising into the clouds. Hold.

Apple $66 Billion Buyback (AAPL)

Apple rang up a juicy 36% jump in fiscal 2021 third-quarter sales to a record $81.4 billion with net income increasing 93% to $21.7 billion and EPS doubling to $1.30. During the first nine months of the fiscal year, Apple generated nearly $76.0 billion in free cash flow. After paying dividends of $10.8 billion and repurchasing $66.2 billion of its stock, Apple ended the quarter with $193.6 billion in cash and investments on its shiny balance sheet. Over the last 11 years, Apple has provided a sweet 1,569% total return. Hold.

Alphabet $24 Billion Buyback (GOOG)

Alphabet reported strong second-quarter results with revenues jumping 62% to $61.9 billion and net income up more than 165% to $18.5 billion. Free cash flow more than doubled during the first half of the year with the company repurchasing about $24.2 billion of its stock as part of its $50 billion share buyback authorization. Alphabet’s stock has googled up a robust 1,034% gain over the last decade. Hold.

Accenture $2.8 Billion Buyback (ACN)

Accenture reported excellent third-quarter results with revenues up 21% to $13.2 billion and net income jumping 26% to $1.6 billion. During the first nine months, Accenture paid $1.7 billion in dividends and repurchased $2.8 billion of its common stock. Free cash flow for the full year is expected in the range of $8.0 billion to $8.5 billion. Over the last nine years, Accenture has provided a tidy 498% total return. Hold.

Ulta Beauty 60% Rebound In Sales (ULTA)

Ulta Beauty rang up a 60% rebound in second-quarter sales to $2.0 billion with a net income of $250.9 million. Comparable store sales increased 56.3% driven by a 52.5% increase in transactions and a 2.5% increase in average ticket. Ulta Beauty ended the quarter with 58 Target “store within a store” locations and plans to have 100 open by the end of the third quarter. In the past three years, Ulta’s stock has gained a pretty 35%. Hold.

Paychex New $400 Million Buyback (PAYX)

Paychex reported strong fourth-quarter results with revenues up 12% to $1.0 billion and net income up 19% to $263 million. Double-digit growth during the fourth quarter was aided by a record 85% client retention level. Return on shareholders’ equity was a superb 37% for the year. Paychex is well-positioned for growth in fiscal 2022 with total revenue anticipated to grow approximately 7% generating adjusted EPS growth of 10%-12%. Thanks to strong free cash flows, the company announced a new $400 million share buyback program. Paychex pays a nice paycheck with the stock up more than fourfold over the last decade. Hold.

Bank Of Hawaii Increased Dividend 4% (BOH)

Bank of Hawaii reported net income jumped 74% to $67.5 million in the second quarter. During the quarter, the return on average assets and average equity improved to 1.23% and 19.6%, respectively. Total assets increased to a new record of $22.7 billion as total deposits increased 16% from a year ago to $20.2 billion. The company’s overall asset quality remained stable during the quarter. Thanks to its capital strength, the Board increased the quarterly dividend by 4% to $.70 per share. The dividend currently yields a coconut-sized 3.3%. The bank’s long-term goal is to pay out 50% of net income in dividends. Bank of Hawaii also announced the resumption of its share buyback program beginning in July with $113 million remaining authorized for future share repurchases. Over the past year, the Bank of Hawaii has provided a hula-dancing 73% total return. Buy.

Intel $2.4 Billion Buyback (INTC)

Intel reported second-quarter revenues increased 2% to $19.6 billion with EPS up 4% to $1.19. During the first half of the year, Intel generated $6.7 billion in free cash flow with the company returning $5.2 billion to shareholders through dividend payments of $2.8 billion and share repurchases of $2.4 billion. Intel has $7.2 billion authorized for future share repurchases. Management raised guidance with 2021 revenue expected to be approximately $77.6 billion with EPS of $4.09. Capital expenditures are expected in the $19 billion to $20 billion range. Intel believes it is at the beginning of a decade of sustained growth as the digitization of everything continues to accelerate. Intel has chipped in a 10% total return over the last year. Buy.

Mastercard $3.1 Billion Buyback (MA)

Mastercard reported second-quarter revenue rose 36% to $4.5 billion with net income charging 46% higher to $2.1 billion. This solid growth reflected the continued recovery in domestic and cross-border spending. Domestic spending is showing strength due to increased consumer mobility and stimulus payments. International travel is still in the early stages of recovery and represents additional upside potential. Cross-border spending is normalizing as border restrictions are easing. Mastercard expects more borders to open in the second half of the year depending on the impact of the Delta variant. Approximately 35 countries have populations more than 50% vaccinated so there is a long runway of people who want to travel. Gross dollar volume was up 33% during the quarter to $1.9 trillion on a local currency basis. Mastercard reported cross-border volume growth of 58% and switched transaction growth of 41% as the company lapped last year’s weak results due to the pandemic. As of June 30, 2021, the company’s customers had issued 2.9 billion Mastercard and Maestro-branded cards. During the first half of the year, Mastercard’s free cash flow increased 15% to $3.6 billion with the company paying $873 million in dividends and repurchasing $3.1 billion of its common stock with $6.4 billion remaining authorized for future share repurchases. During the first half of the year, Mastercard also invested $4.2 billion in acquisitions which are contributing to revenue growth. Revenue growth in the third quarter should be in the mid-20% range. Over the last seven years, Mastercard’s stock has charged higher providing a 375% total return. Buy.

Oracle $21 Billion Buyback (ORCL)

Oracle reported fourth-quarter revenues increased 8% to $11.2 billion with net income increasing 29% to $4.0 billion and EPS up 38% to $1.37. Adjusted net income and EPS increased 20% and 29%, respectively. Accelerating growth in cloud application revenue powered fourth-quarter results with Fusion ERP up 46%, Fusion HCM up 35%, and NetSuite up 26%. Revenue from Oracle’s Gen2 Cloud Infrastructure business, including Autonomous Database, grew over 100% during the quarter. For the fiscal year ended May 31, revenues increased 4% to $40.5 billion with net income up 36% to $13.7 billion and EPS up 48% to $4.55. Adjusted net income and EPS increased 11% and 21%, respectively, representing the fourth consecutive year of double-digit growth and the best results in seven years. Cloud service subscriptions now account for 71% of total revenues. During fiscal 2021, Oracle generated a record $13.8 billion in free cash flow with the company returning nearly $24 billion to shareholders through dividend payments of $3.0 billion and share repurchases of $21 billion at an average cost per share of $63.83. During the past 10 years, Oracle has reduced its shares outstanding by more than 44%. Management expects growth to accelerate during 2022 and beyond as the fast-growing cloud business becomes a larger portion of the business. Given the high returns on investment in the cloud, Oracle plans to nearly double its capital investments to $4 billion in 2022. First-quarter revenues for fiscal 2022 are expected to increase 3% to 5% generating non-GAAP operating margins of 47%. Over the past eight years, Oracle has provided a divine 195% total return. Buy.