So far in 2015, volatility has played havoc, leaving even the most ardent of investors high and dry. Even as the U.S. economy is bracing up against challenges amid the global macro headwinds, volatility is expected to loom over the market prospects in the near term. However, notwithstanding a long list of apprehensions, there have been a few stocks that have had a great run so far this year.

The Year So Far

The year started on a disappointing note with concerns related to lower global growth projections, a slump in oil prices, the strengthening of the U.S. dollar and apprehensions about the timing of the Fed’s interest rate hike decision.

Meanwhile, the bursting of the Chinese market equity bubble and Greece defaulting on its IMF loan added to the woes.

Even now, a strong dollar and lackluster global growth -- particularly in China and other emerging markets – coupled with persistent weakness in crude prices continue to affect companies as well as economies across the globe.

Nevertheless, the markets perked up recently, buoyed by favorable developments across the globe. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) reduced the key rates for the sixth time in less than a year to boost the economy. Also, European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi pointed out that the central bank could expand its quantitative easing measures at its December meeting. Back home, though the Fed kept the key interest rates unchanged in its October meeting, there were indications that a December rate hike is still in the cards.

Notably, the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average have risen about 2.5% and 0.5%, respectively, year-to-date.

Diamonds in the Rough

Despite the adversities playing spoilsport, there are a few stocks that have not only held up but crushed market estimates in 2015. These companies also bear excellent prospects, thereby holding great promises for the future.

However, such stocks may tumble after their growth trajectory hits the highest point. Thus, it is imperative to select companies that are still seeing strong momentum and are likely to grow faster than what has been predicted by the market, in the rest of 2015.

Stocks That Doubled

With the help of the Zacks Stock Screener, we have zeroed-in on five stocks that sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), and have witnessed a year-to-date price change of more than 100%.

Below, we have listed five stocks with excellent prospects that have held ground in spite of the recent chaos:

Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN - Analyst Report) is one of the largest online retailers in the world. This Zacks Rank #2 company is the leading provider of cloud infrastructure as a service to enterprise customers and has increased focus on the platform approach. We expect revenue growth and cash flows to remain strong and believe that its platform strategy and AWS will spur growth. Also, the company’s investments are backed by a strong balance sheet.

Increase in share price (YTD): 101.5%
This year’s expected EPS growth rate: 448.1%

LendingTree, Inc. (TREE - Snapshot Report) is the nation's leading online loan marketplace, empowering consumers as they comparison-shop across a full suite of loan and credit-based offerings. The company has been performing well driven by solid revenue growth from its mortgage as well as non-mortgage products. In fact, driven by its encouraging performance, this Zacks Rank #1 company recently raised its guidance for full-year 2015 and expects to witness continued growth heading into the next year.

Increase in share price (YTD): 139.5%
This year’s expected EPS growth rate: 91.4%

Based in North America, Dycom Industries Inc. (DY - Analyst Report) is a leading provider of specialty contracting services throughout the U.S. The company continues to win lucrative contracts as well as renewed ones, with solid backlog levels that promise substantial growth. Additionally, this Zacks Rank #1 company leverages its robust financial position to drive growth through acquisitions. The company is also dedicated toward enhancing investors’ wealth via share buybacks.

Increase in share price (YTD): 136.7%
This year’s expected EPS growth rate: 35.8%

Exelixis, Inc. (EXEL - Snapshot Report) is a biopharmaceutical company committed to developing small molecule therapies for the treatment of cancer. This Zacks Rank #2 company is working on expanding Cometriq’s label, which should further boost the drug's sales. Notably, the drug is being evaluated for multiple indications, including advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. Cometriq registered sales of $17.4 million in the first half of 2015.

Increase in share price (YTD): 329.9%
This year’s expected EPS growth rate: 40.3%

ZIOPHARM Oncology, Inc. (ZIOP - Snapshot Report) is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of a diverse, risk-sensitive portfolio of in-licensed cancer drugs to address unmet medical needs. This Zacks Rank #2 company continues to benefit from its synthetic immuno-oncology programs, in collaboration with Intrexon Corporation and the MD Anderson Cancer Center, which comprise chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) and other adoptive cell based approaches that use both non-viral and viral gene transfer methods for broad scalability.

Increase in share price (YTD): 158.8%
This year’s expected EPS growth rate: 12.8%

The Road Ahead

The above-mentioned stocks have grabbed the spotlight with striking performances on the back of positive momentum in their stock price and solid future growth projections. These trend-beating money minters that are scaling newer heights appear to have considerable room for more gains.

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