So what’s the reason certain stocks perform through good and bad times? Turns out they have three things in common.

Kiplinger found that the top-performing stocks of the past five years share three characteristics:

• $1 billion or more in capital
• 40% or higher average annual returns over the past five years, and
• 10% or higher annual revenue increases over the past three years.

Here are the 12 stocks that fit that category (in alphabetical order):

1. Amazon

2. Apple

3. Baidu

4. Deckers Outdoor

5. Fossil

6. Green Mountain Coffee

7. HMS Holdings

8. MasterCard

9. Netflix

10. Perrigo

11. Priceline

12. SXC Health Solutions

Clients who are looking for safe bets might consider one of these stocks, especially if the price drops. And those who already own shares should probably hold them for the long haul.

Tags: amazon, apple, baidu, deckers outdoor, fossil, green mountain, green mountain coffee, hms holdings, kiplinger, kiplinger letter, mastercard, netflix, perrigo, priceline, stocks, sxc health solutions