5 Stocks Poised to Shine This Summer

Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer and traditionally the beginning of a quieter period for equities. But recent gains and increased optimism in a second-half recovery mean that just because school's out for summer, the stock market most certainly is not.

"The old adage 'Sell in May and Go Away' is a very dangerous proposition this year," says Brett D'Arcy, director of investment and research at CBIZ Financial Solutions (CBZ). "Given the recent trajectory of the market and the timing of the stimulus funds into the economy, I think the summer could turn out to be a very profitable time for investors."

True, there is something to the Sell-in-May saying: Plexus Asset Management crunched the average monthly total return of the S&P 500 from January 1950 to April 2009. Sure enough, only September and October produced lower results than June, July or August.

There are other caveats with seasonal investing, the most salient being that the market knows that summer comes every year. As such, expected gains in sales and earnings tend to get baked into share prices months in advance.

But that doesn't mean there aren't some solid summer stocks out there that could offer upside surprise by autumn, thanks to larger macro trends or company-specific strengths. From energy to lawn care to summer blockbusters, here, then, is a look at five stocks for summer.