It’s been a successful fourth quarter for the S&P 500 — and its top stocks are poised for even bigger gains. The S&P 500 is on track to end the quarter with a 6.2% gain through the market open on Thursday. That falls between two other major averages, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average on track to gain 15% and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropping 2.5%. As a result, the benchmark S&P 500 index should see its first quarterly gain this year, limiting full-year losses to less than 20%. This quarter proved a welcome respite from what would still end with the biggest annual decline for stocks since the 2008 global financial crisis. More than a fifth of the total. S&P 500 stocks have gained 20% or more in the past three months of the year. The year after inflation cooled, the Federal Reserve slowed its rate hike campaign and the job market remained strong. CNBC Pro looked at the 10 best-performing stocks in the index this quarter, using data from FactSet through Wednesday. Global Health Services led the way, adding 58.1% in the fourth quarter. While the broader market has had a dismal December, healthcare stocks have seen a 6.5% gain this month, lifting it to a 7.5% year-to-date gain. now in 2022. Hedgeye analyst Tom Tobin recently named UHS a long-term idea with a potential boost of up to 40%, according to StreetAccount. Other analysts were less optimistic after the big run, with just 28% rating it as buying or over, 50% holding and 22% undervaluing or selling, FactSet data showed. Analysts on average predict its price to drop by nearly 8% over the next 12 months. Boeing followed closely behind, growing 55.6% this quarter. The jet maker and defense contractor has been waiting for a congressional extension to require a new safety standard in the 737 Max cockpit, which it received in December. Shares of the company has fallen 6.4% this year. Boeing is popular on Wall Street. Nearly four out of five analysts rate the company as overweight or buying. The average analyst has an implied price target of a 5.5% gain. “Global air travel has largely recovered, airlines are ordering new planes at near-record rates, the MAX and 787 are being delivered and speed is up,” the Goldman Sachs analyst said. manufacturing is picking up, and China has eased the risks from the MAX horizon,” the Goldman Sachs analyst said. Noah Poponak in a December 14 note to clients. He called Boeing a top pick in the aerospace sector for 2023. Caterpillar was about 46 percent higher in the fourth quarter, turning the year-to-date decline into a 15.8 percent gain. The construction equipment maker popped up in late October after third-quarter revenue and earnings beat analyst estimates. About two out of every five Caterpillar analysts rate the stock as overweight or a buy. But analysts on average expect prices to be little changed next year. — Gina Francolla of CNBC contributed to this report.