CITI: Here Are The 20 Best Stocks In America

Citi's army of analysts and strategists have examined the universe of stocks they cover and screened them for what they considered to be the 50 "World Champions.''

These companies boast "leading business models and market share," wrote Citi's Robert Buckland, Robert Garlick and the global equities research team.

The analysts' considered three selection criteria: market cap of at least $3 billion; at least a top 3 market share in a third of their businesses; and a global reach as measured by significant revenue outside of their home market.

To narrow it down to the top 50, Citi analysts then looked at both historical financial performance and forecasts of the same measures between 2014-2016.

We've highlighted 20 of the U.S. buy rated stocks and ranked them by estimated total return (ETR). We also pulled a few key quotes from the 212-page note that highlight what makes each of these companies a world champion.

Note: Closing price as of April 17.