Goldman's 10 Best Stock Picks for 2011

BOSTON ( TheStreet) -- Goldman Sachs ( GS) updated its Conviction Buy List, a compilation of the Wall Street bank's favorite U.S. stocks, for 2011. Investors ought to review the following 10 picks, which offer the greatest 2011 upside potential, according to Goldman. Below, the stocks are ordered by return potential, from plenty to most.

10. Digital Realty Trust ( DLR) is a data-center real estate investment trust, or REIT.

Goldman initiated coverage of this sub-industry in December with "favorable outlook" due to cloud-driven demand. It expects data-center REITs to generate the best profit growth among real estate stocks over the next few years. Digital Realty is Goldman's favorite stock in the group due to recent underperformance. Digital Realty missed third-quarter consensus earnings by 0.8% and its stock corrected 4.7%. Still, 65% of Wall Street analysts rate the REIT "buy."

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9. Crown Castle ( CCI) owns, operates and leases wireless communications towers.

Recent lease modifications with carriers, including AT&T ( T), are expected to bolster 2011 revenue. Given the company's history of exceeding rental revenue guidance, Goldman is bullish on the company's growth prospects and is forecasting rental revenue 2% above the top threshold of management's guidance and 77 cents of earnings in 2011. Its $54 target was derived by combining free and discounted cash-flow analyses, implying 24% upside.