Stocks have trended up this year, but for value investor Barry Hyman, he's not concerned with the behavior of the overall market.

“;Guessing the direction of the overall market is like guessing how many points will be scored in the NFL on Sunday,”; he said. “;All that counts is just the performance of the companies one owns.”;

And for Hyman, the companies he's owned more than doubled through three quarters in the Star-Bulletin's eighth annual stock-picking contest

Hyman, vice president-managing team for the Maui branch of FIM Group Ltd., saw the five picks in his hypothetical $20,000 portfolio soar 125.6 percent during the first nine months of this year, with his pick of investment management firm U.S. Global Investors leading the way with a 159.4 percent gain.

Norm Caris, managing director-institutional sales for Caris and Co., also added to his big gains and ended the nine-month period up 85.5 percent. Pimco High Income Fund continued to be his top winner and was up 114.8 percent through three quarters. But Caris also is keeping cash on the sidelines.

“;The economy will likely muddle through a recovery,”; he said. “;I don't foresee a relapse, but the question is how strong the upturn will be. I would guess that it will not be as strong as equity prices are currently indicating.”;

Richard Dole, chief executive officer of Honolulu investment adviser Dole Capital LLC, scored a big winner with Territorial Bancorp, the parent of Territorial Savings Bank, which had its initial public offering in July and rose 56.8 percent for the remainder of the quarter. Dole was up 28.2 percent at the three-quarter mark.

And Dwight Melton, co-founder of the Hawaii Stocks and Options Group, exploded in the quarter—largely due to Oshkosh, a military trucks manufacturer, which rose 112.7 percent during the three months. Melton, down 19.5 percent at midyear, finished last quarter up 16.5 percent.