A year ago, we spoke to Peter Nielsen, portfolio manager of Sextant Core (SCORX), a balanced fund with a 60/40 stock-to-bond mix. Nielsen suggested two equities he believed had strong growth potential in 2012. Here’s a look at how his picks have fared since then.

Express Scripts (NSDQ: ESRX) is the largest pharmacy benefits manager in the US. ESRX acquired its main competitor Medco Health Solutions in 2011 in a $29 billion deal. Although there were some antitrust concerns, the Federal Trade Commission approved the merger this past summer.

The merger helped Express Scripts nearly double its revenue, to $66.8 billion, for the first nine months of 2012. Profits were also up a healthy 75 percent, to $1.9 billion.

More good news: The recently upheld Affordable Care Act will add 30 million insured to the company’s potential customer base. The new law incentivizes patients to choose generic drugs, which have higher profit margins for ESRX.

Express Scripts has returned 20.3 percent since recommended.

Autoliv (NYSE: ALV) is the world’s largest supplier of auto-safety systems (air bags, seat belts, etc.). The company averaged 27 percent sales growth from 2010 to 2011, but hit a major road bump in 2012. Revenue was relatively flat for the first nine months of the year, at $8.2 billion, while profits fell close to 35 percent, to $343 million.

The European debt crisis dampened the company’s sales. China also experienced slower growth. And a stronger dollar resulted in foreign currency losses of roughly 5 percent.

Nevertheless, Autoliv has gained 17.9 percent since recommended.