With the end of the first quarter approaching, where are analysts most optimistic and pessimistic in terms of their ratings on stocks in the S&P 500? How have their views changed during the quarter?
Overall, there are 11,094 ratings on stocks in the S&P 500. Of these 11,094 ratings, 52.2% are Buy ratings, 42.9% are Hold ratings, and 4.9% are Sell ratings.
At the sector level, analysts are most optimistic on the Information Technology (60%), Health Care (59%), and Energy (59%) sectors, as these three sectors have highest percentages of Buy ratings.
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On the other hand, analysts are most pessimistic on the Telecom Services (33%) and Utilities (39%) sectors, as these two sectors have the lowest percentages of Buy ratings. The Telecom Services sector also has the highest percentage of Hold ratings (66%), while the Utilities sector also has the highest percentage of Sell ratings (9%).
Company-Level Breakdown
At the company level, the 10 stocks in the S&P 500 with the highest percentages of Buy ratings and the highest percentages of Sell ratings are listed below.
Highest % of Buy Ratings in S&P 500: Top 10 (Source: FactSet)
|
COMPANY
|
BUY
|
HOLD
|
SELL
|
TOTAL
|
|
Delta Air Lines, Inc.
|
100%
|
0%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated
|
96%
|
0%
|
4%
|
100%
|
|
Amazon.com, Inc.
|
96%
|
4%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Microchip Technology Inc.
|
95%
|
5%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Broadcom Limited
|
94%
|
6%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Visa Inc. Class A
|
92%
|
8%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Mastercard Incorporated Class A
|
92%
|
8%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Equinix, Inc.
|
92%
|
8%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
Applied Materials, Inc.
|
92%
|
8%
|
0%
|
100%
|
|
American Tower Corporation
|
92%
|
8%
|
0%
|
100%
|
Highest % of Sell Ratings in S&P 500: Top 10 (Source: FactSet)
|
COMPANY
|
BUY
|
HOLD
|
SELL
|
TOTAL
|
|
News Corporation Class B
|
0%
|
50%
|
50%
|
100%
|
|
Torchmark Corporation
|
0%
|
55%
|
45%
|
100%
|
|
Consolidated Edison, Inc.
|
6%
|
50%
|
44%
|
100%
|
|
Under Armour, Inc. Class C
|
21%
|
44%
|
35%
|
100%
|
|
Under Armour, Inc. Class A
|
20%
|
46%
|
34%
|
100%
|
|
VeriSign, Inc.
|
0%
|
67%
|
33%
|
100%
|
|
Helmerich & Payne, Inc.
|
16%
|
53%
|
31%
|
100%
|
|
Public Storage
|
6%
|
63%
|
31%
|
100%
|
|
Campbell Soup Company
|
29%
|
41%
|
29%
|
100%
|
|
Southern Company
|
29%
|
43%
|
29%
|
100%
|
Since December 31, the total number of ratings on S&P 500 companies has decreased by 0.5% (to 11,094 from 11,148).
The number of Buy ratings has increased by 5.0% (to 5791 from 5516) since December 31. All 11 sectors have witnessed an increase in Buy ratings, led by the Telecom Services (+18%), Utilities (+13%), and Consumer Staples (+11%) sectors.
The number of Hold ratings has decreased by 5.7% (to 4763 from 5049) during this period. Ten of the 11 sectors have recorded a decrease in Hold ratings, led by the Energy (-10%) and Consumer Discretionary (-9%) sectors.
The number of Sell ratings has decreased by 7.4% (to 540 from 583) since the start of the quarter. Eight of the 11 sectors have recorded a decrease in Sell ratings, led by the Telecom Services (-67%), Real Estate (-24%), and Energy (-21%) sectors.
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