Where Are Analysts Most Optimistic on Ratings for S&P 500 Companies for 2022?

With the end of the year approaching, where are analysts most optimistic and pessimistic in terms of their ratings on stocks in the S&P 500?

Overall, there are 10,785 ratings on stocks in the S&P 500. Of these 10,785 ratings, 56.8% are Buy ratings, 37.2% are Hold ratings, and 6.0% are Sell ratings.

At the sector level, analysts are most optimistic on the Energy (67%), Communication Services (62%), Information Technology (62%), and Health Care (61%) sectors, as these four sectors have the highest percentages of Buy ratings. On the other hand, analysts are most pessimistic on the Consumer Staples (42%) sector, as this sector has the lowest percentages of Buy ratings. This sector also has the highest percentage of Hold ratings (48%) and Sell ratings (10%).

The S&P 500 companies with the highest percentages of Buy ratings and Sell ratings can be found in the tables below.

Highest % of Buy Ratings in S&P 500: Top 10 (Source: FactSet)

Highest % of Sell Ratings in S&P 500: Top 10 (Source: FactSet)

It is interesting to note that even with a 24% price increase since the end of last year (December 31, 2020), analysts are more optimistic on S&P 500 stocks today compared to December 31, 2020, based on the percentages of Buy ratings. On December 31 (2020), 53.7% of ratings on S&P 500 stocks were Buy ratings compared to 56.8% today. Nine sectors have a higher percentage Buy ratings now compared to December 31 (2020), led by the Real Estate (to 54% from 47%) and Materials (to 56% from 50%) sectors. Two sectors have a lower percentage of Buy ratings now compared to December 31 (2020): Consumer Staples (to 42% from 46%) and Utilities (to 49% from 51%).

However, there has been no change at the sector level in terms of the sectors with the highest percentages of Buy ratings. The same four sectors (Communication Services, Energy, Health Care, and Information Technology) that had the highest percentages of Buy ratings on December 31, 2020 also have the highest percentages of Buy ratings today. In terms of price performance, the Energy sector (+46.1%) has witnessed the largest price increase and the Information Technology sector (+29.4%) has seen the fourth-largest price increase of all 11 sectors since the end of last year, while the Health Care sector (+22.0%) has seen the sixth-largest price increase and the Communication Services sector (+19.3%) has seen the seventh-largest price increase of all 11 sectors over this time frame.

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