Where Are Analysts Most Optimistic on Ratings for S&P 500 Companies Heading Into 2025?

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 12,168 ratings on stocks in the S&P 500. Of these ratings, 54.0% are Buy ratings, 40.1% are Hold ratings, and 5.1% are Sell ratings. The percentage of Buy ratings is below its 5-year (month-end) average of 54.8%. The percentage Hold ratings is above its 5-year (month-end) average of 39.3%. The percentage of Sell ratings is slightly below its 5-year (month-end) average of 6.0%.

At the sector level, analysts are most optimistic on the Communication Services, Energy, and Information Technology sectors, as these three sectors are tied for the highest percentage of Buy ratings at 61%. On the other hand, analysts are most pessimistic on the Consumer Staples and Utilities sectors, as these two sectors have the lowest percentages of Buy ratings at 41% and 48%, respectively. The Consumer Staples sector has the highest percentage of Hold ratings at 53%, while the Financials, Industrials, and Utilities sectors are tied for the highest percentage of Sell ratings at 8%.

The ten S&P 500 companies with the highest percentages of Buy ratings and Sell ratings (with a minimum of 3 ratings) can be found below. Three of the top ten companies with the highest percentage of Buy ratings are also “Magnificent 7” companies: Amazon.com, Microsoft, and NVIDIA.

After falling to 53.6% at the end of October 2024, the percentage of Buy ratings for the S&P 500 has increased slightly over the past two months to 54.0% today. The value of the S&P 500 has increased by 2.8% (to 5,867.08 from 5,705.45) since October 31.

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