With the end of the second 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 10,909 ratings on stocks in the S&P 500. Of these 10,909 ratings, 53.2% are Buy ratings, 42.1% are Hold ratings, and 4.7% are Sell ratings.
At the sector level, analysts are most optimistic on the Information Technology (59%), Health Care (59%), and Energy (59%) sectors, as these three sectors have the highest percentages of Buy ratings.
On the other hand, analysts are most pessimistic about the Telecom Services (38%) and Utilities (43%) sectors, as these sectors have the lowest percentages of Buy ratings. The Telecom Services sector also has the highest percentage of Hold ratings (58%), while the Utilities sector has the highest percentage of Sell ratings (7%).
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 here:
|
COMPANY |
BUY |
HOLD |
SELL |
TOTAL |
|
UnitedHealth Group Incorporated |
96% |
4% |
0% |
100% |
|
Amazon.com, Inc. |
96% |
4% |
0% |
100% |
|
Broadcom Inc. |
95% |
5% |
0% |
100% |
|
Microchip Technology Inc. |
95% |
5% |
0% |
100% |
|
Delta Air Lines, Inc. |
95% |
5% |
0% |
100% |
|
LKQ Corporation |
94% |
6% |
0% |
100% |
|
Facebook, Inc. Class A |
93% |
5% |
2% |
100% |
|
Harris Corporation |
93% |
7% |
0% |
100% |
|
Equinix, Inc. |
92% |
8% |
0% |
100% |
|
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. |
90% |
10% |
0% |
100% |
|
COMPANY |
BUY |
HOLD |
SELL |
TOTAL |
|
Consolidated Edison, Inc. |
6% |
47% |
47% |
100% |
|
Torchmark Corporation |
8% |
50% |
42% |
100% |
|
Campbell Soup Company |
22% |
39% |
39% |
100% |
|
Under Armour, Inc. Class C |
19% |
45% |
35% |
100% |
|
Under Armour, Inc. Class A |
19% |
47% |
34% |
100% |
|
SCANA Corporation |
11% |
56% |
33% |
100% |
|
VeriSign, Inc. |
0% |
67% |
33% |
100% |
|
News Corporation Class B |
33% |
33% |
33% |
100% |
|
Varian Medical Systems, Inc. |
30% |
40% |
30% |
100% |
|
Public Storage |
12% |
59% |
29% |
100% |
Since March 31, the total number of ratings on S&P 500 companies has decreased by 2.0% (to 10,909 from 11,129).
The number of Buy ratings has decreased by 0.5% (to 5804 from 5831). However, only four sectors have witnessed a decrease in Buy ratings, led by the Consumer Staples (-6%) and Energy (-5%) sectors. Six sectors have seen an increase in Buy ratings, led by the Utilities (+10%) sector.
The number of Hold ratings has decreased by 3.6% (to 4593 from 4764). All 11 sectors have recorded a decrease in Hold ratings, led by the Materials (-12%) and Telecom Services (-12%) sectors.
The number of Sell ratings decreased by 4.1% (to 512 from 534). Seven of the eleven sectors have a recorded a decrease in Sell ratings, led by the Utilities (-19%) and Energy (-16%) sectors. Four sectors have seen an increase in Sell ratings, led by the Telecom Services (+100%), Consumer Staples (+13%), and Information Technology (+12%) sectors.