In afternoon trading on Thursday, Utilities stocks are the best performing sector, higher by 0.3%. Within that group, CenterPoint Energy, Inc (Symbol: CNP) and CMS Energy Corp (Symbol: CMS) are two of the day's stand-outs, showing a gain of 1.3% and 1.2%, respectively. Among utilities ETFs, one ETF following the sector is the Utilities Select Sector SPDR ETF (Symbol: XLU), which is up 0.2% on the day, and up 24.99% year-to-date. CenterPoint Energy, Inc, meanwhile, is up 9.24% year-to-date, and CMS Energy Corp is up 31.38% year-to-date. Combined, CNP and CMS make up approximately 3.6% of the underlying holdings of XLU.
The next best performing sector is the Industrial sector, up 0.2%. Among large Industrial stocks, Lam Research Corp (Symbol: LRCX) and Southwest Airlines Co (Symbol: LUV) are the most notable, showing a gain of 12.0% and 5.1%, respectively. One ETF closely tracking Industrial stocks is the Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLI), which is flat on the day in midday trading, and up 22.93% on a year-to-date basis. Lam Research Corp, meanwhile, is up 94.30% year-to-date, and Southwest Airlines Co is up 21.49% year-to-date. LUV makes up approximately 1.1% of the underlying holdings of XLI.
Comparing these stocks and ETFs on a trailing twelve month basis, below is a relative stock price performance chart, with each of the symbols shown in a different color as labeled in the legend at the bottom:
Here's a snapshot of how the S&P 500 components within the various sectors are faring in afternoon trading on Thursday. As you can see, three sectors are up on the day, while five sectors are down.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
